10.29327/1407529.27-15
The World Health Organization has stated that disabilities are a natural part of the human experience and nearly everyone will experience temporary or permanent disabilities at some point in their lifetime. Approximately 1.3 billion individuals, which is roughly 16% of the global population, struggle with disabilities such as visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, learning, and neurological impairments. The quality of software depends on non-functional characteristics such as availability, maintenance, performance, reliability, scalability, security, and usability. Non-functional requirements are crucial for the success of software projects. In this context, accessibility plays a critical role in emphasizing the importance of non-functional requirements in software development. We conducted a survey of software development professionals to identify their understanding, awareness, and level of adopted practices in accessibility. Our study revealed the need for comprehensive accessibility curricula, accessible training programs, and better collaboration between academia, industry, government agencies and advocacy groups. By leveraging collective expertise and resources, stakeholders can work together to advance accessibility initiatives and address common challenges to develop accessible software. Establishing partnerships to share best practices, develop guidelines, and support organizations striving to improve accessibility in their products and services will create a more inclusive digital landscape.
Software development; Accessibility requirements; Empirical research; Survey; Accessibility education
@inproceedings{wer202418,
author = {Vinadé, R. and Marczak, S.},
title = {Unveiling Developer Perspectives: A Survey on Accessibility Practices and Requirements in Software Development},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the WER2024-27th Workshop on Requirements Engineering, Buenos Aires, Argentina},
year = {2024},
issn = {2675-0066},
isbn = {978-65-01-06131-3},
doi = {10.29327/1407529.27-15}
}