April Updates From Minnesota's Office of Accessibility

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Digital Accessibility News from Minnesota IT Services

Minnesota Digital Accessibility Law Celebration

10 Years Digital Accessibility Law logo

When: Tuesday, May 7, 2019
1:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Where: Minnesota State Capitol Rotunda
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard
Saint Paul, MN 55155

Details

1:45 - 2:15 p.m.
Recognition Ceremony: Honoring legislative and advocacy champions.

2:15 - 4:00 p.m.
Experience Lab! An immersive accessibility experience that showcases how people with disabilities use technology.

Government information and services are for all citizens. Accessible websites and software help ensure that people with disabilities can apply for jobs, work, communicate, and use services available to all Minnesotans. Come celebrate 10 years of disability inclusion in Minnesota.

ASL interpreting and CART will be provided.

For other accommodations or information, contact MNITAccessibility@state.mn.us, 651-201-1118.

All are welcome!


CSUN Recap

State of Minnesota employees at the CSUN Conference check-in. Jiffy the dog, in front.

Kim Wee, David Andrews, JoAnn Rautio, Kim Schulze, Jay Wyant, Lolly Lijewski, Kim Sandrock, Lois Butcher. Front row: Jiffy.

In March, eight State of Minnesota employees arrived at the 2019 CSUN Assistive Technology Conference. Their goal? Learn as much about digital accessibility as they could in four days, then bring back the information to Minnesota and apply it to their work.

We asked five of the attendees to share with us more about what they learned, the impact of the experience, and information they thought might help our readers. In case you missed it, March’s Office of Accessibility newsletter includes links to session handouts.

What did they share?

  • Digital accessibility learning opportunities
  • How to get more accessibility champions
  • The value and impact of meeting developers of accessibility testing tools in person

We collected their insights in the CSUN Recap blog.


Maps for All

It’s never been easier to create accessible content. There are abundant tools and training resources on creating accessible documents and web pages. Maps have been another story. Maps typically are loaded with lines, dots, icons, shadings, and other elements to draw the viewer’s eye. Yet the occasional map creator could not readily find resources on how to make digital maps accessible. Until now.

What’s in a map?

Several years ago, a few state employees with cartography and geographic information systems (GIS) training got together and asked themselves the question: what makes a good map? And how can we make them accessible?

The team solicited input from a wide range of map designers, creators, and accessibility experts. After much wrangling, the team decided on two broad categories of maps: static and interactive.

Learn about design considerations, what's in the Map Design Guide and where to find it, and the core recommendations for designing and developing interactive maps in the Maps for All blog.

Events and Trainings

508 Webinar: Open Q&A Session on the Revised 508 Standards

Tuesday, April 30, 2019, 12:00pm - 1:30pm (CST)
Cost: free
Registration is required

This session is hosted by the United States Access Board.

"This webinar provides an opportunity for attendees to pose questions to the Access Board on the revised Section 508 Standards. The 508 Standards apply to information and communication technology (ICT) in the federal sector such as computers, telecommunications equipment, printers, software, websites, information kiosks and transaction machines, and electronic documents. Questions are welcome on all sections of the standards, including application and scoping, functional performance criteria, hardware and software requirements, support documentation and services, and referenced standards. Access Board ICT Specialists will also address questions about companion guidelines for telecommunications equipment covered by Section 255 of the Communications Act and any other topics related to the Board’s activities on accessible ICT."

United States Access Board Webinar Registration


Events: Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD): May 16

“The purpose of GAAD is to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital (web, software, mobile, etc.) access/inclusion and people with different disabilities”
– GAAD website.

Events will be happening all around the world on May 16, 2019. Find out about events near you, online events, how to host your own event, and learn more about the history of the day on the Global Accessibility Awareness Day website.