#30472
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
#15187
Compares and contrasts two popular scriptwriting programs: MovieMagic Screenwriter 2000 and Final Draft Audio Video.
Chu, Steve W. Intercom (2002). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Screenwriting
#22526
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
#23881
The Search for Well-Defined Usability Discipline
The message about usability is reaching general audiences. However, sometimes the message is garbled and sometimes it is overlooked entirely.
Bachmann, Karen L. Usability Interface (2003). Articles>Usability>Professionalism
#29881
Secondary Disabilities: The Vicious Circle 
This progression round-table discussion explores the role of secondary disabilities that can magnify the effects of primary disabilities, triggering a downward spiral that leads to greater impairment, depression, and even total surrender--a classic vicious circle. The objective is to share personal experiences and look for ways to break the vicious circle early-- before the secondary disability compounds the effects of the primary disability. The strategy to combat this insidious syndrome is three-fold: (1) optimal medical treatment of the primary disability to minimize its effects, (2) maximum technological accommodations to compensate for the remaining deficit after medical options have been exhausted, and (3) psychological intervention to interrupt and reverse the secondary disability pattern before it creates the downward spiral--in essence, 'blasting a hole' in the vicious circle.
Voss, Ria and Daniel W. Voss. STC Proceedings (2004). Articles>Accessibility
#24517
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
#20658
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
#19185
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
#19646
A website containing templates for producing accessible design using Adobe software products. These documents detail the accessibility features of Adobe products in the context of U.S. government regulations as contained in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
#20705
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
#21384
Section 508, Documentation and the US Software Market
This article outlines how you can ensure that your software documentation conforms to the new accessibility legislation in the US.
Unwalla, Mike. TechScribe (2003). Articles>Documentation>Accessibility>Section 508
#20657
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.
#15188
Seek and Ye Shall Find--And Replace
Offers tips on using search and replace commands in word processors.
Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2001). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Search
#22964
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
#24360
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
#19945
Serving Special Needs in Technical Communication
Some 43 million Americans have disabilities, under the definitions provided in the American Disabilities Act. Only one fourth of working-age Americans with disabilities who are capable of fully productive employment have jobs. Grim statistical realities like these prompted the Society for Technical Communication to form a Special Needs Committee (SNC) to address the needs of its members (as well as its end users) who have disabilities. This article provides a brief history of the SNC, outlines its goals and objectives, and introduces some of its members. The SNC welcomes the development of a “sister” group within the American Translators Association (ATA), and would like to pool resources to help fellow professionals whose careers—and lives—have been derailed by disabilities.
Voss, Daniel W. STC Proceedings (2001). Articles>Accessibility>TC
#32008
Setting and Retrieving Accesskeys with JavaScript and DOM
There are some things in the world of accessibility that appear, on the face of it, to be really wonderful ideas… until you scratch slightly below the service. What may seem feasible when putting together some guidelines on accessibility might not ultimately translate well to a real-world application. Hands up who can remember the last time they felt compelled to use a longdesc attribute? And what about the accesskey attribute? Oh, you have used them you say. OK, let’s back up a little and find out what went wrong here.
Lloyd, Ian. Vitamin (2008). Articles>Web Design>Accessibility>JavaScript
#23001
Setting Learner Goals and Objectives
While pursuing my undergraduate degree in business education, I took an entire semester-long course on writing good learner goals and objectives. Though I won't pass on everything I learned, I do want to stress the importance of establishing goals and objectives for your learners (as well as for yourself) and provide some tips for establishing effective, measurable goals and objectives.
WebAIM (2001). Articles>Education>Accessibility
#13133
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
#10425
Shaping the Future of Our Profession 
This article examines the implications of greater professionalism for the future directions of technical communication and the role of academic programs and professional societies in shaping the future of the profession.
Davis, Marjorie T. Technical Communication Online (2001). Articles>TC>Professionalism
#26072
Sharing Files Between OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Office
Even if you're the most dedicated OpenOffice.org (OOo) user in the world, sooner or later you'll be asked to share files with someone using Microsoft Office. Some free software advocates refuse outright, or suggest outputting to HTML, PDF, or RTF formats, but these aren't always options -- especially if your boss is the one doing the asking. However, with a few preparations and a sense of what works and what doesn't, you can usually share files with Microsoft Office users with a minimum of headaches on both sides. Here's how.
Byfield, Bruce. NewsForge (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Software>OpenOffice
#28975
Should Designers and Developers Do Usability?
Having a specialized usability person is best, but smaller design teams can still benefit when designers do their own user testing and other usability work.
Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2007). Design>Web Design>Professionalism>Usability
#23164
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
#23825
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
#21679
So You Think You Know What a Template Is?
So you think you know what a Template is? Well, what is it?
