– DRAFT –
Accessibility at the Edge Weekly Teleconference

<janina> agenda, clear

shari: This coming Saturday 2 March 2024 is World IA Day
… I have organized a panel on, Information Architecture and Accessibility: Fostering Innovation Through Inclusive Design
… In this panel, we explore the dynamic relationship between organizing information and ensuring accessibility. This intersection not only enhances usability but also drives innovation by embracing diverse user needs and experiences.
… Through inclusive design practices, we pave the way for creative solutions that benefit all users, regardless of their abilities or limitations.
… v
… Join us and learn how to integrate accessibility into your IA workflow, enhancing inclusivity while streamlining your design and development processes.
… I would love to talk about the work we are doing in Accessibility at the Edge
… you will have up to 20 minutes
… this is the longest session of the day!
… I am very passionate about accessibility

janina: It's important to build accessibility in at the start rather than bolting it on later
… but accessibility drive information architecture
… for example captions. Who doesn't love captions?
… and they were implemented at first for deaf people

shari: Link, WIAD NY 24: https://worldiaday.org/events/new-york-city/2024

bev: https://www.w3.org/community/informationarchitecture/
… Information Architecture Community Group supports Accessibility at the Edge, as we see it as an important part of Information Architecture
… IACG does annual TPAC attendance and occasional discussions

Bev: The Journal of Information Architecture, https://journalofia.org/

Hello, Bev C is here

shari: In April, https://www.theiaconference.com/

Bev: Shift left is a winning strategy with security, accessibility, a lot of things not integrated early on enough

Lionel_Wolberger_: Shift left, but also provide options on the 'right'
… one should not replace the other

Inclusive at all stages of development lifecycles

Shari: Accessibility, like usability, is an ongoing iterative process
… it is not a destination, it is a journey
… that's the topic of the poster we are authoring for the conference

It is an "innovation" mindset

Shari: and we can cite the presentations in the poster

Welcome & Intros (as needed)

Meeting rescheduling request from Jason

janina: We are considering moving the weekly meeting time 1.5 hours later from now, 1430 NYC time

Lionel_Wolberger_: OK with me

shari: I can do it, on and off

Bev_C: Way better for me!
… though I would prefer another day of the week

janina: I could do Wednesday. Tues., Thurs not great for me

Lionel_Wolberger_: I can consider Wednesdays as well

Lionel_Wolberger_: Remediation at source is the oldest accessibility methodology, and has led to many successes

janina: Goes back to HTML 2, before alt text

Lionel_Wolberger_: But this one method is certainly not making the web accessible, less than 5% of pages are accessible today
… Accessibility at the Edge holds out the promise of adding another methodology, without replacing the first one

janina: APA is fostering other accessibility innovations as well, like well known destination

<janina> http://raw.githack.com/a11yedge/capabilities/js2402d/

RESOLUTION: Merge the current js2402d branch into main

Lionel_Wolberger_: +1

<janina> +1

janina: +1

Bev_C: +1

Yes, Bev +1

shari: +1

Lionel_Wolberger_: Read out the heading 1's to drive discussion
… regarding "Text Services" we struggled to name altering the meaning of the text -- the semantics or semiotics of the text --
… as opposed to the symbols that compose the text, the alphabetic letterforms

janina: I think semiotics might be a better label

Bev_C: It's a question of semantics. The semantic web was constructed on linguistic theory
… semiotics is constructed on communications theory and communciations philosophy
… language is part of communication and vice a versa, they are 'joined at the hip'
… Ontology Summit 24: https://ontologforum.com/index.php/OntologySummit2024
… ontology and neurosymbolics are emerging areas of focus due to LLMs and AI
… it focuses on the relationship between the semiotics and symbolics
… cognitive semiotics and computational semiotics

Lionel_Wolberger_: 3.Presentational (Semiotic Symbols, Letterforms, Layout)
… 4.Text Services (Semiotic Signs, Semantics)
… The contrast between 3 and 4 is the contrast in Semiotics between the symbol (presentation) and the sign (the semantics)

Bev_C: Semiotics - is plural (important) like Semantics is plural

janina: In Western languages, you can change the font and the look of the letter without changing the meaning

shari: in Eastern languages, you might change the meaning by changing the look of the letter

Bev_C: All languages have semantics and semiotics
… children speak in semantics first, then learn the semiotics