Long-Distance Relationship
It has been almost a year now and a good time to take a look back…
It all started at 6:30 a.m. on a cold Saturday morning in January.
Hardly awake, still operating in the pre-caffeinated portion of my day as the pot of coffee continues to brew downstairs in the kitchen, I click on the link to the Zoom meeting invite in my Outlook email, and after a momentary pause, I am admitted into the virtual meeting space.
“Hello, Chris,” I hear the voice of Vijay Francis say over my computer’s audio, just as the video feed for our virtual session is established.
“Hi there,” I respond, adding a preemptive “How is everyone doing today?” in an attempt to try and determine whether any of the other members of the Vision-Aid team have joined us yet, as I continue to work in the background, instinctively tabbing to the “participants” panel and expanding it to bring up a list of meeting attendees to confirm these details for myself.
Vijay’s voice breaks through the synthesized mutterings of my JAWS screen reader to announce that Megha and VLN have also joined him on the call, and a few seconds later I hear each of them greet me.
Close-up of Vijay during Zoom planning session
I am not exactly sure of the specific locations where each of them are calling in from, other than the fact that they are all part of Vision-Aid’s India-based operations, and like the open-source Sakai Project, I assume that their team is also geographically dispersed. The only thing I know for sure, is that the timestamp on the Zoom meeting invite appears to have originated from Mumbai/Kolkata/New Delhi on India Standard Time, which puts them some 10 ½ hours ahead of me.
“Chris, it looks like it is cold there,” Vijay floats out there as a sort of half statement, half question, having apparently, and correctly, deduced this from the wool winter cap I am wearing beneath my headset.
“Yeah, it certainly is,” I acknowledge, explaining how I had just checked the weather app on my phone before jumping on the call to discover that it was only 18 degrees outside at that moment.
“So, what’s the temperature there where you are?” I ask inquisitively, genuinely curious to learn more about my new friends, and what everyday life is like for them over in their part of the world.
Vijay explains that it is a steamy 88 degrees in India, prompting me to let out an audible sigh when I do the math, as I quip that, “I would gladly take a 70-degree day right about now.” (a tongue-in-cheek reference to the difference in temperature between our two locations).
My joke elicits a few laughs, but to those of us on the call who are only virtually meeting for the second time now, it’s an important first step in our getting to better know one another. While the universally practiced ritual of “talking about the weather” seems to have succeeded in terms of helping to break the proverbial ice, the fact that we’re discussing the monsoon season and winter weather advisories in the same breath serves as a stark reminder that Lansing Michigan (where I live) and India (where the Vision-Aid team is based) are figuratively, and literally worlds apart.
I let this sink in for a moment, feeling the competing forces of uncertainty and anxiety, exhilaration and excitement simultaneously wash over me, before regaining my train of thought and continuing…
“I suggest that we start by going over some of the materials I had emailed to you, and then maybe we can log into Sakai, and I can show you some basic things about the web site. How does that sound?”
Everyone agrees to my proposed agenda, and just like that, our planning session gets underway.
A Blind Date of Sorts
When my friend and colleague Chuck Severance first proposed that his company Learning Experiences launch a pilot with Vision-Aid, and subsequently charged me with figuring out how to utilize some of the blind/low-vision graduates of Vision-Aid’s Digital Accessibility Testing & Training Center (DATTC) in India to supplement/enhance some of our ongoing accessibility testing efforts for the Sakai Project, I admit it all seemed a bit overwhelming. At the time I was still relatively new to the Sakai Project and had only recently developed and completed the first iteration of our “Sakai 21 Accessibility Regression Test Script”– now I was essentially being asked to grow our ranks, bring on additional blind/low vision individuals to assist with accessibility testing, when in many ways, I was still figuring everything out myself.
But there within was the answer I was looking for…
My approach would be simple. I just had to come up with a way to walk the Vision-Aid testers through how to use all of the same tools and processes I had developed while performing my own screen reader testing.
Simple, right? No, not at all.
For starters, the Sakai LMS is a complex application. It’s a robust tool that can be challenging for any new user to get acclimated to, not to mention a blind tester who has no visual reference and must rely on a screen reader to try and navigate its numerous tools and features.
There was also the challenge of working on a project with a group of people living some 10+ time zones and approximately 8,000 miles away, which meant that whatever solutions we were going to come up with would most likely have to support asynchronous collaboration.
Luckily, I already had several resources that I had been using during my testing that I felt could support our unique team dynamics and workflow.
The online Sakai User Guide, for example, was an ideal resource for our purposes, since the Vision-Aid testers could use it to access help documentation whenever they needed to. Likewise, it was relatively easy to modify the Excel-based accessibility test script that I had developed to be able to accommodate test notes for documenting additional screen reader/web browser combinations, so that me and the Vision-Aid testers would be able to work off the same shared test script. I also started getting into the practice of supplying the Vision-Aid team with access to my PENTHIST1 Course Site and the credentials for all of my test users, to help spare them the time and headache of having to create their own test site and users each week.
One big challenge remained – how and when would we communicate critical issues, provide timely updates, etc. to ensure we would be able to effectively manage this unconventional project?
Back when we set up those first few Zoom sessions to begin discussing the details of the pilot, I don’t think any of us could have anticipated how much these regular monthly updates over Zoom would help contribute to the overall success of the project.
But the Vision-Aid team and I would soon figure out that these (early morning for me, early evening for them) Zoom sessions were great for planning, asking questions, or working through any problems or issues they might be running into during the course of their testing. It was this need to come up with a creative way to virtually troubleshoot issues with them that actually first gave me the idea to enable my computer audio when using the screenshare feature in Zoom, so I could go out and demo things on the Sakai site to show the Vision-Aid testers how to use their screen readers to perform certain tasks. Now I regularly use these interactive test sessions as part of all my client projects, as well as to record videos like the ones we started producing for our “Accessiversity Video Tutorial Series” – so I guess I have my Vision-Aid friends to thank for pushing me to add this versatile technology to my testing arsenal.
And while I recognize and accept my designated trailblazer/resident Sakai LMS expert role on the team, which means that the Vision-Aid folks are regularly looking to me for help and guidance, the truth is that I have had to lean on them too, and I’ve ended up learning a lot from them throughout the course of this pilot.
Right from the get-go, Megha, who suffers from Retinitis Pigmentosa, has been performing all the NVDA (Non-Visual Desktop Access) testing, which has been great for me (and the Sakai Project) since NVDA is not my native/preferred screen reader, so I can play to Megha’s strengths and let her focus on those portions of the test script that I know she will be more proficient at. Having worked with Megha for a little over a year now, she always amazes me with her ability to accurately diagnose, thoroughly document, and effectively communicate complex accessibility issues, whether it’s her meticulous test notes, or her articulate verbal briefings during our periodic check-in calls. Megha has a warm, generous demeanor which makes her very approachable, just one of the many traits that I think has allowed her to become such a great mentor and trainer.
Although Mujtaba wasn’t part of the introductory Zoom session being referenced in this blog (he didn’t join the project until a few months later, when he was brought on as the second tester for the pilot) he quickly got himself up to speed, and before I knew it, he was executing test cases on another two-screen reader/web browser combinations. Himself a long-time user of assistive technology which he relies on to compensate for his visual impairment, I have a sinking feeling that Mujtaba would run circles around me if we ever went head-to-head using JAWS, based solely on the fact that I will occasionally hear his JAWS screen reader running at an insanely fast speed in the background during some of our Zoom sessions. With the astute observations that he consistently makes during testing, it’s obvious that Mujtaba has tremendous analytical and critical-thinking skills, which he routinely uses to delve deeper and deeper in search of the root causes of issues. Far from the boring home body that he makes himself out to be in his bio, during my interactions with him, Mujtaba has always come across as a funny, outgoing guy with a bubbly personality.
Of the three main Vision-Aid team members based in India, Vijay is the person who I communicate with the most. Vijay is the Director of Programs for Vision-Aid and is responsible for all the programs that Vision-Aid runs in India including the Digital Accessibility Testing & Training Center. In terms of the Learning Experiences and Vision-Aid pilot, Vijay serves as the Project Manager making sure the program runs as per the plan while serving as a bridge between me and the testers. He is an exceptional project manager, always doing a great job of balancing work currently being performed with the next big thing coming down the pipe. When you are involved with a pilot like this, and your kind of making things up on the fly, having a seasoned project manager like Vijay is invaluable because of his ability to anticipate and pivot. It’s like perpetually having this built-in margin for error, so when something unpredictable happens, which is inevitable, there Vijay will be to work with you and make the necessary adjustments to get things back on track. Besides being an intelligent, charismatic leader, Vijay is probably one of the nicest, most pleasant human beings that you will ever meet, and it’s been an absolute pleasure getting a chance to work with and know him these past twelve months.
You Can’t Spell Visionary (or Vision-Aid) Without Vision
Before we get to the end, we need to go back to the beginning.
Dr. Chuck with Jayanthi, Program Coordinator at Vision-Aid India.
Chuck’s relationship with Vision-Aid started more than four years ago when they began using his Python MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) materials to teach young Indian students basic programming.
With all of the success of his PY4E (Python for Everybody) course, the fact that there are these blind programmers in India who have been able to access his online course to acquire employable skills and improve their job outlook, is by far, one of the things that Chuck will tell you he is most proud of, which is why he has always had a soft spot in his heart for Vision-Aid and the work that they do.
“Things got even better when I went to Hyderabad for PyCon India 2018,” Chuck recalls, thinking back on the series of events that really helped take their burgeoning relationship to the next level.
Chuck goes on to describe how Ms. Jayanthi (who was serving as Program Coordinator for Vision-Aid’s programming course at the time) came to his office hours, brought several of her students and surprised him with a nice “thank you” plaque.
“After the conference was over, I had a free day and Jayanthi took me to visit the Nethra Vidyalaya College for the Blind where I met a wonderful team taking care of a number of young blind Indian students,” Chuck explains, as he thinks back on what would turn out to be quite the impressionable field trip. “I just remember the flood of emotions I felt when getting to meet and interact with these students, what an inspirational and humbling experience it was, and I just knew that I wanted to find more ways to get involved”
Upon returning to the states after his chance meeting in India with Jayanthi and her students, Chuck followed through on his commitment to get more involved. He started donating to the Vision-Aid organization to help support their amazing efforts, something that he has continued to do over the years. Eventually Chuck would get introduced to Ramakrishnu Raju, Founder & Volunteer Executive Director of Vision-Aid U.S.A. who would regularly invite Chuck to come and speak at their conferences in Boston, which Chuck would always try to bookend with meetings before and after the events to get some facetime with Ram and his Vision-Aid team.
At the time, it was impossible to truly grasp the full potential of their vision, but these serendipitous, early interactions between Chuck and Ram would help lay the groundwork for what would become Vision-Aid’s Digital Accessibility Testing & Training Center, and eventually lead to the Learning Experiences and Vision-Aid pilot that is now helping to support the accessibility testing efforts for the Sakai Project.
There is a famous quote from Helen Keller that goes, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” Well, fortunately for everyone who stands to benefit from this fortuitous partnership, when it comes to Chuck and his Vision-Aid collaborators, vision is one thing that they always had an abundant supply of.
Dr. Chuck interacting with students of Nethra Vidyalaya College.
Coming Full Circle
“In all of our conversations, from the very beginning, we have dreamed of, and talked of finding ways to give these students the skills to help in the testing of online systems in order for them to secure employment,” Chuck explains, marveling at the relatively short period of time it has taken for Vision-Aid to bring their new Digital Accessibility Testing & Training Center online.
Ram also sees the tremendous upside of their new testing and training center, citing some of the feedback that they have already received from their DATTC business clients.
“The Vision-Aid DATTC follows a pretty formal and rigorous testing approach which is based on the WCAG 2.0 standard,” he explains, before continuing, “Feedback from our clients has been very positive—they like the detailed reporting that we were able to generate, especially the fact that the team also provided suggested resolutions for each issue.”
Close-up of Ram during Zoom planning session.
From our (i.e., Chuck/my) perspective, Learning Experiences and Sakai have had a similarly positive experience working with the Vision-Aid team over this past year.
Due in great part to the extraordinary efforts of the Vision-Aid testers Megha and Mujtaba, with expert guidance and support from their project manager Vijay, in a little more than a year, this new Learning Experiences-Vision-Aid pilot has accounted for an additional 435 hours of manual functional verification testing performed on the Sakai LMS to supplement/enhance our ongoing accessibility/usability efforts. This included testing 14 different Sakai tools while using four different screen reader/ web browser combinations. In all, the team completed 378 unique test cases—some 1200+ total test scripts executed across the various browser/screen reader combinations.
But this is not where the story ends, on the contrary, this one-year milestone merely signifies the beginning of the next phase in this continually evolving partnership.
In anticipation of its release in the spring of 2022, the Vision-Aid team and I have already begun work on the new Sakai 22 test script, including the addition of several new tools/features that have not previously received in-depth testing for accessibility.
Moreover, once I have mastered all of the tips and tricks for using my JAWS screen reader to effectively navigate the new Atlasian-hosted version of Jira that we recently migrated to, I will be in a better position to walk the Vision-Aid team through how to review and update old accessibility-related Jira issues so that they can help with cleaning-up the current backlog of tickets sitting in the cue, another example of how we are proactively exploring new and different ways to push accessibility further and further upstream.
And there are several other open-source projects that could benefit from a pilot like this, so our goal is to refer additional organizations to Vision-Aid to help them expand their DATTC services and provide even more training and employment opportunities to the blind and visually impaired clients they have committed to serving.
And you can help too…
Whether you are a business in need of digital accessibility testing services, or just looking for a worthwhile non-profit to donate to this holiday season, please consider supporting Vision-Aid and the DATCC’s mission of helping to train and employ blind/visually impaired individuals as testers.
Time To Wrap Things Up
We’ve been on our January Zoom planning session for almost an hour now, and the Vision-Aid team and I have covered a lot of ground in that time, so it seems like a good place to end our call.
“Alright,” I say, “thanks again for taking the time to meet with me today.”
And before everyone officially signs off, I extend one final message, something that has since become standard practice at the conclusion of our sessions, a simple gesture that continues to help foster our long-distance relationship.
“Just let me know if there is anything else you need.”
If I’ve learned nothing else over this past year, it’s that the world is a small place, and we must do what we can to help each other out.
Interested in getting involved with Vision-Aid?
For more information about Vision-Aid’s Digital Accessibility Testing & Training Center visit: https://webaccessibility.visionaid.org/ or email dat@visionaid.org
Inquiries/donations can be directed to: Ramakrishna Raju, Founder & Volunteer Executive Director of Vision-Aid USA at: ram@visionaid.org or by visiting the “Support Us” page of the Vision-Aid website at: https://www.visionaid.org/how-your-donation-helps.