Tech for All
Empowering Businesses on the Path to Accessibility

Inclusivity isn’t just a virtue; it’s a requirement in today’s digital era.

It sets the stage for a digital landscape where every interaction is effortless, fully inclusive, and user-friendly. This landscape is the end goal of digital accessibility—an ongoing mission to build websites, applications, and digital resources accessible to all, including those with disabilities. However, this gallant mission is not without its hurdles.

Only a fraction of organizations are able to meet digital accessibility standards. Why? The reasons range from a lack of awareness about Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to financial constraints that push digital scaling to the forefront while accessibility takes a backseat.

Tech for All (TFA) is here to break this mold.

A true champion in digital accessibility, TFA is dedicated to helping companies overcome their obstacles. The team charts a path toward a digitally accessible future by performing a comprehensive assessment of a client’s digital accessibility metrics.

The team’s expertise in different accessibility standards and guidelines, including their involvement in developing these standards, plays a crucial role in the process. They are well-versed in best practices and use their knowledge to effectively guide clients. Moreover, they actively seek feedback from people with disabilities to gain practical insights of all functionalities. The team also takes into consideration a client’s financial and budgetary goals while developing a robust accessibility roadmap. This ensures the solutions proposed align with the organization’s resources and objectives.

TFA’s mission, however, doesn’t stop at only resolving complex software and hardware accessibility challenges. They have a broader perspective, aiming to elevate digital accessibility from an afterthought to a key performance indicator (KPI). This shift in mindset transforms accessibility into a guiding principle for company leadership. The result is an all-encompassing, user-centric approach that enhances customer satisfaction and cultivates a commendable brand reputation.

A Companion at Every Step of the Digital Accessibility Journey

One of TFA’s unique abilities is to join hands with clients at any stage of their accessibility journey. “Many clients seek our expertise for more time-sensitive issues like facing legal issues or complying with accessibility requirements for business purposes. While resolving those immediate concerns is our first prerogative, we go the extra mile to provide long-term support, including training, strategic planning, and fostering an accessible culture within organizations,” says Caesar Eghtesadi, Ph.D., founder and president of TFA.

By conducting a thorough needs analysis and employing a gap analysis framework, TFA ensures the solutions address current concerns while setting the foundation for future projects. While the needs analysis helps inform the overall accessibility goals, gap analysis provides specific insights into areas that require improvements to ensure accessibility compliance. Both analyses are important in TFA’s comprehensive approach to supporting clients in achieving digital accessibility.

The process begins with a needs analysis, where the TFA team works with clients to examine the current performance of their assets and identify success criteria. By gathering feedback from stakeholders across various departments—such as web developers and branding teams—and understanding desired outcomes, it provides a clear picture of areas that require improvement.

Taking the evaluation to the next level, the gap analysis focuses on assessing the workflow, functionality, and compliance of a system or product with existing accessibility standards. This critical step is the foundation for subsequent phases of design, implementation, and testing. By identifying and addressing these gaps, TFA showcases their expertise in understanding the challenges that may not be immediately apparent to clients but are significant in achieving accessibility.

This proactive approach ensures pressing concerns are addressed from the outset, enabling clients to create inclusive and compliant digital solutions.

“These analyses also help us offer an impact statement that effectively communicates the direct consequences of accessibility gaps on a client’s task performance,” says Michael O’Hare, MS, Director of Systems Accessibility Projects at TFA.

To cite an example, the inability to pause a video may cause difficulties for easily distracted users, while the absence of voice or speech output on a self-service system poses challenges for individuals with low vision. By including the impact statement within the comprehensive gap analysis, TFA enables clients to fully comprehend the significance of addressing these real-life implications.

Simplifying the Digitally Accessible Landscape in Easy-to- Understand Language

Effective communication is another key focus for TFA when collaborating with clients. The team ensures its reports are comprehensible to all stakeholders, regardless of their technical background. Rather than relying solely on coding terminology, TFA prioritizes using plain and easy-to-understand language.

Many clients seek our expertise for more time-sensitive issues like facing legal challenges or complying with accessibility requirements for business purposes

Clients appreciate this attention to detail, as it facilitates their engagement with TFA for post-evaluation support and follow-on assistance. When the communication is clear and concise, it becomes effortless for the TFA team to educate clients on the latest accessibility features, conduct mini audits, and provide best practices guidance. This shared language enhances the overall experience for clients, enabling them to make meaningful improvements to accessibility in their digital products and services.

A compelling example is TFA’s collaboration with a prominent higher education technology provider. Through this partnership, the client successfully achieved accessibility for blind users in a science lab simulation. Science courses heavily rely on simulations across disciplines like physics, chemistry, and biology. By making these tools accessible, TFA has opened new opportunities and expanded access for students with disabilities.

Ditching the Bias When it Comes to Digital Accessibility

An ongoing mission for TFA now is to tackle accidental accessibility challenges. “For instance, even when content authors have the best of intentions, we can still see barriers and gaps in effectively communicating visually presented data. Complex graphs and interactive visualizations can pose significant accessibility challenges. We consistently work with clients to recognize the need to address these challenges and strive to become exemplars in making complex data visualization interfaces accessible,” says Sue Cullen, Director of Universal Design and ITC Accessibility at TFA.

Similarly, TFA also helps clients understand the presence of bias in AI systems. Humans play a crucial role in constructing AI systems, and their biases can be ingrained in the algorithms. This issue becomes problematic when AI is used to filter job applicants, as it can perpetuate biases and discrimination. TFA assists clients in ensuring accessibility and inclusivity are at the forefront when planning those systems.

As we look to the future, the company’s pivotal role in guiding clients toward a technology landscape designed with accessibility and equality in mind becomes apparent. From making complex data visualizations accessible to promoting inclusive and unbiased AI systems, TFA is determined to actively shape a future where technology fosters equal opportunities.