Vision-Aid Digital Accessibility Testing & Training Center
About Us
If you are searching for highly affordable, expert digital accessibility testing for your website, which includes both automated testing and manual testing by persons with real disabilities, following WCAG and other leading standards, you have come to the right place. Just email dat@visionaid.org with any inquiries. We’ll be happy to work with you in your mission to make your site fully accessible and WCAG compliant!
Vision-Aid’s Digital Accessibility Testing & Training Center (DATTC) offers a comprehensive range of resources for Digital Accessibility Testing. Our team uses leading international standards, trained and certified staff and state-of-the-art processes, technology and tools to deliver the highest quality results for our customers.
Digital accessibility means that electronic documents and information can be easily used by people with disabilities. The lack of digital accessibility is one of the biggest barriers in inclusion for persons with disabilities. At Vision-Aid we are committed to do our utmost to make the digital world a more accessible and inclusive place for all.
Vision-Aid’s mission is to enable, educate and empower the visually impaired to live with independence and dignity. Our DATTC team includes visually impaired testers working alongside testers with and without other disabilities to deliver the best possible testing value for our customers.
Vision-Aid is a non-profit organization. The Digital Accessibility Testing and Training Center (DATTC) is a non-profit initiative under Vision-Aid. Revenue generated from Vision-Aid’s DATTC testing projects are used to support programs for the visually impaired. Training and empowerment programs run by the DATTC are supported by the generosity of donors . Please click here to view a short video about the DATTC and to meet some of our students and team members to view a short video about the DATTC and to meet some of our students and team members.
VISION & MISSION
As per UNCRPD, 2006 (United Nation Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities), accessing web content and contributing to web content is a basic human right which should not be limited in any form.
Every company or organization publishing web content has a shared responsibility to follow international standards and best practices for web accessibility. These standards and best practices are not always followed due to various reasons – such as lack of awareness, cost and availability of the needed expertise. This in turn, has an adverse impact by creating an inaccessible and non-inclusive digital eco-system.
Our vision is to facilitate the creation of an inclusive digital ecosystem for persons with disabilities.
Our mission is to offer affordable , high-quality digital accessibility testing services for companies and organizations which aspire to create highly accessible digital systems and to offer high quality training programs in digital accessibility to persons with disabilities to help them become competent testers.
Vision-Aid At A Glance!
WHAT WE DO
Testing
Training
Empowering
Testing
Vision-Aid’s Digital Accessibility Testing & Training Center (DATTC) offers a comprehensive range of resources for Digital Accessibility Testing needs. Our team follows leading international standards (including WCAG 2.0), trained and certified staff and state-of-the-art processes, technology and tools to deliver the highest quality results for our customers.
Our DATTC offers a full stack of digital accessibility testing services. Testing includes both manual and automated testing. The multi-disciplinary team which includes both disabled and non-disabled testers carry out in-depth testing as per industry requirements and produce well documented and quality reports for remediation by the web developers.
DATTC is well equipped with various computer and smart phone platforms, devices and Software tools both for testing and reporting. Vision-Aid’s highly trained and motivated staff delivers cost effective and timely deliverables that fully meet and often exceed customer expectations.
Training
Empowering
The DATTC does not stop with testing and training. In addition to training and creating job opportunities within Vision-Aid, our center empowers the visually impaired with a range of support services for our visually impaired students and staff – including coaching, mentoring, resume creation, soft skills training, networking and advocacy. We work to connect demand and supply, helping to provide a pool of talented testers for the industry at large. Our goal is to see that all our visually impaired students are gainfully employed so they live independently and with dignity, while also making significant positive contributions towards making our digital world a more accessible and inclusive space for all.
DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY
Overview
Accessibility refers to the ability of people with disabilities to have access to and benefit from an entity or system. Digital Accessibility refers to the ability of users with disabilities to effectively utilize information technology (IT) systems including web sites, mobile or web based applications, software and hardware. Digital Accessibility is generally concerned with ensuring that IT systems are designed in such a way that they interact appropriately with assistive technologies. Extensive accessibility legislation is present in most of the major domestic markets including the United States, Canada, the European Union, Australia and Japan. Generally, the relevant portions of accessibility legislation require that organizations make best efforts in order to ensure that physical and electronic business areas can be used by individuals with disabilities.
Disability Demographics
Demographic trends throughout first world countries indicate that the citizens with disabilities, as part of the overall population, will grow over the next fifty years. This is generally interpreted as a sign that current disability legislation will be expanded or more aggressively enforced in the future.
Disability Types
A disability is any condition of the body or mind (impairment) that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain activities (activity limitation) and interact with the world around them (participation restrictions).
Assistive Technologies
Most people with severe disabilities use assistive technology in conjunction with core operating system functions to access information in digital systems. Assistive technology commonly refers to products, devices or equipment, whether acquired commercially, modified or customized, that are used to maintain, increase or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.
Web Accessibility Perspectives
There are many examples in society of innovations that were originally intended for people with disabilities but that have provided access benefits to all people (curb cuts and automatic door openers are two of the most common). Accessible web content is a similar innovation.
GUIDELINES & LAWS
WCAG 2.0
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, often abbreviated to WCAG, are a series of guidelines for improving web accessibility. Produced by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the WCAG are the best means of making your website useful to all of your users. Checkout more on WCAG principles, guidelines and conformance levels.
Mobile Accessibility Guidelines
Mobile technologies are developing in leaps and bounds changing the world around. So it’s no surprise they are now used in educational and rehabilitating programs for people with special needs based on accessibility. The whole thing seems pretty basic now, yet we have no doubts its future is bright.
Universal Design
Universal Design is the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability. An environment should be designed to meet the needs of all people who wish to use it.
Universal Design for Learning
Universal Design for Learning is an educational framework based on research in the learning sciences, including cognitive neuroscience, that guides the development of flexible learning environments that can accommodate individual learning differences. Checkout the CAST curriculum on UDL.
ARIA Authoring practices
WAI-ARIA, the Accessible Rich Internet Applications Suite, defines 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.
Accessibility Laws
According to the W3C, web accessibility is a practice of removing barriers so people with disabilities can “perceive, understand and interact with the web”. When websites are designed & developed with accessibility in mind, all visitors have equal access to, and can engage with, a site.
RESOURCES
Training
Don’t know where to start your accessibility journey? Read this section to find out the world class online and instructor lead training modules that best suits your needs.
Events
Scale your knowledge about the policies, guidelines, testing & implementation techniques shared by the experts in the industry by attending events, conferences & webinars.
Simulation
Various kinds of simulation can help people understand how low vision or vision loss, mobility challenges and other disabilities can significantly affect their day to day activities.
Assistive Technology
Find out the best resources about accessibility features in desktops & mobile devices. Checkout the popular articles & videos archives on popular assistive technology & screenreaders.
Contact Us
dat@visionaid.org
USA: (781) 333-5252
India: (+91) 99628 11223
Vissa Sahadeva Rao and Kamala Vissa Vision-Aid Center for Digital Accessibility Testing & Training
We are grateful to our generous donors Sundari and Samir Mitra, of California, USA, for their financial support which helps to cover the cost of training of under-privileged visually impaired students at our center. On October 18, 2020, this virtual center has been named the Vissa Sahadeva Rao and Kamala Vissa Vision-Aid Center for Digital Accessibility Testing & Training to acknowledge their support .