Accessibility Angels are here to help. Would you like to join us? [closed]

Question

We are excited to announce the launch of the Accessibility Angels Project!

The Accessibility Angels are a dedicated team of volunteers whose mission is to help people with disabilities be successful WikiTreers. We help people with accessibility issues to find their way around WikiTree, learn about its features, and match them with volunteers to help them access or read documents and web pages. Our goal is for WikiTree to be accessible to as many people as possible, including people who use screen readers and other assistive technology.

You can learn more about us and how to request our help on the Project page.

We are looking for friendly, helpful and patient volunteers who know their way around WikiTree to:

* act as guides to help people with accessibility issues to get comfortable with WikiTree and its features, and

* research and transcribe documents and sources that are not in an accessible format.

Will you join us?

To join, please leave an ANSWER below and we will help to get you started!

The Accessibility Angels Project is a sub-project of the Tree Huggers Project.

Comments

Make fun?? What an awesome way to display all those great backgrounds/primary photos to use for my "Remember the Children" profiles.

Hope you don't mind that I bookmarked them.

---

The Sticker template includes an optional imagetext parameter, but when I mouseover a sticker that includes that optional parameter (expecting to find the imagetext entry displayed as alt text), I only see the link to the Project or other page that is included in the sticker definition.

---

Thanks you Melanie. I'm pleased to see that other people are thinking about this too :)

You've touched on a second aspect of the project, which is to explore technical options to enhance the accessibility of WikiTree for people who use assistive technology such as screen readers. Our thinking is still in it's early stages, but captions/labels/descriptions for images and links is something that's on our radar. We don't have all the answers yet—it's something that needs more thought and discussion with the WikiTree community.

Thank you too for the link to your page of images. It's a great example of a simple way we can all do something to improve accessibility :)

---

Fantastic idea!

---

Hi Melanie, to add to I's comments, we originally wrote the project description with three teams - the third team being a liaison team. This team would identify ways that WT could be more accessible and share those ides with WT leadership and also share these findings with the community via outreach communication. Once we have an idea of the volunteer base we will look to add that team.

---

Melanie -

I have a question about screen readers and URLs, but I think I'm just going to ask it in the Tree House so everybody sees it at the top level :)

---

@ Dave - noted.  (I can ask the nephews, once they log in to stalkbook.)

---

Very neat idea! I know a number of WTers who have numerous limitations either in eyesight, memory, or otherwise that have prevented them from being able to always fully engage, so this is a wonderful way to provide help where help is needed. Glad to see this kick off!

---

My niece, Catherine Getchell is the Director of the Office of Disability Resources at Carnegie Mellon University.  I asked for suggestions that might be useful to this group, and she responded:

"Well, let's just say that making things digitally accessible isn't necessarily terribly difficult.  But it does require some knowledge on the topic.  If you're used to interacting with the computer via the mouse, you may not be familiar with how keyboard users use the computer.  It's way more than just shortcut keys. 

Here is some information about digital accessibility:
https://www.cmu.edu/disability-resources/faculty/digital.html

You can start with the WCAG 2.1 accessibility guidelines.  Or you may find the YouTube Overview of Digital Accessibility Video a good place to start.  You'll realize quickly though that this requires some technical expertise.  Let me know what you decide.  This should be interesting.

---

We have a pretty solid group of people working on the project with both technical and practical knowledge. Your niece's points are well founded, particularly the point about differing ways of doing things. Studies have have shown that having people without a given disability simulate that disability to learn what having that disability "feels like" is often misleading because they lack the practical knowledge gained from daily navigating a world not made for you.

Answer 1

This is just great SJ! Mags

Comments

Thanks Mags 

Answer 2

So glad to hear this has been set up. Great job SJ!

Comments

Special thanks to I. Speed who did most of the heavy lifting!

---

This is terrific. Bravo to you, I., and Julie.

Answer 3

I would be interested in joining on the Research and Transcribe Team. Thanks!

Comments

Hi Susan and welcome!  We'll be getting some information out to you shortly.

Answer 4

Thank you, SJ, for helping members with disabilities.

Answer 5

Thank you all so much for starting this.  It will be important to many members.

Answer 6

I would like to be a part of this project.

Comments

Hi Susan, thanks for volunteering to help out.  I'll be getting in touch soon with some project information.

Answer 7

I'm interested to be involved

We need perhaps to begin with ensuring that we use plain language and no jargon and abbreviations

Comments

Hi Anon, thanks for your interest!  We will be reaching out in the next few days with some project informtion.

Answer 8

I'm interested in Research & Transcriptions.

Comments

Hi Dave and thanks for your interest!  We will be contacting you shortly for the next steps.

Answer 9

I would like to join please,  xxx

Comments

Hi Karen and thank you for your interest in the project.  We will be in touch with you soon.

---

Thank you SJ  xxx

Answer 10

I would be interested in what you are doing. I am recovering from a stroke which made it difficult for me to do keyboarding (I generally dictate most of what I post.)

Comments

Hi Frederick, we're happy to help in any way we can.  I'll add your name to my notes to notify you of project updates.

Answer 11

Would be happy to help in someway. Have been on Wikitree since Jan. 2016. Have been working in genealogy since puberty! I have been legally blind for the last 15 years with only vision in one eye (10%).  May need help myself. lol

Comments

Hi Ron, thanks for your interest in the project! We will be in touch with you shortly. Sorry it's taken a couple of days to get back to you—we've all been busy on the Connect-a-Thon :)

Ian, Coordinator, Accessibility Angels

Answer 12

I'm posting on behalf of Peter Tesar [Tesar-14] who has emailed me that he wants to join the project.  He has an interest in joining the newly forming Advisors/Technical Advisors Team.

Answer 13

Interested in volunteering to increase WikiTree’s accessibility. Please reach out, happy to help anyway possible!

Thanks to the organizers of this group!

Comments

Hi Kathy, I've sent you a message via Wikitree email.

Answer 14

SJ, if you have not had anyone volunteer I would be happy to help as the Team Leader for the Accessibility Angels Guide Team and I can be the Interim Team Leader for the Research and Transcription Team. Just let me know how I can be of help.

Comments

David, that would be wonderful!  I will update the pages.

Answer 15

Hello. :) I would like to join this project.

Comments

Hi Greta Thank you for your interest in the Accessibility Angels! We will be in touch shortly.

Ian, Coordinator,  Accessibility Angels

---

Thanks :)