RSAA26 Accessibility Fellowship Report - Aishwarya Tulsi Vijay

Personal Details

Name: Aishwarya Tulsi Vijay Organisation: Grailmaker Innovations Role: Co-founder & CMO Location: India Fellowship: RSAA26 Accessibility Fellowship

About Me

I am Aishwarya Tulsi Vijay, Co-founder and CMO of Grailmaker Innovations. My work is focused on making public places more accessible for visually impaired and Deaf people.

Accessibility is also something I deal with every day. When I come across an app that does not work properly with my screen reader, I cannot use it independently and usually have to wait for someone to help me. Physical spaces can be just as difficult. Once, I mistook a men’s urinal for a wash basin and put my hands into it. It was embarrassing, but it also made me think about how many things in a physical space are obvious only if you can see them.

These experiences are a big part of why I work in accessibility. I know what it is like to encounter a barrier first-hand, and I try to bring that perspective into the work I do.

Why I Became an Accessibility Fellow

I wanted to be part of RSAA26 as an Accessibility Fellow because I felt I could contribute my experience as a visually impaired person, while also learning how accessibility was being considered in a research and software-focused community.

I was particularly interested in being involved before and during the conference, rather than only attending it. I wanted to see where accessibility could be improved and, where possible, help make those improvements myself.

Before RSAA26

One of the tasks I worked on was the Liana keynote.

The presentation was available as a PDF, but I could not properly access it using NVDA. I converted the content into an accessible Google Doc, using headings and organising the content of each slide so that it could be navigated more easily with a screen reader. I then published the document so that it could be used by others.

The PDF I received did not contain Slides 24–27, so I did not create content for those slides.

I also reviewed the RSAA26 website using NVDA and ANDI. During the review, I found a banner image that was not accessible and shared my recommendations with the team.

I liked that these tasks were practical. Instead of only pointing out that something was inaccessible, I could work on making it more usable.

My Experience During RSAA26

I attended all four days of RSAA26, and overall I found the conference smooth and enjoyable.

A few things made a real difference to my experience. The presentations were accessible, and I appreciated speakers reading the text on their slides and describing visual information when needed. I also used the Describe Screen feature with my screen reader when speakers were sharing their screens, which helped me follow what was being shown.

The QR codes shown during sessions were also shared as links in the chat. That meant I did not have to depend on being able to locate and scan a QR code visually. The survey link was also shared directly in the chat, which made it easy to access.

The daily session links sent by email were another thing I found useful. Overall, I felt that accessibility had been considered throughout the conference, and I found the event welcoming.

One Area That Could Be Improved

One thing I would suggest for future events is putting the direct session-joining link in the calendar invitation.

This would make it easier to join a session directly from the calendar. It would also make the session time and time zone easier to understand, especially for an international event where participants may be joining from different countries.

Takeaway

For me, the fellowship was a chance to contribute something based on my own experience.

The work on the Liana keynote showed me again how a document that looks fine visually can still be difficult or impossible for a screen reader user to access. The website review was another reminder that accessibility issues can be easy to miss unless you actually test things with the tools and technologies that people use.

My experience during the four days of RSAA26 was positive, and I appreciated the effort that had gone into making the conference accessible. At the same time, I think there is always value in having people with disabilities involved in the process, because we notice things from a perspective that may otherwise be missed.

Acknowledgement

I am grateful to the RSAA26 and Equersa teams for giving me the opportunity to be part of the Accessibility Fellowship.

I enjoyed being part of the conference and appreciated being able to contribute my perspective as a visually impaired person. It was also a good opportunity for me to learn from the community and see how accessibility can be included in an event from the planning stage onwards.

Conclusion

I am glad I was part of RSAA26 as an Accessibility Fellow. I was able to contribute to the accessibility of the event, but more importantly, I was able to do it from the perspective of someone who actually experiences these barriers.

I hope future RSAA events continue to involve people with disabilities in the accessibility process from the beginning. For me, that is one of the best ways to make sure accessibility is not just something that is checked at the end, but something that is considered throughout.