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Accessibility Testers at NNELS

Wednesday, August 4, 2021

NNELS Accessibility Testers are responsible for evaluating reading applications and electronic files for accessibility, creating tutorials and guides, and researching and evaluating other areas of accessibility such as braille, tactile graphics, and training documents.

When working with Accessibility it is important to include people with lived experiences. NNELS tries to include these voices in every aspect of what we do, and our Accessibility Testers are essential to our growth and development. It is our hope that people who live with disabilities have equal opportunities to work in all faucets of accessibility in publishing, libraries, web-development and beyond. The way to be truly accessible is to include people with these lived experiences.

We asked out Accessibility Testers to share their experiences with you and this is what some of them had to say:

“I am a recent evaluator for NNELS. I am struck by both how much detail is required for good accessibility on web sites, and how much potential there is for great design! Libraries are all about accessibility and NNELS is doing its part to ensure good access for all. I am proud to be part of the NNELS team!  Making the world accessible one web site at a time."

- Peter Field

“Having had a print disability for the past 20 years, I’ve been aware of how important it is to have easy access to the widest range of fully accessible books. Now, after working as an Accessibility Tester with NNELS for the past couple of years, I really understand how important our work is, and how much it means, to so many.”

- David Kopman

“When testing digital accessibility with NNELS, my print disabilities is not an obstacle to do the work, on the contrary, it is an asset. It is very empowering to do work where being dyslexic, is considered an important standpoint in order to determine quality and accessibility. Working for NNELS means moving toward a digital publication ecosystem that helps so many people, including myself.”

- Mélissa Castilloux

"Accessibility is freedom - As an Accessibility Tester for NNELS I feel like I help fellows with print disability access and sustain that freedom."

- Laetitia Mfamobani

“The work at NNELS is compelling and engaging. I enjoy learning new apps and websites, which makes testing them exciting to find all the unique features and capabilities of these platforms. I use a screen magnifier and screen reader on multiple devices. I value the needs of individuals with low vision and their experiences in navigating websites, apps and platforms. NNELS has been adapting to the needs of readers with low vision. The NNELS team has been an excellent group to work with in sharing expertise and ideas in technology and accessibility. The team has diverse skills and experiences that make the work satisfying. Being able to ask questions and bounce ideas and input with others is satisfying. The team cares about the needs of the community and that is why we enjoy what we do. We want the community to have access and enjoyment of materials. Choice and options and materials that meet the community's needs are important to the team.”

- Deanna Ng

We are excited to continue to work with such a dynamic team, to learn, and to grow with them to a more Accessible future!