Accessibility Resources for Developers

Update

Microsoft launched an Accessibility Developer Hub to share much of the information that is referred to in this article.

Overview

Accessibility is the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to access" and benefit from some system or entity. Creating accessible solutions is good engineering and good business. It can also be a legal requirement.

If you are wondering how to get started, there are some great resources here including free eBooks like Engineering Software for Accessibility and primers like General Accessibility for Developers.

If you are ready to create an accessible solution, you can find content for support your chosen platform, i.e. Internet Explorer (or Web), Windows Runtime (or Modern) and Windows Desktop (or Win 32). It is worth noting that there is sample code to help get you started too.

If you want to ask other developers or experts a question, the Windows Accessibility and Automation Development Forum is a great option.  Be sure to check the Microsoft Windows UI Automation Blog to ensure that your question hasn't already been addressed.

The outline below also includes: links to information about development and content authoring tools like Visual Studio, SharePoint Designer and Office; links to video-based training on Channel 9; and, some links to Microsoft Research (MSR) work related to accessibility.

While this page is not intented to link to all of the information about accessibility available to developers, it is intended to provide a "jumping off" point to information that will address developers highest priority needs. Please add a comment, update this article or create a new accessibility-related article if there is a need that is not addressed here.

Finally, please note that these resources are intended to support developers. You can find other resources, e.g. for consumers and enterprises, at http://microsoft.com/enable. Users can get support and provide feedback on Microsoft products via the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk.

Resources

Some resources to help developers with accessibility include:

Books

• Engineering Software for Accessibility by Jason Grieves and Masahiko Kaneko, Microsoft Press 2009
• Universal Design for Web Applications by Wendy Chisholm and Matt May, O’Reilly Media 2008

MSDN

• Dev Center Library content for developers to help get started, including:

  • General Accessibility for Developers

• Dev Center Library content for designers, including:

  • Introduction to Web Accessibility
  • Accessibility Design Guidelines for Windows Runtime Apps
  • Accessibility Design Guidelines Windows Desktop Apps

• Dev Center Library content for developers, including:

  • Accessibility for Internet Explorer apps, which includes:
    • Developing Accessible Web Applications
    • Introduction to ARIA
  • Accessibility for Windows Runtime apps, which includes:
    • Accessibility for Windows Runtime apps using JavaScript and HTML. Note, this is great content here appears to be (mostly) applicable to both Windows Runtime and Internet Explorer apps including
      • Meeting basic accessibility requirements
      • Practices to avoid
      • Testing your app for accessibility
      • Declaring your app as accessible in the Windows Store
      • Guidelines and checklist for accessibility
      • Mapping HTML and ARIA properties to UI Automation
    • Accessibility for Windows Runtime apps using C#/VB/C++ and XAML
  • Testing your app for accessibility (Windows Phone)
  • Accessibility for Windows Desktop apps. Note, this content appears to be the same as this content and it includes articles about
    • Windows Accessibility Features
    • Windows Automation API (UI Automation)
    • Magnification API

• API information, including at:

  • UI Automation Specification and Community Promise
  • Microsoft API and reference catalog
  • Bing Developer Center

• Forums, for asking accessibility questions including:

  • Windows Accessibility and Automation Development Forum (or view output as RSS)

• Sample Code, including:

  • ARIA sample
  • XAML accessibility sample
  • UI Automation simple provider sample
  • Other accessibility samples

• Blogs, including:

  • Microsoft Windows UI Automation Blog
    • An accessibility case study - Reading List
    • Customizing the accessibility of my XAML and WinJS Windows 8 apps
    • Solutions to some common accessibility issues found in XAML apps
  • Microsoft Accessibility Blog

• Tooling information, such as for:

  • Visual Studio:
    • Walkthrough: Creating an Accessible Web Application
    • How to: Check Accessibility of Web Pages in Visual Web Developer
    • Walkthrough: Creating an Accessible Windows-based Application
  • SharePoint Designer:
    • Basics: Create an accessible SharePoint site
    • Get ready - Build an accessible SharePoint site
    • Add accessible content and links to a site
  • Office:
    • Make your documents easier to see, hear and use, with Microsoft Office on Windows

• Video-based Training, including some videos from Channel 9 including:

  • Introduction to Accessibility by Doug Kirschner October 2012
  • Designing with Narrator in Mind by Doug Kirschner October 2012                   
  • How to Build an Accessible Windows 8.1 App by Premalini David June 2013
  • Tips and Tricks for Designing a Great Accessibility Experience for Your App by Doug Kirschner April 2014
  • Visual Basic Fundamentals for Absolute Beginners: (19) Understanding Modules, Scope and Utilizing Accessibility Modifiers by Jeff Koch February 2014
  • C# Fundamentals for Absolute Beginners: (19) Understanding Scope and Utilizing Accessibility Modifiers by Jeff Koch February 2014
  • Developing Universal Windows Apps with HTML and JavaScript: (07) Accessibility and Globalization by Jeff Koch September 2014

• Accessibility related research examples from Microsoft Research (MSR), including:

  • Accessible Crowdwork? Understanding the Value in and Challenge of Microtask Employment for People with Disabilities
  • New community promotes research in sign language recognition
  • Skype Translator: How it will change communication forever
  • A New, Deep-Learning Take on Image Recognition
  • Project Adam and the Future of Programming
  • A Strong Sense for Natural Interactions
  • Beyond Tapping and Sliding
  • New hope for people living with paralysis
  • Inclusive Design

Third Parties

• International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP)
• W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), which includes a Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools List
• Tenon.io overview in Karl Groves' "Modern Web Toolsets & The Next Generation of Accessibility Tools" video
• Overview of Quailjs in "Bake Accessibility Into Your Project" video