Carie Fisher

It is challenging to accurately understand the preferences of over 7.8 billion people at any given time. Carie Fisher outlines which CSS media features are available for detecting user preferences and how they are used to design and build more inclusive experiences.

Digital accessibility is about designing and building digital products so that regardless of a person's mental or physical abilities, they still interact with them meaningfully and equitably. This study explores the digital accessibility awareness, understanding, and attitudes of technology professionals. As a research method, an online survey was sent to technology professionals currently working in the field to gain a clearer picture of what digital accessibility resources are being used… Show more

Digital accessibility is about designing and building digital products so that regardless of a person's mental or physical abilities, they still interact with them meaningfully and equitably. This study explores the digital accessibility awareness, understanding, and attitudes of technology professionals. As a research method, an online survey was sent to technology professionals currently working in the field to gain a clearer picture of what digital accessibility resources are being used, what limitations might exist, and attitudes and perceptions surrounding digital accessibility in the workforce. Show less

An evergreen accessibility course and reference to level up your web development.

When you’re designing a page, it’s essential to think about who your audience is — and that your audience may not have the same abilities as you. Making your documents accessible is not just about adding alternative descriptions to images; it’s about thinking through all the ways you can make your design work for as many people as possible.

Discover which SVG patterns we should avoid and which patterns are the most inclusive when comparing different combinations of OSs, browsers, and screen readers.

How do we know which patterns are good, better, best when it comes to accessibility? Is it better to use an established pattern/library or create new ones? With the myriad of choices available, we can quickly become caught up in a web of confusion on this topic.

Creating accessible images seems like a simple topic at first glance — you just need to add alt text to an image, right? But the topic is much more nuanced than some people think. In this article, we will review the different types of images, dive into some real-world examples of inaccessible public service announcements (PSAs), and discuss which elements matter most when critical messages need to reach everyone.

We are fortunate to have robust patterns to choose from when optimizing accessibility in SVGs — but most people stop there, focusing on code compliance and not actual users and their needs. If true inclusiveness lies beyond patterns — what other factors should we consider when designing and developing accessible SVGs?

Producing videos and hosting live streaming events with digital accessibility best practices in mind can be difficult! This article will answer any questions you might have about digital accessibility in multimedia.

Today is my 10th anniversary…of working remotely!

Some people think remote working is “living the life” - but it’s not always a vacation. Over the years, I’ve had both good and bad experiences, so I decided to compile some pro-tips to shed some light on how to effectively work from home while maintaining a good work/life balance.

However you look at it, the numbers don’t lie. There are some pretty significant diversity issues in tech. So how do we fix this issue before the next wave of young developers join the tech workforce? Simple: teach developers to write accessible code.

This may seem like a joke to some and stretch to others, but hear me out. When we talk about accessible code, what we are really talking about at its core is inclusiveness. The actual process of writing accessible code involves rules and… Show more

However you look at it, the numbers don’t lie. There are some pretty significant diversity issues in tech. So how do we fix this issue before the next wave of young developers join the tech workforce? Simple: teach developers to write accessible code.

This may seem like a joke to some and stretch to others, but hear me out. When we talk about accessible code, what we are really talking about at its core is inclusiveness. The actual process of writing accessible code involves rules and standards, tests and tools; but inclusive development is more abstract than that. It’s a shift in thinking.

And when we rethink our approach to development, we go beyond just the base level of simple code functionality. We instead think, how is this code consumed? How can we make it even more intelligible and easier for people to use? Inclusive development means making something valuable, not just accessible, to as many people as we can. Show less

Deque’s instructor-led training team has been very busy giving both in-person and virtual training sessions all over the world. In the past few months, I alone have traveled over 8000 miles and led a total of 25 days of training sessions (with even more on the way)…and I am not even close to being the busiest member of our group! Throughout my recent travels, I have gathered a list of questions from the designers and developers on the ground. Regardless of the company size or industry, you… Show more

Deque’s instructor-led training team has been very busy giving both in-person and virtual training sessions all over the world. In the past few months, I alone have traveled over 8000 miles and led a total of 25 days of training sessions (with even more on the way)…and I am not even close to being the busiest member of our group! Throughout my recent travels, I have gathered a list of questions from the designers and developers on the ground. Regardless of the company size or industry, you might be surprised to learn that many of their questions overlap. Here are the top five questions that I hear most often and some context/resources to learn a bit more about each! Show less

Scalable Vector Graphics (SVGs) have been around since 1999, but they have seen a real resurgence in use as design interactions have become more complex and CSS/JavaScript have replaced antiquated animation programs such as Adobe Flash. There are plenty of reasons to use SVGs today including:

- Browser support – Increased native browser support of SVGs means better consistency and higher fidelity of images.
- Code control – Advancements in CSS and JavaScript functionality to style and… Show more

Scalable Vector Graphics (SVGs) have been around since 1999, but they have seen a real resurgence in use as design interactions have become more complex and CSS/JavaScript have replaced antiquated animation programs such as Adobe Flash. There are plenty of reasons to use SVGs today including:

- Browser support – Increased native browser support of SVGs means better consistency and higher fidelity of images.
- Code control – Advancements in CSS and JavaScript functionality to style and animate images.
- File size – The relative “lightness” of SVG code in a world where bandwidth and performance matter more than ever.
- Accessibility – Markup can be added to the SVGs directly so more information can be added within the image itself – which is helpful for people using assistive technology devices such as screen readers.

Of course, this article will be focusing on accessibility and testing different SVG patterns, but it is good to know there are a lot of other benefits to using SVGs (just in case someone needs more convincing).

Now that we have some basics out of the way, let’s talk patterns! Over the years I have seen and used a lot of different patterns to add additional descriptive content to SVGs. But it was unclear which of these options was the best to use for the most coverage of browsers and screen readers. There are articles that touch on the subject, but many are dated or do not cover all of the patterns available, so I decided to do my own high-level browser/screen reader testing. Show less

Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) are XML-based vector images. They’ve been around for a long time now but have seen a real resurgence in use over the past couple of years. There are plenty of reasons to use SVGs today including:

- Increased native browser support of SVGs means better consistency and higher fidelity of images.
- Advancement of CSS and JavaScript techniques available to style and animate images.
- The relative “lightness” of SVG code in a world where bandwidth and… Show more

Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) are XML-based vector images. They’ve been around for a long time now but have seen a real resurgence in use over the past couple of years. There are plenty of reasons to use SVGs today including:

- Increased native browser support of SVGs means better consistency and higher fidelity of images.
- Advancement of CSS and JavaScript techniques available to style and animate images.
- The relative “lightness” of SVG code in a world where bandwidth and performance matter more than ever.

Another big advantage of using SVGs over standard images is that they can easily be made accessible. Since markup can be added to the SVGs directly, they give individuals who use assistive technologies (ATs), such as screen readers, more information about the images within the image itself. Show less

By now you have most likely have heard the term digital accessibility and may have an inkling about what it is— but have you bought into the hype? Or are you secretly asking yourself questions like:

“How many people visiting my website or app actually need these accessibility features?”
“Won’t it take too much time/effort/money to make my website or app accessible?”
“Will my website or app be ugly if I make it accessible?”

If you or your client have pondered these (or… Show more

By now you have most likely have heard the term digital accessibility and may have an inkling about what it is— but have you bought into the hype? Or are you secretly asking yourself questions like:

“How many people visiting my website or app actually need these accessibility features?”
“Won’t it take too much time/effort/money to make my website or app accessible?”
“Will my website or app be ugly if I make it accessible?”

If you or your client have pondered these (or similar) thoughts, I am here to challenge your thinking by busting some myths around digital accessibility! Show less

Creating and designing accessible content means more than just choosing accessible typography. Even with “perfect” font families in place on your website, people with low vision, cognitive, language, and learning disabilities may still struggle to process the text.

Let’s look at all the steps and design considerations you’ll need to take into account when making your content more accessible.

ARIA was first developed in 2008 by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) group – a subset of the overarching World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) who govern and regulate the internet. ARIA is an acronym for “Accessible Rich Internet Applications” and is formally called WAI-ARIA (but many people call it by its abbreviated name).

The WAI group defines ARIA as:

“A way to make Web content and Web applications more accessible to people with disabilities. It especially helps with dynamic… Show more

ARIA was first developed in 2008 by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) group – a subset of the overarching World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) who govern and regulate the internet. ARIA is an acronym for “Accessible Rich Internet Applications” and is formally called WAI-ARIA (but many people call it by its abbreviated name).

The WAI group defines ARIA as:

“A way to make Web content and Web applications more accessible to people with disabilities. It especially helps with dynamic content and advanced user interface controls developed with Ajax, HTML, JavaScript, and related technologies.”

Put more simply, ARIA defines a collection of attributes to help modify incorrect markup and to bridge gaps in HTML to create more accessible experience those using assistive technology (AT). Correctly incorporating ARIA into your code ensures that assistive technology device users will have all of the information they need to use your website or app. Show less

Now that the winter holidays are over and the snow is beginning to melt, we find ourselves at the beginning of a new season. No, not spring, but tech conference season. By this time of the year, I have usually submitted a few talks to a handful of conferences, patiently waiting to hear back on decisions so I can try to figure out how I can magically stretch my limited budget.

In my previous blog post, I talked about six design alternatives to avoid slideshows. The response to that blog post was great - who knew there were so many kindred spirits who dislike slideshows? From the feedback I received, the number one question was why are slideshows so bad in the first place? Hopefully this companion blog post will give you that deeper understanding of some reasons not to use a slideshow and maybe help convince your next client that slideshows are a thing of the past.

Slideshows, sliders, carousels: no matter what you call them, in terms of web design they are just evil. Do a quick Google search and you will see that most frontend developers and UX/UI designers can agree on this point and have been talking about it for years. But why do we still constantly see them? Part of the issue is that slideshows, especially in the hero region, are so ubiquitous that many clients see them as necessary and keep asking for them. They have essentially become a “home page… Show more

Slideshows, sliders, carousels: no matter what you call them, in terms of web design they are just evil. Do a quick Google search and you will see that most frontend developers and UX/UI designers can agree on this point and have been talking about it for years. But why do we still constantly see them? Part of the issue is that slideshows, especially in the hero region, are so ubiquitous that many clients see them as necessary and keep asking for them. They have essentially become a “home page standard.” A design element that is so prevalent can’t be all that bad, right? Wrong. The next time a client asks for a slideshow, resist the temptation to go off on why they will kill a website, and propose one of these alternatives. Show less

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and website accessibility are not the same thing. There are different rules to follow, different audiences to target, and different ways to test the effectiveness of each.

Optimizing your website for search engine bots does not mean it will be automagically accessible to real people too. Some SEO practices may even hurt your website’s accessibility.

However it is not all bad news, there are some areas where the two worlds overlap. If you have a… Show more

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and website accessibility are not the same thing. There are different rules to follow, different audiences to target, and different ways to test the effectiveness of each.

Optimizing your website for search engine bots does not mean it will be automagically accessible to real people too. Some SEO practices may even hurt your website’s accessibility.

However it is not all bad news, there are some areas where the two worlds overlap. If you have a limited budget and/or timeframe for a project, targeting these six areas may simultaneously boost both SEO and website accessibility. Show less

The term Inclusive Design is not a new one. It is a phrase that has been around since 2005. It is defined as “The design of mainstream products and/or services that are accessible to, and usable by, as many people as reasonably possible…without the need for special adaptation or specialized design.”

Inclusive Development is really taking that next logical step and adhering to inclusive design principles during the development process. Essentially, it is a shift in the way you approach… Show more

The term Inclusive Design is not a new one. It is a phrase that has been around since 2005. It is defined as “The design of mainstream products and/or services that are accessible to, and usable by, as many people as reasonably possible…without the need for special adaptation or specialized design.”

Inclusive Development is really taking that next logical step and adhering to inclusive design principles during the development process. Essentially, it is a shift in the way you approach your thinking about development. So during the development phase, you choose or create code, markup, libraries, and other developmental pieces that are accessible (or as accessible as possible). Show less

Three ways to increase your focus in our distracted, technologically-obsessed world.

Ten years ago a wild turkey tried to kill me. No, I am not talking about the Kentucky bourbon or the catchy country ditty by Lacy J. Dalton of the same name (although both could be considered deadly), but an actual real-life wild turkey. Although the encounter happened in the spring there is something about this time of year, with Thanksgiving looming and all the harvest decorations, that triggers the memory of my run-in with a turkey and the essential life lesson it taught me.

Can we all agree that company culture in the tech world needs some help? What would happen if I, as an employee, could help shape it? Here are some ideas of what would I do if I ran the zoo.

Unless you have been under a rock for the last week or so, you have probably heard about the horrible allegations leveled against Harvey Weinstein — a.k.a. the mega movie mogul who liked to leverage his position for evil. Really, it is a classic case of abuse of power…a real-life drama, that will likely become a movie itself in short time.

I applaud the women who came forward, both in the past — and were basically ignored or paid for their silence; and to the women in the present — who… Show more

Unless you have been under a rock for the last week or so, you have probably heard about the horrible allegations leveled against Harvey Weinstein — a.k.a. the mega movie mogul who liked to leverage his position for evil. Really, it is a classic case of abuse of power…a real-life drama, that will likely become a movie itself in short time.

I applaud the women who came forward, both in the past — and were basically ignored or paid for their silence; and to the women in the present — who by sheer numbers alone, could no longer be ignored or silenced. It took courage to speak up. That is a courage I have not had. Until now. Show less

Even though I am just barely on the edge of my fourth decade on this earth and do not check off any of the “25 Surefire Signs You’ve Finally Hit Middle Age” boxes (okay maybe a couple), I got my tech start back in the early 1980s. In tech-years that puts me squarely at middle age, or more accurately 100111.

Before even one line of code is written, you can get a jump start on website accessibility by thinking about it during the wireframing and design phases. Here are five essential design elements to consider when creating your next accessible website design.

Website accessibility is a buzzword these days, but not everyone has a firm grasp on what that term means. So what is website accessibility? Who is in need of accessible websites? And why should you as a website designer or developer even care? As a bonus, included are some suggested steps and resources to get you started down the right path when it comes to website accessibility.

Ever wonder how websites go from initial design to code? What steps and tools are involved? What are the common pitfalls and how can you avoid them? In this blog post, I will recap the process our designers and front-end developers take to when creating a new website design for our clients. Hopefully, this will give you a little more insight into Mediacurrent’s methodology and in turn help you develop a more robust workflow of your own.

Happy Friday everybody! Episode 30 was recorded at Drupalcon Baltimore, but I didn't notice that the mic setting was still set for our lapel mic, so we had to re-do the audio. That being said, Carie Fisher and Chris Doherty are going show us 5 Steps to Get Your Design from Paper to Style Guide (While Remaining Friends). It was their presentation session at Drupalcon!

We wear a lot of hats as front-end developers. Depending on the client or company you work for, you may be the designer, UX/UI specialist, site-builder, QA tester, and developer all rolled into one. How can we possibly add the accessibility hat on top of all that...especially when a project does not have a lot of time or budget to include that piece?

I recently had the opportunity to give a beginners talk about website accessibility at MidCamp 2016 where I covered some easy ways to promote accessibility in terms of structure, color and contrast, fonts, links, and media. It was a wonderful experience for me and I was grateful for the audience who had some nice feedback and interesting questions. Here are the highlights of the presentation, plus the audio recording and links to related resources.

This week, Senior Front End Developer Carie Fisher highlights 5 Problem Areas in Accessibility and provides some great examples of good and bad website accessibility.
Watch the video below to learn about Structure, Color & Contrast, Fonts, Links and Media.

Researchers are faced with challenges when addressing the public on concepts and applications associated with nanotechnology. The goal of our work was to understand the public’s knowledge of nanotechnology in order to identify appropriate starting points for dialog. Survey results showed that people lack true understanding of concepts associated with atoms and the size of the nanoscale regime. Such gaps in understanding lead to a disappointing lack of communication between researchers and the… Show more

Researchers are faced with challenges when addressing the public on concepts and applications associated with nanotechnology. The goal of our work was to understand the public’s knowledge of nanotechnology in order to identify appropriate starting points for dialog. Survey results showed that people lack true understanding of concepts associated with atoms and the size of the nanoscale regime. Such gaps in understanding lead to a disappointing lack of communication between researchers and the public concerning fundamental concepts in nanoscale science and engineering. Strategies are offered on how scientists should present their research when engaging the public on nanotechnology topics.

Castellini, O. M., Walejko, G. K., Holladay, C. E., Theim, T. J., Zenner, G. M., & Crone, W. C. (2007). Nanotechnology and the public: Effectively communicating nanoscale science and engineering concepts. Journal of Nanoparticle Research, 9(2), 183-189. Show less

Probe microscopes are key tools for surface characterization and nanoscale science. This category of instrumentation has enabled researchers both to investigate properties and to manipulate materials at the nanoscale. When introduced to nanoscale science and engineering, students frequently ask “How do we know it is there if we can’t see it with our eyes?” To address this query, students of all ages can be introduced to the basic concepts of probe microscopy and given the opportunity to explore… Show more

Probe microscopes are key tools for surface characterization and nanoscale science. This category of instrumentation has enabled researchers both to investigate properties and to manipulate materials at the nanoscale. When introduced to nanoscale science and engineering, students frequently ask “How do we know it is there if we can’t see it with our eyes?” To address this query, students of all ages can be introduced to the basic concepts of probe microscopy and given the opportunity to explore probe techniques. We have developed interactive exhibits and classroom activities that allow middle- and high-school students to detect and map topography, stiffness, and magnetic field. These products will be presented along with assessment data collected with the Rennie and McClafferty protocol for formative evaluation of interactive exhibits.

Castellini, O., Walejko, G., Holladay, C., Theim, T., Cina, A., Zenner, G., & Crone, W. (2006, June). Seeing The Nanoscale: Using Interactives To Teach Probe Microscopy. In 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition (pp. 11-1110). Show less

The use of exhibits in informal science education venues such as science centers and museums is an integral part of engaging students in science, encouraging them to take science courses in school, and motivating them to pursue science and engineering careers. Through an Internships in Public Science Education Program funded by the National Science Foundation and in partnership with the education efforts of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) and the Discovery World… Show more

The use of exhibits in informal science education venues such as science centers and museums is an integral part of engaging students in science, encouraging them to take science courses in school, and motivating them to pursue science and engineering careers. Through an Internships in Public Science Education Program funded by the National Science Foundation and in partnership with the education efforts of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) and the Discovery World Museum of Science, Economics and Technology, we have built and tested interactive components for museum exhibits on advanced materials science and nanotechnology concepts. Our front-end assessment revealed a gap in scientific understanding about objects smaller than can be seen by the naked eye. Facts learned through standard teaching methods were easily recalled, but in-depth, conceptual knowledge and application of those facts are lacking in both children and adults. We designed interactive exhibits to specifically address this disconnect in comprehension. By inviting the learner to actively participate in an interactive exhibit activity, he or she is able to develop a deeper understanding of advanced materials concepts that are difficult to teach with textbooks alone. Formative assessment of our exhibit prototypes show that students and adults not only participate in the interactive exhibit activity, but are able to learn and apply the concepts contained within them.

Castellini, O. M., Holladay, C. E., Theim, T., Walejko, G. K., Zenner, G. M., Krajniak, P., & Crone, W. C. (2006). Teaching what you can’t see: Museum exhibits as a bridge to learning materials science. MRS Online Proceedings Library, 909(1), 203. https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-0909-PP02-03 Show less

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is emerging as a promising model system for the genetic dissection of sleep. As in mammals, sleep in the fruit fly is a reversible state of reduced responsiveness to the external world and has been defined using an array of behavioral, pharmacologic, molecular, and electrophysiologic criteria. A central feature of mammalian sleep is its homeostatic regulation by the amount of previous wakefulness. Dissecting the mechanisms of homeostatic regulation is… Show more

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is emerging as a promising model system for the genetic dissection of sleep. As in mammals, sleep in the fruit fly is a reversible state of reduced responsiveness to the external world and has been defined using an array of behavioral, pharmacologic, molecular, and electrophysiologic criteria. A central feature of mammalian sleep is its homeostatic regulation by the amount of previous wakefulness. Dissecting the mechanisms of homeostatic regulation is likely to provide key insights into the functions of sleep. Thus, it is important to establish to what extent sleep homeostasis is similar between mammals and flies. This study was designed to determine whether in flies, as in mammals, (1) sleep rebound is dependent on prior time awake; (2) sleep deprivation affects the intensity, in addition to the duration, of sleep rebound; (3) sleep loss impairs vigilance and performance; (4) the sleep homeostatic response is conserved among different wild-type lines, and between female and male flies of the same line.

Huber, R., Hill, S. L., Holladay, C., Biesiadecki, M., Tononi, G., & Cirelli, C. (2004). Sleep homeostasis in Drosophila melanogaster. Sleep, 27(4), 628-639. Show less