The Future of Tech is Accessible

Meeting accessibility standards in technology is no longer a nice-to-have; it is a necessity and for many a requirement. In January of last year, the United States Access Board published a final rule which created stricter requirements under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act for information and communication technology. For public institutions, your federal funds are at stake if your digital platforms are not up to accessibility standards.

However, it’s not enough to meet the bare minimum in regards to accessibility. An accessible digital experience is a foundational element of a successful mobile strategy, where each and every user has access to all the information they need. A recent study by EDUCAUSE found that 7% of students self-reported a need for accessible tech, and of those students, “a concerning 27% rated their institution’s awareness of users’ needs for accessibility technology as poor”.

To help us understand the criticality of accessible experiences even further, Modo invited Web Accessibility Evangelist Lucy Greco from the University of California Berkeley to visit the Modo offices in Summer 2018 and educate the company on accessibility in technology. Lucy led a multi-day workshop focusing on empathy-building exercises, demonstration of assistive technologies, and a detailed review of Modo’s software.

At Modo, accessibility has been a cornerstone of our campus and workplace solutions from the very beginning. Building on our commitment to enable customers to deliver highly engaging and highly accessible digital experiences, Modo is excited to deliver the latest versions of Modo Campus® and Modo Workplace™, which extend Modo’s lead as the most accessible digital experience creation platform available.

Our latest release, Modo 2.12, enables our customers to create even more accessible, engaging, and dynamic user experiences. We have improved the accessibility of nearly every aspect of the product, for both end users and app creators alike, so that everyone can build and use Modo apps with ease, regardless of abilities.

Modo 2.12 includes hundreds of improvements that enhance accessibility and usability, including:

• Refactored overall screen structure, headings, tables, and other UI patterns for better navigation with assistive technologies
• Added settings for app users to disable automatic animations and content updates
• Re-structured key UI elements for more natural voicing by screen readers
• Improved text color contrast throughout App Center, including fine print and button labels
• Multiple enhancements to increase compatibility with specific screen readers

Modo Campus® and Modo Workplace™ are substantially compliant with WCAG 2.0 AA guidelines and are in compliance with both U.S. Section 508 and European EN 301 549 regulations.

In this day and age where everyone has a smartphone, they say there is a world of information in the palm of your hand. We want to make sure this rings true for each and every Modo app user. Modo Campus® and Modo Workplace™ allow our customers to go above and beyond to make their experiences both accessible and enjoyable for every user.

Modo is dedicated to delivering the most inclusive experience for users of all abilities. Our goal is to make mobile awesome for everyone! To learn more about how we have prioritized accessibility, watch our on-demand webinar or request a demo.

Director of Product Management, Matt Willmore, has been at the forefront of Modo’s dedication to make our platform as accessible as possible.