Need :
The workplace chat is where people spend most of their working day, and it is hard to use for many people with disabilities. Messages that screen readers never announce, icon-only status indicators, sound-only notifications, and shortcuts that assume a mouse are common.
I found the same problems in Halonyx, the open-source encrypted messenger I built, which shows how easy it is to repeat them. If you can't use the chat, you are excluded from the conversation, and from the job.
My role :
In this talk, I will share a hands-on accessibility audit of workplace chat applications, including closed-source tools, an open-source alternative, and my own project Halonyx. I follow up my earlier MangaloreFOSS talk on web accessibility by applying WCAG principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust) to real chat interfaces, using a keyboard, a screen reader, zoom, and automated checks.
Methodology:
I will run the same checklist on each app and show the results side by side: message announcements, focus management in threads, sending and editing messages by keyboard, status and unread indicators, notifications, and calls. Then I will show how I am fixing Halonyx, and where an open-source chat app lets anyone fix the problem upstream, while closed apps leave users waiting. I will be clear about which versions I tested and what I could not verify.
Goal of this talk :
The aim is to make accessible chat a design requirement, not an afterthought. Because Halonyx and similar tools are open source, the community can contribute testing, bug reports, and fixes, and attendees get a checklist they can use on any real-time interface.