Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a product (e.g., device, service, environment) is accessible by as many people as possible, and the ventures to produce accessible products and services. Accessibility is often used to focus on people with disabilities and their right of access to entities, often through use of assistive technology.
#19202
Mit Blindenschrift und Computer ins Internet
Auf seiner Homepage beschreibt Matthias Hänel, wie Blinde das Internet benutzen und welche technischen Mittel dafür existieren.
Haenel, Matthias. Matthias-Haenel.de. (German) Design>Web Design>Accessibility
#27551
Is there a way to display text-based data on a map, keeping it accessible, useful and visually attractive? Yes: using an accessible CSS-based map in which the underlying map data is separated from the visual layout.
Duffey, Seth. List Apart, A (2006). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>CSS
#25801
More Than Screen Deep: Toward Every-Citizen Interfaces to the Nation's Information Infrastructure
The spread of information systems and, in particular, information infrastructure throughout the economy and social fabric raises questions about the technology's ease of use by different people, from those with limited technical know-how to those with various disabilities to the so-called power users who push for higher performance on many dimensions.
National Academies Press (1997). Books>Web Design>Accessibility>Government
#23011
Not everyone with a motor disability can take advantage of voice recognition software, but there are many other technologies that can help such people. We'll talk about these technologies, as well as some of the types of motor disabilities.
WebAIM (2001). Design>Accessibility
#13251
My Brain Works...My Legs Don't! Let's Take the "Dis" out of Disabilities 
STC’s Special Needs Committee has begun its work of information collection for and dissemination to technical communicators with disabilities. This paper by the Committee chair is a “call to arms,” sets out what has been learned so far, and solicits your participation in the ongoing effort.
Skinner, Judith N. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Accessibility
#26144
National Policies for Government Web Writers
Every country has its own requirements for public sector web sites. Legislation and policies vary greatly, and express an attitude. I base my Quality Web Content workshops for government web content writers on the policy of the country concerned. Some countries consider that an accessible site requires accessible writing. Others don't.
McAlpine, Rachel. Quality Web Content (2004). Articles>Web Design>Accessibility>Writing
#19192
New Accessible Web Design Program at Northeastern University
Web accessibility is a hot topic, and now there is a brand new place to gain the knowledge and credentials you need to succeed in this increasingly important field. Northeastern University, in Boston, Massachusetts-- already well known for its technical writing program-- is now offering a graduate certificate program in Interactive Design. This new program, one of the first in its kind, focuses specifically on topics surrounding web accessibility and design for interactive media of all kinds.
Gardner, P.J. and Lori Gillen. Usability Interface (2003). Academic>Accessibility>Education
#26850
New Heuristics for Understanding Older Adults as Web Users 
This article reports on a study performed for AARP on the needs of older Web users. It defines a model of older users that includes four dimensions (age, ability, aptitude, and attitude). It defines 20 heuristics, as well as personas and tasks for reviewing Web sites, and a methodology for doing persona-based, task-based heuristic review that would allow us to evaluate many sites in a relatively short time in a highly realistic way. Finally, it reports the results of an analysis of 50 Web sites for general audiences that include older adults, using that methodology.
Chisnell, Dana E., Janice C. 'Ginny' Redish and Amy Lee. Technical Communication Online (2006). Articles>Web Design>Accessibility>Elderly
#26034
New Plasma Screens Fail London's Commuters
Although the new screens at Waterloo station use the latest screen technology and look very impressive, they have not been designed with the hassled and hurried commuter in mind.
Usability by Design (2005). Articles>User Interface>Accessibility>Usability
#27502
La norma di riferimento è la legge 1 marzo 2006, n. 67 pubblicata nella Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 54 del 6 marzo 2006. Tale norma è di iniziativa governativa (Ministro senza portafoglio per le Pari opportunità Stefania Prestigiacomo, Ministro del lavoro e politiche sociali Roberto Maroni di concerto con il Ministro della giustizia Roberto Castelli) e risale al 2 luglio 2003 - vale a dire sette giorni prima dell'emanazione del dlgs 216/2003.
Scano, Roberto. Webaccessibile.org (2005). (Italian) Articles>Accessibility>Legal>Standards
#20351
Le linee guida del W3C in materia di accessibilità dei siti web hanno avuto un forte impatto soprattutto nei paesi anglosassoni dove, per primi, i governi hanno recepito tali linee guida rendendole di fatto obbligatorie per la realizzazione dei siti internet delle amministrazioni pubbliche. In Europa esistono delle comunicazioni della Commissione Europea che sono state recepite dai vari paesi. In quest'area del nostro sito andremo ad esporre i documenti normativi delle varie nazionalità approfondendo l'analisi della normativa europea e italiana.
Bertini, Patrizia. IWA-HWG (2003). (Italian) Articles>Accessibility>Legal>Italy
#21032
A February 2003 Harris Poll indicates that nearly half of those over age fifty in the United States—approximately 36 million adults—are online. While international statistics vary; the implication is clear: Designing usable Web sites that serve the needs and preferences of older adults will be a requirement, not a nicety, for the future.
Mazur, Beth and Amy Lee. Intercom (2003). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Elderly
#30557
One Reason Why Section 508 Isn't Working
The article underscores one of the key weaknesses in Section 508 today: the lack of self-regulation and commitment to Section 508 by federal agencies. Since Section 508 was released in June 2001, the primary enforcement focus has been on industry's role and responsibility. The pervasive thinking was that compliance could be better achieved by ensuring that industry designed, developed, and delivered accessible electronic and information technology for agency procurement. And there seems to be merit to this way of thinking. But if federal contracting and procurement officers do not include the 508 requirements as part of their procurement request documentation, industry has no motivation to invest money and resources required to enhance their products for accessibility.
Paciello, Mike. Paciello Group, The (2007). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Section 508
#18605
Online Universal Design and Evaluation Tool
A major project of the Trace Center is the development of an on-line design and evaluation tool to assist product developers in creating better and more usable products. The design tool will lead designers through a process that encourages them to ask questions about their design and provides them with information about aspects or features of their product that might pose access barriers. A listing of possible strategies and ideas they might use to address the accessibility issues or to make their product more generally usable is provided. Specific examples, audio and video clips, copies of reference documents and studies, and resources they can contact or refer to will all be included over time.
University of Wisconsin. Design>Usability>Accessibility>Universal Usability
#18741
Optimización de Páginas Web Para Su Impresión
Los usuarios odian leer en pantalla, por lo que muchas veces preferirán imprimir los documentos web para que su lectura les resulte menos tediosa. En este trabajo comentaré tres posibles técnicas de optimización para la correcta impresión de documentos web, indicando las ventajas e inconvenientes de cada una.
Hassan Montero, Yusef. Nosolousabilidad.com (2003). (Spanish) Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Bandwidth
#23741
Our SIG’s “e-Lifelines”: Tapping Online Resources to Help Meet Special Needs
The Special Needs SIG’s 'e-Lifelines' come in four categories: (1) a comprehensive Web site, (2) a dynamic and data-rich online newsletter, (3) a robust listserv, and (4) specialized e-mail distributions. This paper will take a quick look at each of these 4. More details will be provided in Session UID 8E, “From Disabled to Enabled: Meeting Special Needs to Ensure Accessibility.” During the freeform part of the progression, attendees will have an opportunity to locate areas of specific interest to them, ask questions, and give suggestions and feedback to the facilitators that will help make the Special Needs Web site even more effective and valuable. Attendees will receive a copy of the SIG newsletter and a current list of disabilityrelated Web resources.
Lockley, Cynthia A. and Mike Murray. STC Proceedings (2003). Articles>Accessibility>Online
#31630
Overcoming Environmental Barriers
On May 3, 2008, something extraordinary happened: the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities went into effect. The goals of the Convention are lofty: it insists that all persons with all types of disabilities must enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms and sets out eight guiding principles and obligations to meet them.
Quesenbery, Whitney. Usability Professionals Association (2008). Articles>Usability>Accessibility>International
#18631
Overview of the Web Accessibility Initiative
An online presentation explaining why Web accessibility is important and what the Web Accessibility Initiative does.
Brewer, Judy. W3C (2003). Presentations>Slideshows>Accessibility
#20057
#30189
The rapid growth in the use of PDFs on Websites has lead to increasing concerns about accessibility, particularly for the users of screen reading technology, which converts text into synthetic speech or electronic Braille.
Hudson, Roger. WebUsability (2004). Articles>Accessibility>Software>Adobe Acrobat
#22300
PDF Can Comply With Section 508. Now It's Your Move
A blind person cannot read from a screen any more than from a printed page. Technologies nonetheless exist that allow blind and other disabled users impressively full-featured access to documents. To be accessible, however, the document contents must be available to these so-called 'assistive' technologies.
Johnson, Duff. PlanetPDF (2003). Articles>Accessibility>Adobe Acrobat>Section 508
#19238
Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format that allows the page creator to ensure that all fonts, formatting and graphics etc are preserved throughout the document regardless of the platform on which it is being viewed. Due to the control the author has over the style of the document, a number of accessibility problems can be identified.
Draffan, E.A. and Sue Harrison. TechDis (2002). Design>Information Design>Accessibility>Adobe Acrobat
#29872
PDFs and Section 508: Compliance, Accessibility, and Usability
This paper addresses limitations and problematic issues of usability and accessibility involved in the creation and use of Adobe Acrobat PDF files for people with visual impairments who use screen readers as an assistive device. In some cases, due to technological limitations, PDF documents can present information incorrectly to such persons. A document which is accessibility compliant may then not be fully usable by individuals with visual impairments. The lack of specific guidelines for accessible PDF documents complicates the issue, though a series of W3C PDF Checkpoints provides some guidance. Problematic issues discussed include footnotes, special characters and formats, acronyms and abbreviations, and tables.
Dolin, Samantha and Jane L. Willig. STC Proceedings (2004). Articles>Accessibility>Adobe Acrobat>Section 508
#27419
Photosensitive epilepsy is a form of epilepsy that is triggered by visual stimuli, such as flickering or high contrast oscillating patterns, and it's believed that around 3% to 5% of people with epilepsy are susceptible to photosensitive material. Photosensitive epilepsy is usually triggered where the flicker rate is between 16Hz to 25Hz, although it's not uncommon for seizures to be triggered by flicker rates between 3Hz to 60Hz. The condition most commonly effects children, and is usually developed between the ages of 9 and 15 years, and most prevalent in females.
Lemon, Gez. Juicy Studio (2006). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Cognitive Psychology
#27664
Ce livre répond à deux questions. La première question est Pourquoi je dois rendre mon site web plus accessible ? Si vous n'avez pas de sites web, ce livre n'est pas pour vous. La seconde question est Comment puis-je rendre mon site web plus accessible ? Si vous n'êtes pas convaincu par la première réponse, vous ne serez pas interessé par la seconde.
Pilgrim, Mark. Dive Into Accessibility (2002). (French) Books>Web Design>Accessibility
