Tyler Neff

EL 601
04/02/2023

Comprehensive Technology Analysis: Part 2 Reflection

My biggest takeaway from this assignment was the simple fact that I was
unaware of how much goes into making courses, content, etc., fully accessible for
everyone. Looking at the accessibility resources provided by Dr. Stephen Craig, I didn’t
know the reasoning and extent that an organization must go to meet the requirements
of the government and HCL. To be completely candid, as I am not someone with a
diagnosed disability, I have never actually looked at the provided accessibility resources
until now. My usual mindset when it comes to course content, website layouts, and
other things of that nature is, “it is what it is” and I just go with it. However, there are
some interesting things I’ve now noticed that I already do to help myself as I go. For
instance, “dark mode” for visual impairments is something I use almost always. On my
phone, my computer, everything. Even my TV is set to the lowest brightness setting
because I often find screens and lights to be too bright. Along these lines, one of my
favorite features that has become commonplace among most streaming services,
videos, social medias, websites, etc., is the auto-captioning feature. In general, I do not
like loud noises, and I almost always watch everything at a lower volume but with
subtitles. These are just a few of the little things that I’ve learned I benefit from in my
everyday life that were made possible by implementing greater digital accessibility
requirements across the board.

When looking at the “Convince & Convert” article, the “accessiBe” program used
on many sites really stood out as the front runner application for making sites more
digitally accessible. After playing around on a couple of sites, I liked the high contrast
mode and dark mode used on some, and I thought the drop-down menus for the
shopping sites should be the standard for online shopping. While not something I would
use a lot, I understand the reasoning for the application, and it does provide a better
user experience. Unfortunately, I believe websites have to pay to use features like that
which likely causes some websites to stray away from using the most up to date
technology. In both of my jobs, coaching and engineering, I don’t usually have to think
about how digitally accessible my work is, but I believe there are some benefits of
sharing this information. Not only could it help my coworkers in making our almost-
entirely computer-based lives easier, but it could also help our student-athletes when it
comes to learning and completing schoolwork. In conclusion, I am glad we took some
time to look into these accessibility resources and moving forward, I will continue to
keep up to date with current technologies that could improve my everyday life activities.
 References:

Baer, J. (2022, November 1). 20 awesome examples of accessible websites. Convince &
Convert. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-
marketing/accessible-website-examples/

Craig, S. (n.d.). ACCESSIBILITY RESOURCES . Desire2Learn - Mount Union. Retrieved

March 29, 2023, from
https://d2l.mountunion.edu/d2l/le/content/51777/viewContent/764149/View

Craig, S. (n.d.). DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY. Desire2Learn - Mount Union. Retrieved March

29, 2023, from
https://d2l.mountunion.edu/d2l/le/content/51777/viewContent/764144/View