Redesigning the AccessAbility SIG Web Site for Accessibility  

Assuring the accessibility of a Web site is an ongoing process. Hear how the Web team for the AccessAbility SIG redesigned the SIG's Web site to incorporate more accessible features and how they stay on the accessibility road.

Lockley, Cynthia A. and Ann Leslie Reed. STC Proceedings (2004). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>STC

Research-Based Web Guidelines: Accessibility

Ensure that text and graphics are understandable when viewed without color. If designers depend on color to convey information, colorblind users and users with devices that have noncolor or nonvisual displays cannot receive the information. When foreground and background colors are close to the same hue, they may provide insufficient contrast on monochrome displays and for people with certain types of color deficits.

Usability.gov. Design>Web Design>Accessibility

Responsive—and Responsible—Web Site Design for Disabled Users  

Urges professors of technical communication to teach their students how to design Web sites that accommodate disabled users.

Hawkes, Lory. Intercom (2004). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Education

RNIB's Campaign for Good Web Design

There are two million people with sight problems in the UK - can they use your website?

RNIB (2003). Organizations>Accessibility>Web Design

Safe Web Colours For Colour-Deficient Vision

Colour is increasingly used these days to help convey information. When one in twelve men have some measurable degree of colour vision deficiency, the use of certain colours in certain ways can cause difficulty when navigating web pages or software, and even total illegibility in some cases. The key issue is to know when you are using colours which some people will not be able to differentiate - because that (for them) removes the benefit of using colour for visual cues. Colour scientists have long known which colours are confused by colour blind people, but this tends to be expressed in a way difficult for designers to utilise.

BT Group (2004). Articles>Web Design>Accessibility>Color

Screen Reader Simulation

This simulation will help you to understand what it is like for a person with visual impairments to access the Internet using a software program called a 'screen reader.'

WebAIM. Design>Web Design>Accessibility

Screen Readers and 'display:none'

When an element is hidden with display: none, the browser doesn't generate a box for the element; the element is not visible on the screen, and the layout of the page isn't effected by the element. As screen readers are supposed to read the screen, it makes sense that they do not announce content that is hidden with display: none.

Lemon, Gez. Juicy Studio (2007). Articles>Web Design>Accessibility>CSS

Search Engine Optimisation - A Positive Influence on Web Accessibility

The paper focuses on how some of the W3C Accessibility Guidelines are currently used in optimising web sites for search engines and how the rest will be or should be used in the near future for the same purpose. The paper studies the influence search engines have over marketers and optimisers and how they have a moral responsibility to their users to make web content more accessible. There have been papers before pointing out various benefits of web accessibility. This particular paper targets search engine optimisers and site owners, in fact, a large percentage of people who have influence over how accessible content is. It gives them the right incentive to use the W3C guidelines more widely.

Mardiros, Carmen. Bigmouthmedia (2004). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Search

The Secret Benefit of Accessibility, Part 2: A Higher Search Engine Ranking

One of the lesser-known benefits of web accessibility is the fact that a website more accessible to people is also more accessible to search engines. This article outlines the ways the two areas overlap.

Moss, Trenton. Webcredible (2004). Design>Web Design>Accessibility

Section 508 Checklist

The following standards are excerpted from Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, §1194.22. Everything in the left hand column is a direct quote from Section 508. The other two columns are only meant to serve as helpful guidelines to comply with Section 508. These guidelines are suggestions only, and are not part of the official Section 508 document.

Bohman, Paul. WebAIM (2001). Design>Accessibility>Web Design>Section 508

Section 508 Checklist

The following standards are excerpted from Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, §1194.22. Everything in the left hand column is a direct quote from Section 508. The other two columns are only meant to serve as helpful guidelines to comply with Section 508.

WebAIM (2001). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Section 508

Section 508 from the Hearing Loss Perspective

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended in 1998, requires federal departments and agencies, including the United States Postal Service, to comply with accessibility requirements when procuring, developing, using or maintaining electronic and information technology (E&IT), unless doing so causes an undue burden (significant difficulty or expense). E&IT with accessibility requirements pertinent to people with hearing disabilities include: telephones; televisions; videotapes and DVDs; multimedia web sites; interactive voice response systems, and information kiosks. Where steps and physical barriers kept people with physical disabilities out of the workforce and out of government buildings three decades ago, videos and web pages without captioning; telephones without amplification; interactive voice response systems that do not support TTY signals; phone configurations that do not support VCO (voice carry over); and phone systems with no TTY jacks are examples of barriers today. Congress identified the federal government as the proper place to begin tackling these problems. Through the Section 508 amendment, the federal government has been given the responsibility to set an example for the rest of the country by being a model employer and providing exemplary service to its customers with disabilities by showing that access can be achieved in a reasonable way and that information technology access will benefit all people. The Section 508 statute directed the U.S. Access Board to develop access standards for this technology. The process began with a report presented to the board by an advisory committee it convened and ended with the 508 Standards being incorporated in their entirety into the federal procurement regulations.

Baquis, David. Usability Interface (2003). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Section 508

Section 508 Web Accessibility Now a Federal Law!

Web design at Federal departments and agencies just got orders of magnitude more complex. In 1998, President Clinton signed into law Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The law, aimed at making government technology accessible to 120,000 disabled federal employees and 50 million other disabled Americans, went into effect June 21, 2001. Unlike the OSHA Ergonomic Program that was universally reviled by the Republican Administration and was immediately repealed upon President Bush taking office, Section 508 has been widely endorsed by President Bush and his Cabinet. This rule is here to stay. Commended by disability groups throughout the nation, Section 508 is an important step in making technology accessible to everyone. With hundreds of government agencies rethinking their technology investments, the effects of Section 508 will be felt throughout the public and private sectors. Section 508 marks the beginning of a new era in technology development. For the first time disabled employees and users of government-sponsored technology are in the driver's seat. And the controls they need are no small matter.

Mauro, Charles L. TaskZ (2001). Articles>Web Design>Accessibility>Section 508

Section508.gov

Section 508 requires that Federal agencies' electronic and information technology is accessible to people with disabilities. The Center for Information Technology Accommodation (CITA), in the U.S. General Services Administration's Office of Governmentwide Policy, has been charged with the task of educating Federal employees and building the infrastructure necessary to support Section 508 implementation. Using this web site, Federal employees and the public can access resources for understanding and implementing the requirements of Section 508.

Section508.gov. Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Section 508

Semantic Structure

Sighted people are able to quickly scan over an entire Web page. They can visually skip past the advertisements, past the main navigation and go directly to the main content. They can ignore the extraneous information all around the main content, without ever having to pay attention to it. Those who use screen readers experience Web sites a little differently. They are not able to immediately zero in on the main content of a Web page. They must find it by listening to the advertisements and the main navigation system. They can speed up the process by tabbing from link to link, but they risk missing an important piece of information this way. The experience is definitely different.

WebAIM (2003). Design>Web Design>Accessibility

Separate Text-Only Version? No Thanks

In an attempt to make their sites accessible to all, more and more websites are now offering text-only versions of their sites. Find out why this is a really bad idea.

Moss, Trenton. Webcredible (2004). Design>Web Design>Accessibility

Setting Usability Requirements For A Web Site Containing A Form  

We describe the challenges of understanding and setting usability requirements for a web site containing a form. We define 'usability requirements.' Ideally, usability requirements should be defined early in a project. In practice, we often find that the first opportunity we have is when we are asked to undertake an evaluation. Collecting the users' opinions of the requirements as part of the evaluation can often prompt the organization into investigating the users, leading to a better set of requirements and, eventually, a better web site.

Miller, Sarah and Caroline Jarrett. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Accessibility>Web Design>Usability

Side-by-Side Comparison of Section 508 and WCAG

The differences between the Section 508 accessibility guidelines and the W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

Thatcher, Jim. JimThatcher.com (2004). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Section 508

Six Principles of Accessible Web Design: An Introduction to the WAI Page Author Guidelines

An introduction to the W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

Bartlett, Kynn. HTML Writers Guild (1998). Design>Web Design>Accessibility

The Social Publishing Blog

Advice, guides and reviews from web accessibility specialist, Matthew Ogston.

Ogston, Matthew. Social Publishing Blog, The (2002). Design>Web Design>Accessibility

The Speechlet Project

Speechlet is a system which allows blind students of the Java programming language to use existing course material. Most Java courses use program examples that generate graphic output. The main reason for this is that students enjoy writing programs that produce interesting and exciting outputs. However, a blind student is unable to see the output of their program and is unable to even gauge that their program has worked. Speechlet was therefore produced to allow a blind student to move the mouse pointer over the screen and hear a spoken description of what is there. This paper discusses the reasons for the development of Speechlet, followed by a description of its operation and finally a discussion of its use in practise.

Mullier, D.J. TechDis (2003). Articles>Web Design>Accessibility>Software

Stephen Hawking and Me - Flash MX Accessibility

An article that features tips on building accessible sites in Flash MX.

evolt (2003). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Flash

The Stomper Scrutinizer: Web Browser w/Visual Simulation  

The Stomper Scrutinizer is a webkit based browser that includes a simulation of human foveal and peripheral vision. By providing a realistic distortion of non-focused page content, the Scrutinizer reveals the perceptability of design features. It is also useful for conducting usability tests, design reviews, and has a number of features (including screenshots) for talking about design.

Andy Edmonds. StomperNet (2007). Resources>Software>Accessibility>Web Design

Stuckness and Low Vision: How Technology and Socratic Classroom Dialog Changed My Life  

The author shares some stories from her own life that may be useful in helping Web page designers and product developers better understand issues surrounding low vision, hearing loss, and mobility restrictions using her 'art of accommodation.' In this article, she discusses this art as it applies to seven areas: (1) reading structural cues and wayfinding, (2) multimedia, (3) graphics, (4) text design and visual threshold, (5) contrast, (6) glare and size of electronic displays, and (7) mobility.

Reece, Gloria A. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Education>Accessibility>Web Design

Suggerimenti per un Flash Accessibile

Realizzare siti usabili in Flash è una questione di mentalità e non di prodotto. L'autore ci indica 10 suggerimenti per rendere le animazioni Flash più usabili ed accessibili.

Volpon, Antonio. FucinaWeb (2002). (Italian) Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Flash