Read on Twitter
I get asked this at least once a month, so I& #39;m going to answer it as a quoted tweet thread in case it is helpful to others who are wondering themselves or who also get asked this.
1/Thread https://twitter.com/chrismendis/status/1194357690170060800">https://twitter.com/chrismend...
1/Thread https://twitter.com/chrismendis/status/1194357690170060800">https://twitter.com/chrismend...
Let& #39;s start with facts:
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="1️⃣" title="Keycap digit one" aria-label="Emoji: Keycap digit one"> #a11y is a hashtagged numeronym. Numeronyms include any abbreviation that uses numbers to shorten/to abbreviate words.
K9 == canine
101 == beginner subject
i18n == internationalisation
l10n == localisation
Here is a visualisation:
2/
K9 == canine
101 == beginner subject
i18n == internationalisation
l10n == localisation
Here is a visualisation:
2/
#a11y is a hashtagged numeronym. Numeronyms include any abbreviation that uses numbers to shorten/to abbreviate words.K9 == canine101 == beginner subjecti18n == internationalisationl10n == localisation Here is a visualisation:2/" title="Let& #39;s start with facts:https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="1️⃣" title="Keycap digit one" aria-label="Emoji: Keycap digit one"> #a11y is a hashtagged numeronym. Numeronyms include any abbreviation that uses numbers to shorten/to abbreviate words.K9 == canine101 == beginner subjecti18n == internationalisationl10n == localisation Here is a visualisation:2/" class="img-responsive" style="max-width:100%;"/>
You might notice that people in the accessibility space will mimic reading it like this IRL.
3/
Now that you have the context, to address the question "is the hashtag #a11y" accessible?
In short, I would say yes, if used carefully. (More on that later.)
And, I would say that this invites a really excellent lesson in accessibility of tech terms broadly speaking.
4/
In short, I would say yes, if used carefully. (More on that later.)
And, I would say that this invites a really excellent lesson in accessibility of tech terms broadly speaking.
4/
I& #39;m not ignorant to the fact that a lot of techies rag on the #a11y hashtag for _not_ being accessible because they haven& #39;t encountered it before.
And many of these techies ask the question facetiously to prove a point and mock the "irony."
5/
And many of these techies ask the question facetiously to prove a point and mock the "irony."
5/
To address them, I ask my own facetious questions:
Do you ask with the same snark about blockchain? Cryptocurrency? WYSIWYG? Hooks?
Or, do you think you& #39;re clever and the first to point out that it& #39;s "ironic"?
Could you define irony?
Alt: Alanis Morissette sings "Ironic"
6/
Do you ask with the same snark about blockchain? Cryptocurrency? WYSIWYG? Hooks?
Or, do you think you& #39;re clever and the first to point out that it& #39;s "ironic"?
Could you define irony?
Alt: Alanis Morissette sings "Ironic"
6/
Do I think that the #a11y hashtag is immediately clear if you don& #39;t know what it is? No, I don& #39;t.
However, I think it& #39;s helpful to differentiate this sphere of accessibility with a searchable, shortened term. (If you search "accessibility," it& #39;s quite broad.)
7/
However, I think it& #39;s helpful to differentiate this sphere of accessibility with a searchable, shortened term. (If you search "accessibility," it& #39;s quite broad.)
7/
I also think that there& #39;s a common pattern we follow when we see something we don& #39;t understand: We look it up.
Searching " #a11y" yielded me 301,000 search results. The entire first search engine results page (SERP) is full of relevant answers.
8/
Searching " #a11y" yielded me 301,000 search results. The entire first search engine results page (SERP) is full of relevant answers.
8/
To make it as accessible as possible, we can borrow a common practice from journalistic && scientific writing:
We should reference its first instance in long form, then follow with its abbreviation. Here are some examples:
"Accessibility ( #a11y)"
"Accessibility ... #a11y"
9/
We should reference its first instance in long form, then follow with its abbreviation. Here are some examples:
"Accessibility ( #a11y)"
"Accessibility ... #a11y"
9/
tl;dr:
#a11y is very accessible when we include a reference to its full form when possible; its power is in its searchability and conciseness. When not clear, it is immediately defined with a search.
Lastly, I hope that we remain as critical and thoughtful of all words.
10/End
#a11y is very accessible when we include a reference to its full form when possible; its power is in its searchability and conciseness. When not clear, it is immediately defined with a search.
Lastly, I hope that we remain as critical and thoughtful of all words.
10/End
