Training

My Accessibility for Designers class draws from many years of conducting site reviews, wireframe/annotation reviews, and usability testing with screen reader users. The class teaches the manual checks and annotations needed to create accessible design specs, reducing the need for rework after testing.

I've given the class to 400+ students in classes ranging from 4 to 45 students. It can be customized from 3 hours to two days.

I focus on training designers because of my background in Human Factors and UX Research and because there is not much advanced training for designers, despite the fact that the majority of the manual test that cannot be automated or handled by AI fall into the realm of visual design, user experience, and content design.

Public Workshops

• CSUN 2023
• Access U: 2024, 2025, 2026
• Triangle UXPA: TriUXPA 2024, TriUXPA 2025, TriUXPA 2026

Access U 2025

Workshop recording

• Morning session
• Afternoon session

After-class surveys

My after-class survey ratings were 4.8/5.

• It's a tough balance when it comes to accessibility and aesthetics. Yet one must reconsider, for the day may come they who have 20/20 may soon find themselves with 20/70 monocular vision (like me). The hands on examples are a real help, and I feel combining that with my own lived experience is definitely the way to go. Thanks so much for all that you've done that I can share with my graphics team. :)
• Very thorough and entertaining. I would bring this presenter in-house if I could!
• Great session. I appreciate the focus on those things we can't easily find info and resources on.
• Definitely recommend her for future classes. :-)
• I really enjoyed the content and experiences Miranda presented. The examples, factual information, troubleshooting lessons were engaging. I'm a graphic designer, so when some of the content relied more on web development, it gave me good tools in order to work alongside developers.

Workshop Topics

I cover all of these topics in my 2-day workshop and a custom selection in shorter versions.

Practical Skills

• Understand how to identify non-text visuals that must pass contrast checks.
• Understand annotations to set developers up for success, including headings, order, labels, and screen reader text.
• Understand how to write usable screen reader content for buttons, links, icons, chevrons, and paging controls.

Visual Design Topics

• Colors and Contrast (text, non-text content, colorblindness, infographics)
• Whitespace and Layout (bounding boxes, groupings, trapped whitespace)
• Cards and Columns
• Links, Buttons, Button Links (standalone, embedded links)
• Field Labels and Instructions (hint text, floating labels, placeholder text)
• Visual Focus Indicator
• Disabled States
• Tap Target Size & Spacing
• Typography
• Animation and effects
• Field masking (phone numbers, social security numbers, passwords)

Usability & Content Checklist

• Page Titles
• Landmarks/Regions
• Pattern Exploration: Carousel
• Headings
• Mobile Apps: Pages + Headings
• Skip Navigation
• Reading Order (Swipe Order, Content Order, Tabbable)
• Floating Buttons
• Annotated Two-Column Form
• Buttons vs Links
• Images
• Unique Labels (Buttons, Links, Fields)
• Field Labels
• Writing Tips (General Text, Alternative Text, Labels, Chevrons, X)
• Bullet Lists (Decorative bullet images, meaningful bullet images)
• Text with hard breaks
• Auto-Playing Content
• Audio & Video
• Graphs & Infographics