Thread by @shovelingferret, I am utterly furious about the ongoing @ravelry new look debacle. And [...]

I am utterly furious about the ongoing @ravelry new look debacle. And I owe some people apologies - I am sorry I asked you to give Cassidy and Livia more time to fix things because we could and should based on past experience trust them. I was wrong. #ravelry #ableist

I believed Cassidy when she told us she would do whatever it took to fix things. I believed the problems were taken seriously, that the team was listening. I believed that their past professional behavior and vocal support for inclusion was indicative of how things would proceed.

I was wrong.
I thought that considering the very small team, the pressures of everyday life, particularly for Cassidy and her family over the past year and the profit isn’t everything ethos of the site meant we needed to be patient and things would be fixed.
I was wrong

I was wrong.
I am so, so sorry. I am so sorry to everyone else who feels utterly betrayed. I am sorry my trust and defense was misplaced. I’m sorry for everyone who is impacted by far worse accessibility issues than my own.

I still don’t think the lack of accessibility was deliberate, but at this point it hardly matters. The continued refusal to fully recognize and address those issues in a clear, competent, professional, and transparent way IS deliberate. It’s also incredibly ableist.

I logged on to answer the new user survey posted today. It is, quite frankly, the last straw. I posted in the forums about it. My snark got the better of me and I suspect it’s already hidden. Here’s what I said

“Well the radio button on the insultingly inadequate accessibility question on the user survey doesn’t even stay selected when you navigate to a different part of the survey.

Or is that a feature and not a bug?”

The survey only allowed 500 characters in the final comments, so I made the following comments and suggestions in the accessibility comments section.

The lack of full communication with us, the refusal to answer direct questions about what is going on and why, the refusal to even entertain the notion of rolling back the design are all unacceptable.

It seems clear now (I say “seems”because to my knowledge you have not made this information available) that no one on the design team, particularly Livia, is genuinely aware, trained, or well-informed about even the basics of accessible design.

And it seems you are entirely uninterested and possibly even hostile to information, input, or assistance from those who are. It looks very much like you have elevated form well above function and as though you are not taking the significant, real issues seriously...

... and definitely not prioritizing them over the new aesthetics. And Ravelry is ultimately a database with a community around it. Function should have priority.

You need to do the following:
1 bring on someone(s) to the design team, even if only temporarily, who is a genuine, recognized expert in accessibility and web design. Someone with actual bona fides beyond a slick, pretty personal portfolio

2 fully roll back the whole site as the default option
(Not in my comments, but clearly something weird is going on with the toggle-back classic option and refusing to consider that as an issue is not helping anything)

3 give genuine, complete answers to some of the most common questions being asked or explain why you can’t

4 have a genuine, trained, certified, recognized expert conduct further beta testing and user surveys because clearly the one for the new site was utterly inadequate

5 own your mistakes. All of them. If I’m wrong that Livia is not qualified to do genuinely accessible design, prove it with documentation and action....

5 (cont) Otherwise, replace her or let her work only in conjunction with a genuine expert with veto power if we drift yet again into form over function

Note: I may be wrong about how much of the issues relate to Livia vs Cassidy, but as Livia is noted as the user experience designer and she is the new factor in the equation I don’t think it unreasonable to think she is responsible for much of it. If I’m wrong, please let me know

6 apologize. Genuinely and without reservation

7 take action. Tell us what steps you’re taking and why. Fix things.

Please, @ravelry @outcassed please listen to the members of the community who have supported you for so long and through so much.
We shouldn’t have to beg you to do the right thing, but we are. Please make the site genuinely accessible and do it soon. #ravelry #accessibility

Oh FFS I’m not the only one who has the radio button on the bullshit accessibility survey wind up unselected after you leave the page. This would be hilariously farcical if it weren’t so goddamn disgraceful

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