Pictured above from left to right: Kim Wee, Kris Schulze, JoAnn Rautio, and Jay Wyant.

CSUN is the place to be to learn about digital accessibility. The California State University Northridge (CSUN, pronounced see-sun) Center on Disabilities is hosting the 34th annual Assistive Technology Conference that brings together subject matter experts to discuss everything about assistive technology and digital accessibility, including:

• The role of artificial intelligence in user-centered design and development.
• Managing requirements and testing in an agile lifecycle.
• Techniques for making accessible Office 365 documents.
• Improvements to voice input options for mobile and desktop applications.

Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) staff will again participate in this event that attracts a nationwide audience and major industry vendors, like Microsoft and Amazon. Information learned at past conferences has influenced how the state tests for accessibility, and how we design documents and web pages. It has informed us about new assistive technologies that are providing even greater independence for individuals with disabilities.

“I have learned so much while attending this conference. Many of the sessions have given me a deeper dive into the more technical aspects of accessibility that is often needed to do my job,” said Kim Wee, MNIT Webmaster and Accessibility Coordinator partnering with the Department of Education. “I also have opportunities to have one-to-one conversations about some complex issues with individuals who have a lot of knowledge and expertise. These conversations have led to some great connections and quick fixes that end up saving a lot of time and may I say…headaches!”

MNIT and other State of Minnesota agency staff have given presentations at past conferences, and this year is no exception. Jay Wyant, Chief Information Accessibility Officer and Kris Schulze, MNIT User Experience Manager will discuss “Integrating Local and Remote Meeting Participants.” Jay shared that “with over 35,000 employees, as well as contractors and vendors scattered around the country, there’s a lot of meetings that require IT services. For example, in January the State of Minnesota executive branch had 4,629 Skype sessions that combined video and audio and 1,454,985 Skype instant messages. In addition, state employees hold over 4,000 WebEx meetings every month. Not only is that a lot of meetings, they all need to be accessible, and they all need to work for everyone regardless of whether you’re in the room, at your desk, at home, or even out of town.” Kris added “We’ll be sharing our findings from our tests of large-scale broadcast options such as Skype Meeting Broadcast and the importance of testing and practicing to figure out the best way to provide closed captions.”

“The Map Accessibility Workgroup (a cross agency work group of subject matter experts) has been developing resources for good map design and accessibility so that the state’s maps are usable for the broadest audience possible” said JoAnn Rautio, MNIT Accessibility Coordinator and Business Analyst partnering with the Department of Employment & Economic Development. Co-presenter Kim Wee added, “our Map Accessibility session will showcase the work by introducing a framework and current best practices on map accessibility including: accessibility and cartographic best practices, static map accessibility strategies, and interactive map accessibility strategies.”

The work that Minnesota state employees do while at the conference goes beyond presenting. A Texas colleague commented:

“The most important accomplishments at CSUN happen outside the presentations. In 2015, Jay Wyant and I met over lunch to share our ideas for and progress on developing training on creating accessible documents in Microsoft Office applications. Starting from that exchange, both of us have led transformative initiatives—he in his role for the State of Minnesota; me in my role as an accessibility coordinator in a 30,000-employee state agency in Texas. The State of Minnesota is now a leader in teaching employees to implement accessibility statewide. My agency is developing knock-your-socks-off videos that are making our employees’ jobs easier even as they produce documents that are highly accessible. Neither initiative would have been as successful without that conversation.

When Minnesota showed up in force to present all they had developed, I was envious. Besides giving the state well-deserved international recognition, it was clear that the experience strengthened ties between the accessibility experts at your various agencies. They are no longer colleagues doing similar jobs. They’re professionals collaborating on a joint mission. They’re making a lasting difference, and through CSUN the world knows.” – Cliff Tyllick, Accessibility Coordinator, Texas Health and Human Services Commission

In addition, as a first time presenter and attendee, Kris is “beyond excited to be attending CSUN on behalf of MNIT. There are so many sessions I'm planning to attend about user experience, usability, and inclusive design. I can't wait to put ideas and what I've learned to work for the MNIT Experience IT program. From a personal side, as a mom of a son with cerebral palsy who uses assistive technology, I am passionate about making sure our world and our workplace is inclusive for all. The opportunity to connect with others that have that same passion and drive will be incredible!”

Want to follow along with them as they present and learn? Follow their Twitter posts—in addition to some of the tweets that will be on the Minnesota IT Services account (@MNIT_Services) follow the conference hashtags #CSUNATC19 and #CSUN19. If you are at CSUN, please stop by their session and introduce yourself! And, good news! All of their presentation handouts will be posted on the /mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/index.jspOffice of Accessibility website by March 18.