At the Crossroads of Digital Dramaturgy and Accessibility

Mark Fossen, MFA

While the past years have seen dramaturgy move online, we need to be careful to keep the doors open and accessible to individuals with disabilities. Web design includes the clear storytelling and conceptual organization at the core of dramaturgical work, but there is also a wealth of technical information which is often outside our training. One of the places where this knowledge gap lies is in the area of online accessibility and knowledge both of standards like WCAG 2.0 and the coding practices to achieve them.

As a dramaturg who has also been working in web design and development for almost 30 years (including accessibility training), I will share some of the basics of online accessibility and how to implement them regardless of the platform you are using. These don’t require advanced coding techniques as much as they require a knowledge of how browsers and screen readers present information to users. With knowledge and awareness, we can improve our online resources to be available for all.