Beyond Compliance: Supporting Digital Equity with User Testing

Harvard University has begun an initiative to enhance digital accessibility through a program that brings user testing by people with disabilities to a large, decentralized institution where financial, administrative, and logistic limitations make such a service difficult to access for smaller, more localized units and projects. Incorporating usability testing by individuals with disabilities who rely on assistive technology into the development of digital applications and information is part of an effort to mature our understanding of digital accessibility beyond a compliance-based approach to one that emphasizes the perspectives of people with disabilities. The presentation will describe the program's setup, challenges, and benefits, advocating for a more inclusive dialogue in development and planning work. The artifacts that come out of user testing, like video clips showing barriers people encounter, are evidence that persuasively demonstrates the need for their input and are also one of the most effective ways to convey the impact of inaccessible technology and the necessity for change. We will discuss how user testing can broaden our understanding of accessibility and why the direct contributions from people with disabilities are so important to foster digital equity.