Anyone care what sessions I’ll be attending at #CSUN16? That’s OK, I’ll tell you anyway.

Well, it’s that time of year already, that magical, mystical time that we call CSUN.  CSUN is the 31st Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference.  It’s a place where learning is shared, ideas are conceived, people throughout the field of accessibility network and — one of my favorite things — where new gadgets and gizmos are often unveiled.  I’m extremely fortunate to work for an employer who has been willing to send me to this conference of awesome and I’m very excited about the opportunity to attend and to present.  That said, the expectation is that I come away from CSUN full of new knowledge that I can utilize to better help my clients reach their goals.  So, while you and I may be at the same conference, meeting up might be a challenge since my primary reason for going is to attend sessions and learn.  To that end though, I thought I’d post the sessions I’m currently planning to attend, so that if our paths cross, we can at least say hi.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

• Using Visual ARIA to Physically See and Learn How ARIA Works
  

  Visual ARIA allows for ARIA to be visually observable to aid in the learning process and to convey when ARIA is incomplete or being misused.  

• Create Your Accessible Taste: McDonald’s Accessible Kiosk Initiative
  

  A case study on McDonald’s effort to make their Create Your Taste kiosks accessible

• Dueling Mobile Note: I’m a presenter. 🙂
  

  As accessibility efforts intensify across mobile platforms, More and more users with disabilities are questioning which mobile solution is the “right choice” for them.  

• Google Apps Accessibility
  

  Learn more about the latest accessibility improvements to Google Apps  

• The Mind’s Eye: Perception Through the Mind of 5 Visually Impaired Personas Note: I am a presenter. 🙂
  

  This presentation will demonstrate/discuss the perception of visual content by 5 Personas: Dyslexia, Low-Vision, Partial Lifetime Blindness, Accidental/Recent Blindness, and Lifetime Blindness.  

• Touchscreen Accessibility in Self-Service Terminals
  

  Touchscreens on self-service terminals can cause accessibility challenges. We present the results of a study developing an accessible input method for a touchscreen ATM.

• The Possibilities are I-infinite: Tactile Overlays for the iPad
  

  This presentation will provide participants with the skills and tools they need to begin making tactile overlays. Various examples of activities and applications will be given.  

Thursday, March 24, 2016

• Interactive Maps, from Google to Bing, How Do You Make Them Accessible?
  

  Making interactive maps accessible is much more than just provided text locations of different points. Gian Wild explains exactly what needs to be done.  

• Accessibility Overview of Amazon’s Devices, Starting with Our $49.99 Tablet
  

  Demonstration of the latest in Amazon device accessibility, including Alexa and Echo, Kindle E-Readers, Fire TV, and our Fire Tablets with VoiceView starting at $49.99  

• An Appliance Display Reader for People with Visual Impairments
  

  We describe ongoing research at Smith-Kettlewell on the Display Reader project to enable blind and visually impaired people to read appliance displays.  

• Manufacturers’ Device Showcase
  

  Visit the Device Showcase to see the latest phones, tablets and more! The Showcase is open from 11 am to 1 pm daily. This is your opportunity to meet with device manufacturers and sample their products.  

• Is it A Link Or A Button? The Ultimate Showdown Note: I think I’m an unlisted presenter. If not, I’ll be the guy in the audience with extremely strong opinions on the subject. 🙂
  

  We will bring together 5 experts, 10 scenarios and have them privately decide whether the link or button role is more appropriate for each.  

• Chrome & Chrome OS Accessibility
  

  Learn about the built-in accessibility features within Chrome & Chrome OS. We’ll also demo braille support in Chrome, our screenreader ChromeVox, & Chrome on Android.  

• How Wells Fargo is Improving Access for People with Disabilities
  

  Learn about Wells Fargo Bank’s overall strategy for people with disabilities and improved access to banking services, including launching JAWS in over 6,000 bank locations.  

• Design Thinking at Google – Methodologies & Mindsets for A11y Innovation
  

  Join us to learn about the Design Thinking Framework and how it helps to drive user centered design thinking in the Accessibility context.  

Friday, March 25, 2016

• Grommet: An Accessible Open-Source User Experience Framework
  

  Be amongst the first to learn about Grommet, a modern UX framework created by Hewlett Packard that allows for rapid development of accessible web applications.  

• Mobile Testing: Through the Eyes of a Screen Reader User and A11Y ExpertNote: I’m a presenter and in fact, due to last minute scheduling conflicts, I’ll likely be the only presenter. Someone please bring me some black coffee? 🙂
  

  A screen reader user and A11y Expert will demonstrate performing an A11Y assessment on mobile devices. They will demonstrate the Pod Methodology, techniques and tools.

• Accessibility Support Baselines: Balancing User Needs Against Test Effort
  

  Approaches for creating an enterprise support baseline and test strategy in light of changes in the desktop assistive technology market and mobile device fragmentation.

• Digital Accessibility at Small businesses
  

  Highlighting differences about accessibility at small businesses compared to enterprises, this presentation will focus on increasing awareness and scaling accessibility at this important, forgotten sector.  

• OpenAIR Challenge: Mentoring the MentorsNote: I’m not an official presenter, but as I was a mentor, Joseph Karr O’Connor asked me if I might attend. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Joseph and this entire initiative, so it will be my honor to do so.
  

  The Open Accessible Internet Rally (OpenAIR) has a mentorship program. This presentation will focus on the experience of the mentors.  

• Strategies for Implementing Accessible Online Media
  

  This presentation will cover web accessibility laws and guidelines as well as how to apply these standards when creating accessible online media at your institution.

Receptions and evening things

CSUN boasts a number of receptions and other evening events and I’m not sure yet which of those I’ll be attending. Traditionally, Deque holds an evening reception and that I’ll definitely be attending, just as soon as I figure out where and when it is. Whether at a presentation, a reception, lunch or coffee somewhere in the midst of all that, CSUN is a great opportunity to connect and I’m looking forward to meeting as many people as possible. If you want to connect, please reach out to me on Twitter, or comment here and I’ll gladly exchange contact info.

Looking forward to a great CSUN16.