STC AccessAbility SIG
An Accessibility & Technical Communication Blog

We are pleased to present you with this year’s AccessAbility SIG roadmap for the STC Technical Summit 2009 in Atlanta. Listed here are the sessions that have a particular focus on accessibility or usability.

You can view this roadmap by day

• Sunday, May 3
• Sunday, May 4
• Sunday, May 5
• Sunday, May 6

or jump straight to our AccessAbility SIG Events

• SIG Meeting
• SIG Networking Lunch
• Host Chapter Community Event with all SIGs

Do-not-miss sessions especially for our SIG – and of general interest for all at the conference are Shawn Henry’s sessions:

• Opening General Session: Unleashing Opportunities through Accessibility
• Advancing Web Accessibility

There are many sessions that did not make this roadmap, but which are worthy of being listed. Fine-tune your sense of accessibility, and you’ll be aware of the potential in many other great sessions.

The roadmap also includes a list of your SIG colleagues who are presenting at the conference.

Sunday, May 3

Opening General Session: Unleashing Opportunities through Accessibility

When: Sunday, May 03, 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM EST
Where: Centennial III
Who: Shawn Henry, W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
What: What if there was one simple thing you could do that would vastly improve people’s lives around the world, advance your career, and benefit your organization? What if missing this simple thing would do harm? Shawn illustrates how making your websites, online help, and other communication products accessible to all is an enlightened self-interest for any technical communicator.
http://www.softconference.com/stc/sessionDetail.asp?SID=163941

Welcome Reception

When: Sunday, May 03, 6:45 PM to 8:00 PM
Where: Exhibit Hall

Monday, May 4

AccessAbility SIG Meeting

When: Monday, May 04, 7:15 AM to 8:15 AM
Where: Lenox
What: Come meet with other SIG members for an informal face-to-face meeting to discuss issues in the SIG and in STC. There’ll be something to drink, something to eat, and something to talk about!

Keynote General Session: The Power of Simplicity

When: Monday, May 04, 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM EST
Where: Centennial III
Who: David Pogue
What: Why are consumers so fed up with their computers? “Software rage” has become an epidemic, help lines are flooded, and people are flinging their machines out the window in frustration.

AccessAbility SIG Networking Lunch

When: Monday, May 04, Noon to 1:15 PM
Where: Rooms on the Atlanta Conference Center Level (details at conference)

Choosing the Right Usability Technique

When: Monday, May 04, 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM EST
Where: Hanover E
Who: Whitney Quesenbery
What: There are many usability techniques, each with its own advantages and requirements. Learn how to choose from the usability toolkit to get the answers you need for your projects.
(Program Code: 0112, Track: Designing and Assessing the User Experience)
http://www.softconference.com/stc/sessionDetail.asp?SID=142966

Advancing Web Accessibility

When: Monday, May 04, 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Hanover C
Who: Shawn Henry, W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
What: Get a jumpstart on new guidelines and best practices for making your website work better for everyone, especially people with disabilities and older users — enter WCAG 2.0 and WAI-ARIA.
(Program Code: 605, Track: Designing and Assessing the User Experience)
http://www.softconference.com/stc/sessionDetail.asp?SID=165864

STC Annual Meeting

When: Monday, May 04, 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM EST
Where: Regency V
(Program Code: 407)

Communities Reception (incl. AccessAbility SIG)

When: Monday, May 04, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EST
Where: Regency VII
(Program Code: 408)

STC Forum

When: Monday, May 04, 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM EST
Where: Regency V
(Program Code: 409)

Tuesday, May 5

Usability SIG Progression: Effective Ways of Usability Testing Documentation

When: Tuesday, May 05, 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM EST
Where: Regency VI
Who: Karen Bachman, Caroline Jarrett, Tom Johnson, Whitney Quesenbery, Ginny Redish, Cheryl St Charles, Chauncey Wilson, Mary Deaton (moderator)
What: Usability and user experience experts provide practical and simple methods for enhancing documentation usability. The goals, procedures, strengths, weaknesses that can make your documentation more usable will be discussed.
(Program Code: 0249, Track: Designing and Assessing the User Experience)
http://www.softconference.com/stc/sessionDetail.asp?SID=143548

Topics: Public Health Risk Communication & Credible Web Sites

When: Tuesday, May 05, 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM EST
Where: Greenbriar
Who: Thomas Barker, Megan Leney
What: Describes a qualitative study of public engagement in health communication, using an engagement model. What lends authority to a Web site? What makes a Web site credible?
(Program Code: 314, Track: Applying Research and Theory to Practice)
http://www.softconference.com/stc/sessionDetail.asp?SID=158810

Rewriting the Voting Experience on Election Day

When: Tuesday, May 05, 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM EST
Where: Hanover C
Who: Dana Chisnell, Whitney Quesenbery, Ginny Redish, Josephine Scott, Sarah Swierenga, Susan Becker (moderator)
What: Critiquing ballots, providing guidelines, developing usability tests for election officials, simplifying language, and doing funded research—STC and UPA members are improving voting. Learn more and find out how you can contribute.
(Program Code: 0225, Track: Designing and Assessing the User Experience)
http://www.softconference.com/stc/sessionDetail.asp?SID=143475

Selling Usability in(to) Organizations

When: Tuesday, May 05, 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Hanover C
Who: Daniel Szuc, Apogee Usability Asia Ltd.
(Program Code: 341, Track: Designing and Assessing the User Experience)
http://www.softconference.com/stc/sessionDetail.asp?SID=163503

Honors Banquet

When: Tuesday, May 05, 7:30 PM to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Regency VII

Wednesday, May 6

Designing for People Who Do Not Read Easily

When: Wednesday, May 06, 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM EST
Where: Fairlie
Who: Caroline Jarrett, Whitney Quesenbery
What: How can we design for people with impairments, those reading in a second language, or those in stressful conditions? Join us in this workshop to share best practices.
(Program Code: 0076, Track: Designing and Assessing the User Experience)
http://www.softconference.com/stc/sessionDetail.asp?SID=142003

Revealing Design Treasures from The Amazon

When: Wednesday, May 06, 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM EST
Where: Hanover G
Who: Jared Spool, User Interface Engineering
What: On its surface, Amazon.com just seems like a large e-commerce site, albeit a successful one. Its design isn’t flashy, nor is it much to write home about. But deep within its pages are hidden secrets — secrets that every designer should know about. In this entertaining presentation, Jared will share some of UIE’s latest research into the hidden treasures of (the) Amazon.
(Program Code: 415, Track: Designing and Assessing the User Experience)
http://www.softconference.com/stc/sessionDetail.asp?SID=164910

Transitioning Web-based Information to WCAG 2.0

When: Wednesday, May 06, 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM EST
Where: Hanover D
Who: Linda Roberts
What: Learn strategies for transitioning web content from version 1 to version 2 of the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
(Program Code: 0163, Track: Designing and Assessing the User Experience)
http://www.softconference.com/stc/sessionDetail.asp?SID=143294

Closing Luncheon

When: Wednesday, May 06, 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM EST
Where: Regency VII

SIG Colleagues Presenting at the Conference

The roadmap lists your SIG colleagues Karen Bachmann, Caroline Jarrett, Whitney Quesenbery, Ginny Redish, Linda Roberts, Cheryl St. Charles, and Sarah Swierenga. You can also find SIG colleagues in other sessions. They are listed here so you can find them when you want to cheer them on!

• Daniel Voss: Academic SIG progression, Mon., May 4, 1:30 PM-2:30 PM; Management SIG progression, Tues., May 5, 3:00 PM-4:30 PM
• Brenda Huettner: Global Virtual Teams panel discussion, Tues., May 5, 1:30 PM-2:30 PM
• Karen Mardahl: Global Virtual Teams panel discussion, Tues., May 5, 1:30 PM-2:30 PM
• Terry Smith: Online Review with Adobe Acrobat, Tues., May 5, 8:30 AM-10:00 AM, Authoring DITA Content in FrameMaker, Wed., May 6, 11:30 AM-12:30 AM
• Rahel Bailie: The New Face of Documentation, Tues., May 5, 1:30 PM-2:30 PM; Management SIG progression, Tues., May 5, 3:00 PM-4:30 PM
• Connie Kiernan: Information Product Evaluation Workshop, Tues., May 5, 3:00 PM-4:30 PM; How Can You Help Develop the TC Body of Knowledge, Wed., May 6, 10:00 AM-11:00 AM
• Kat Nagel: Starting and Building a Freelance Business, Wed., May 6, 8:30 AM-9:30 AM

One important item is not listed under any day, time, or room – that’s networking and meeting your SIG colleagues face-to-face. We owe a good deal of feedback to our members who couldn’t attend so they, too, can be included in the live excitement that we experience from the moment we arrive in Atlanta until the moment we leave. Share your thoughts during and after the conference through blogs, tweets, and discussions on our mailman list. Let’s strengthen everyone’s virtual post-conference communication.

(Note: This road map is subject to change. Be sure to check for announcements at the conference or the conference program website for the latest information.)

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