The Current and Future State of Accessibility and Software Testing: The Accessiversity Case Study

Speaker: Chris Knapp

In this unique and informative presentation, owner and managing member of Knapp Strategic, Chris Knapp, draws on his extensive experience from a 15+ year professional career in workforce development to frame the current and future state of accessibility and software testing in today’s demanding application development market.

In February 2019, Knapp Strategic launched a new initiative called Accessiversity, an innovative accessibility and usability testing and learning lab that utilizes individuals with disabilities to perform assessments on customer websites, software products, and mobile applications. Beyond simply helping organizations address technical accessibility requirements, the Accessiversity approach can demonstrate how focusing on accessibility issues will make a client’s website and system more usable for all of their customers.

Chris will incorporate his unique perspective as a visually impaired professional on multiple different sides of the accessibility issue, especially as it relates to some of the challenges and opportunities involved with reimagining the practice of software testing to better integrate the user experience of individuals with disabilities.

About the Software Development Peer Group:

Group Charter: The Software Development peer group seeks to provide a forum for software developers to participate in thoughtful, meaningful and engaging discussion about technology ideas, practices and tools. We aim to help foster growth for software development as a whole in the capital area as well as to help individual software developers improve their craft. Our events create opportunities to learn together, and support strategies that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the software development profession.

Board Champion(s) – David Zink – TechSmith and Eduardo Suniga - LCC

Committee Chair – Liam Petraska – MSUFCU

Committee Co-Chair – David Phillips – Greenstone FCS

About the CAITC:

This event is free to all IT Council members. Non CAITC Members can purchase a Non-Member & Member Organization ticket for $10.00!

Capital Area IT Council is a catalyst for connectivity by uniting, developing, and promoting our IT Community to attract global talent and become a statewide and national leader in tech-based innovation.

Interested in joining the Software Development Peer Group Planning Committee? Reach out to our Software Development Peer Group Chair Liam Petraska at liam.petraska@msufcu.org to find out more about joining the committee!

Not an IT Council member yet? Please contact Jordan Davis, CAITC Executive Director, at caitc@camw.net for a membership application and/or more information.

Follow the link to register for the event!

Click to register for Software Development Meeting