Proposal for an accessible software development model

A Shift Left-Based Accessibility Model for Software Development Process Improvement

“…Shift Left indicates the necessity to change from a reactive to a proactive approach, which reduces time, expenses, and exposure to risks. Many DevOps practices can use Shift Left, an example of which is Shift Left Testing, an approach to moving software testing to the left in the delivery pipeline [3]. Together, these indicate the importance of software development life cycles to accommodate accessibility implementation and take into account various human needs.…”

“…It has been demonstrated that accessibility can be incorporated into the development process from the start. The Shift Left a11y Model proposed by [3] aims to find and stop errors at the start of the software development process. It is an iterative technique approach; the phases of this model are sprint, deploy, and next release, with an emphasis on providing accessibility early in the development process, as shown in Figure 4.…”

“…Alternative text to relevant images, and to eliminate any barriers or experiences that may be inaccessible. c. Automated review in Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment: Code is tested and integrated through the distribution and implementation stages, integrating tests will confirm that the code or content meets accessibility success criteria and that it has been approved for the repository or release to production [3]. d. Manual and automated code review: The following methods are used in the manual review: Screen readers are used to identify problems with reading order, focus state, and tab order for keyboard users.…”

“…Currently, more than 1 billion people, or 16% of the world's population, experience some form of disability, and this number is rising, partly because of an aging population and a rise in the frequency of noncommunicable diseases [2]. As noted by [3] disability is an evolving concept and is the result of how people with impairments interact with environmental and attitudinal barriers that prevent them from fully and equally participating in society.…”

“…The sequential nature of the processes in a traditional software development process causes problems to be discovered at a later stage. This helps explain why the Shift Left method focuses on finding and preventing errors from the outset of software development [3]. This study focuses on a shift left-based accessibility model for software development process improvement.…”