December 11, 2003

Usability and Accessibility in Today's World

You're invited to the next meeting of the Usability Professionals Association Minnesota chapter (UPA-MN) at the St. Paul Companies Thursday, December 11th at 6:00.

Mary Martinson, an expert in accessibility, will share some of her extensive expertise in usability testing products for accessibility. Mary will also discuss new tools and share a checklist for testing for accessibility. Whether or not you're experienced with accessibility issues, you'll definitely learn something from this very experienced and highly-rated speaker.

Session Overview

Historically, usability professionals in many electronic and information technology (EIT) companies have not included people with disabilities in their product testing. However, for a variety of reasons, companies are looking more closely at the need to be able to show that the product can be used by people with disabilities. Some RFPs now include testing by people with disabilities as one of proposal requirements.

In this session, Mary will discuss new technical assistance tools that are available to guide usability professionals in understanding how to include people with disabilities in product evaluation. She will address planning, preparing for, and conducting effective usability tests with participants with disabilities. She'll provide a checklist for usability testing for accessibility, and guidelines for interacting with people with disabilities.

About Mary Martinson

Mary Martinson is owner and principal consultant of Martinson Training and Consulting. For the past 12 years Mary has been conducting training on usability-related topics. She is currently focusing accessibility issues, particularly usability testing by people with disabilities. Mary has taught classes on accessibility in the United States, Ireland and Canada. Most recently, Mary presented three sessions on accessibility at UPA 2003, including a full-day tutorial titled "Evaluating for Accessibility," which focused on including people with disabilities in usability tests.

Mary conducts formal and informal usability tests with people with disabilities, and also partners with screen reader users who evaluate web sites remotely. She is a collaborator and major author of a soon-to-be-released online resource called "Accessibility in User-Centered Design." Development of this resource is sponsored by the Information Technology and Technical Assistance Center (ITTATC) at Georgia Institute of Technology.

Meeting Details:

Date/Time:
Thursday, December 11th / 6:00pm
Place:
The St. Paul Companies
Address:
385 Washington Street, Saint Paul, MN 55102
Phone:
651.310.2634 (before mtg)
Hosts:
JoAnn Graf - The St. Paul Companies
Speaker:
Mary Martinson - Martinson Training and Consulting
Topic:
Usability and Accessibility in Today's World

Agenda:

RSVP & Dues

Please email Lyle_Kantrovich@cargill.com if you plan to attend. Please indicate the number of guests, if any, you've invited.

Visitors and past members are welcome, but are asked to pay five dollars if they haven't paid chapter dues for the year.

Note that membership runs from January to December, so you'll want to renew your membership now that 2003 is here.

Directions & Map:

Meeting attendees will need to check in at the visitors' desk -- best before 6 PM.

NOTE: THERE IS A WILD (HOCKEY) GAME AT 7 PM THURSDAY NIGHT.
You may want to allow additional time for driving and parking. Some of the St. Paul Companies' parking is used for Wild games.

map to St. Paul Companies

Map with downtown landmarks

Driving Directions (Westbound on I94):

  1. Take the Sixth Street exit.
  2. Take Sixth past Washington Street.
  3. The entrance to the visitor parking lot will be on your left.

Driving Directions (Southbound on 35E):

  1. Take the 10th and Wacouta exit.
  2. Follow Wacouta Street to Sixth Street.
  3. Turn right on Sixth Street.
  4. Take Sixth past Washington Street.
  5. The entrance to the visitor parking lot will be on your left.

Driving Directions (Eastbound from Twin Cities International Airport):

  1. Take Highway 5 East, which becomes West Seventh Street to Fifth Street.
  2. Turn right on Fifth Street and get into the left lane.
  3. Turn left on Washington Street.
  4. Go one block and turn left on Sixth Street.
  5. The entrance to the visitor parking lot will be on your left.

Driving Directions (Northbound on 35E):

  1. Take the Kellogg exit, turn right.
  2. Take Kellogg to Seventh Street and turn left.
  3. Turn right on Fifth Street.
  4. Turn left on Washington Street.
  5. Go one block and turn left on Sixth Street.
  6. The entrance to the visitor parking lot will be on your left.

Driving Directions (Eastbound on I94):

  1. Take the Fifth Street exit and follow to Washington Street
  2. Turn left on Washington Street.
  3. Go one block and turn left on Sixth Street.
  4. The entrance to the visitor parking lot will be on your left.

Checking In:

St. Paul Companies (SPC) are located in 2 buildings connected by a skyway. You should enter the building at the Washington street entrance (the tall tower building). Because of security logistics, it would be best to arrive before 6 p.m. If you arrive after 6 p.m. you will need to use the intercom to call a guard, who will then call JoAnn to let people in.

Parking :

There is a parking lot behind the building which you can enter from 5th street or 6th street - cost is $10. The Lawson ramp which is kitty corner from SPC (enter the ramp on 5th St. between St. Peter and Wabasha) costs $6 for the evening. The ramp at Marshall Fields, which is a block away (entrances on Wabasha and on 6th St.) costs $3 for the evening.

Additional parking options

Help Spread the Word:

Know someone interested in usability?

Feel free to invite them to an upcoming meeting. Visitors are always welcome. Please forward this announcement to other area professionals who might have an interest in UPA-MN meetings or activities.Upcoming Meetings & Events:

Upcoming Meetings & Events:

 
January 8, 2004:
Ergonomics & Usability: David Dixon - Location: TBD
February 12, 2004:
Testing the Experience Beyond Usability - Location: digital@jwt
June 7-11, 2004:
UPA Conference - Minneapolis

Do you have an idea for a future meeting topic or know someone you think would be a good invited speaker? Contact Lyle (lyle_kantrovich@cargill.com) with your suggestions.

Last update: December 02, 2003