Overview
Over two years, I led UX efforts with a visual accessibility consulting firm — bringing the kiosk into compliance with CFR 382.57(c) and ensuring the website complied with WCAG 2.0 to serve users with low vision, blindness, mobility impairments, and hearing impairments.
Website accessibility
Problems identified
- Lack of hierarchical heading structure
- Poor semantic structure and inconsistent element ordering
- Tabbed controls not properly marked up for screen readers
- Error messages not associated with form fields
- Insufficient color contrast for low vision users
WCAG 2.0 standards implemented
Non-text content alternatives, programmatically determined structure, descriptive page titles, clear link purpose, labels for all user input, and properly marked-up UI components for assistive technologies.
Kiosk — Storm keypad integration
We retrofitted kiosks with an assistive USB audio navigator tactile keypad — enabling menu navigation through audio direction for users with impaired vision, reading difficulties, or impaired fine motor skills.
The Storm keypad allows users to explore tactile keys without activating controls — critical for blind users who need to identify options before selecting.
Reflection
Leading accessibility efforts across both web and kiosk platforms was genuinely enlightening. Direct engagement with users with disabilities highlighted the real-world impact of accessibility barriers in ways that guidelines alone cannot capture. This work deepened my commitment to championing accessibility in all future design.