Erissa Duvall
Microsoft MVP Alum, Accessibility Ally, & Engineer
Louisville, Kentucky, United States
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Everyone has their niche in the world where they find the most joy and fulfillment. For me that has become Accessibility. Some of my experience comes from my personal ordeals I have gone through as I have steadily learned more about what makes my brain tick and what makes my joints throw a temper tantrum. My professional experience has helped me along the way because it is where I learned just how diverse the options were for accommodations, treatment, and more.
I was initially thrown into the deep end during my amazing journey with the American Printing House for the Blind's Internal IT department. I gained insight to some of the struggles caused when environments, processes, technology, and attitudes are not accessible. However, I also experienced great joy every time I managed to help make someone's day easier by helping them be more independent and confident in themselves. Since then, I have held many other Accessibility related roles and made it my mission to spread Accessibility awareness. I've done so through by improving Code Louisville's Accessibility policies and coursework as a mentor, speaking at domestic & international events, providing support online, and so much more. I plan to continue to do what I can for as long as I am able.
Area of Expertise
Topics
Accessibility Testing 101
Accessibility is important to ensuring that everyone has access to services and information needed to help them live as independent and fulfilling of lives as possible. However, sometimes ensuring things are accessible can be a bit of a daunting process to get started with when you initially start looking into it. This talk will delve into some concepts, methods, and tools that you can use to get started on your accessibility journey.
We'll look at features that may already be available to you in applications you use every day, as well as additional applications, extensions, and resources you can make use of. Life is rough enough, but with accessibility we can work together to make it better.
Introduction to Accessibility
Sometimes Accessibility can be tough to wrap your head around, but it is becoming clearer every day just how important it is and how much it can benefit everyone. In this session, we will explore some basics of Accessibility, information resources, and tools that can help you be an Accessibility ally. This should be helpful for anyone regardless of whether you work in UX Design, Development, or even just have a colleague with Accessibility needs.
Pour One Out for A11y
What is A11y? What is POUR? And what does any of this have to do with you and everything you do? To get to the bottom of it, we'll have to talk about the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). WCAG have become the foundation for all Accessibility regulations and standards with regards to digital content. WCAG is an expansive topic in and of itself. So, to help get you started learning, we will begin with the 4 core principles used to categorize the WCAG Guidelines, also known as the POUR Principles. In this talk, we will delve into what they are and what they mean.
Reasonable Accommodations in the Workplace
Reasonable Accommodations can be a life saver for so many. They can be the difference between struggling to accomplish work tasks and flourishing. They can also benefit more people than you may realize.
So, what kinds of things could be considered workplace accommodations? What might you need to do to ask for an accommodation or to provide one? If you are on the side approving/rejecting the request, what could be some things to keep in mind? What can be the impact on the company, good or bad?
I am not a legal expert, but I'll share my experiences with requesting / supporting reasonable accommodation requests to give you a starting point. I want to help you help yourself and/or others be more productive and feel more welcome through reasonable accommodations.
CodeMash 2025 Sessionize Event Upcoming
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Erissa Duvall
Microsoft MVP Alum, Accessibility Ally, & Engineer
Louisville, Kentucky, United States
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