Empathy-Driven Design: How Drupal Prioritizes Accessibility for End Users

In the digital era, website accessibility has become essential to user experience. Drupal, a popular open-source content management system, has made accessibility a top priority in its development process. Assume there is a website where you may apply for jobs or where you can complete a college project. People who are blind cannot apply for employment on the site if accessibility is not taken into account. Someone taking classes cannot finish their assignments independently because the site does not operate for them.

We will introduce a few Drupal modules that help you incorporate into the site to enhance accessibility and user experience.

This abstract will explore how Drupal has embraced an "accessibility-first" approach, placing the needs of all users, including those with disabilities, at the forefront of its design philosophy.

Finally, we will discuss the challenges that Drupal faces in ensuring ongoing accessibility and the future steps it can take to maintain its leadership in accessibility and put users first.

At the end of this session, the attendees should be able to:

1. Identify the legal and ethical implications of failing to prioritise accessibility in Drupal web development.
2. Understand the benefits of using accessible modules in Drupal for all users, not just those with disabilities.
3. Understand how to maintain and update Drupal accessibility modules to ensure ongoing compliance with accessibility standards.
4. Gain knowledge on how to test the accessibility of Drupal websites and modules using automated and manual testing tools.

Target Audience:
This session is targeted to Product owners, Business owners, Accessibility specialists, UX/UI professionals, Project managers, Content creators, Webmasters, Consultants and Quality Assurance Engineers.

Drupal is a registered trademark of Dries Buytaert.