Updated 2/7/06.
Note: If you need the plug-in to read PDF files, Adobe Acrobat Reader, you may download it free.By Joan Good Schwimmer. On this page: Featured Sites | News Clips
02/25/09 - Visit ICE's website to find information about the sessions and workshops presented Feb. 24-27, 2009. Check out the wiki pages to see materials posted by the presenters. Especially note the links on the right side of the page for Tuesday-Friday.
ICE 2009 was a great conference. I had a fun time volunteering this year and seeing old friends and making new contacts. Next year, I hope to present again. Mark your calendars for ICE Conference 2010 on February 23-26, 2010.
Meanwhile, please enjoy the archives on this page. Nearly all the links are still valid, so don't be put off by the dates. When I have time during this year, I'll start to update my site again.
Best wishes!
05/29/07 - JuicyStudio.com's Luminosity Contrast Ratio Analyser has been updated to reflect new Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Type in values for the background and foreground and click a button to see an example and whether it passes the accessibility guidelines. Juicy Studio is an independent UK website, run by Gez Lemon. Its mission is to promote best practice for web developers and is worth a visit by novices and professionals.
05/21/07 - On May 17, 2007, the World Wide Web Consortium's WCAG Working Group released updated Working Drafts of WCAG 2.0, Understanding WCAG 2.0 and Techniques for WCAG 2.0.
02/27/07 - There is on online version of Access by Design: A Guide to Universal Usability for Web Designers by Sarah Horton, published in 2005 by New Riders Press. The online version is located at the Universal Usability site. The online version links to resources and tutorials that support and expand on topics covered in the book.
01/29/07 - The 16th issue of Usability News is now available at: www.usabilitynews.org. Some of the issues covered include (1) user perceptions of e-mail in different typefaces; (2) eye gaze patterns when searching and browsing a website; and (3) accessibility of websites.
12/29/06 - I typed "web accessibility" into Google's search engine and clicked on the Video tab to discover there are more resources available than ever before. At the top of the list was a YouTube video, added November 01, 2006: "BBC Click Accessibility", approximately 7 minutes: "An overview of what impaired users encounter when using inaccessible websites." View it at www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2VVxrWun6A.
11-29-06 - Recommended reading: "Designing for Dyslexics", by Mel Pedley, available on the Accessites.org's website, a series of three articles examining dyslexia and how web design impacts the ability of those afflicted to access information on web pages.
11-08-06 - Assistive technology users should check first with the manufacturer of their product about compatibility with any product and specific version.
Visit the Microsoft Accessibility Web site for more information about Internet Explorer 7 (IE7). Some accessibility features are:
IE7 tutorials are also available on the Microsoft site.
10-08-06 - The W3C's 'Before and After Demonstration' page links to resources that show common accessibility barriers and solutions. There is also a discussion about these issues. You can use this resource numerous ways:
08-31-06 - Accessibility and usability are often mentioned together, and many webmasters usually develop for each at the same phase of a site's development. Read more about this in the article Can Accessibility and Usability Live in Harmony?" by Jim Lerza on webpronews.com site. Of interest: the importance of deciding what is absolutely necessary to the site, and what is extra; and how some usability features may restrict accessibility.
08-25-06 - In July 2006, Google launched Accessible Search for the Visually Impaired, found at http://labs.google.com/accessible/. In its FAQ, Accessible Search is described as an early Google Labs product designed to identify and prioritize search results that are more easily usable by blind and visually impaired users. Accessible Search locates relavent documents and also helps find the most accessible pages in that result set. Accessible Search examines the HTML markup found on a web page and favors pages that degrade gracefully, or pages with few visual distractions and pages that render well with images turned off. Accessible Search is an extension of Google's overall mission to better organize information and make it universally accessible.
07-26-06 - Trenton Moss' article at IT Wales site offers some advanced accessibility techniques to help make your web pages even more accessible. Topics include hidden text; succinct, front-loaded and conventional link text; font resizing; where to place instructions; headings; and more. Visit Moss' web site, Webcredible, where you can sign up for a free newsletter. Don't miss Webcredible' resource section, where you'll find information, articles and tutorials about user-friendly website design. Just for fun, check out the comic-strip Webcredibles.
07-14-06 - WebAIM updated its checklist on Section 508. See http://www.webaim.org/standards/508/checklist for the latest version.
07-07-06 - Tune in for the first in a series of EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information) podcasts on evaluating webpages as a process. Find out how to sort through the many issues with Web accessibility and learn how to form a general plan. Visit the EASI Barrier-free IT - Tips and Tricks Podcast Page for this podcast and many more, and information about subscribing to the EASI podcasts in audio or text formats.
07-02-06 - Check out the latest podcasts posted at the EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information) Barrier-free IT - Tips and Tricks Podcast Page. More are coming, so be sure to revisit the site frequently. You may also subscribe to the RSS feed for the MP3 audio version by pasting the following URL into your aggregator [ http://easi.cc/podcasts/bfit.xml ] or subscribe to the text version by pasting the following URL into your aggregator [ http://easi.cc/podcasts/bfittrns.xml ].
06-15-06 - aMedia is billed as Europe's foremost professional web design conference, scheduled for June 15-16, 2006. Visit the speakers' page for links to their websites where you will find information on various aspects of web design, web standards, CSS, DOM scripting, and accessibility.
06-03-06 - WebAIM has updated its list of policies in U.S. postsecondary institutions and other regions worldwide. Many institutions do not have a binding formal policy, yet strive to ensure accessibility. This is a good resource to compare different policies and approaches to accessibility.
06-03-06 - Accessible Design Guide at the Viewable With Any Browser site provides useful tips and links to good web design and to help make sites accessible by all browsers. There are specific HTML tips and examples. A new feature is a forum for discussion on web design and accessibility issues.
05-26-06 - The 15th International World Wide Web Conference runs from May 23-26, 2006. May 25th's refereed paper tracks will cover web-based systems for distance learning, e-learning online communities, e-assessment systems, web services and web applications in life sciences. Research papers are available on the program page. Podcasts are being posted on the web site as they become available. See http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/news/podcasts.php to view or subscribe.
I love this tool, "Accessibility Color Wheel", by Giacomo Mazzocato. It is so much fun! The interactive online tool analyzes the contrast of a color pair and shows how color-blind people see it, simulating three kinds of vision deficiencies: deuteranopia, protanope, and tritanope. When you hover the mouse over areas on the wheel or the gray stripe, you can see the different views. Click to choose the color. Experiment with text and background combinations. You can even download all the necessary files to use it offline. Check it out at http://gmazzocato.altervista.org/colorwheel/wheel.php. 04-22-06
05-22-06 - Disability.gov was awarded a Gold Award from the American Association of Webmasters for outstanding design and quality of content for May 2006.
Disability.gov is part of the U.S. Labor Department. It has current information for people with disabilities on education and other subjects such as benefits, civil rights, community life, employment, health care, housing, technology, and transportation.
05-11-06 - Check out an article at Juicy Studio by Robert Scano on web accessibility's history. He covers the past 10 or so years of web development and focuses on accessibility and how it has evolved. He stresses the importance of developing applications and web content following appropriate specifications and describes the future of the web as "a future world where there is no discrimination, and where the Internet and the Web can be understandable and usable by a great range of people."
05-06-06 - Knowbility's web site shows how and why to make technology accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. Knowbility supports the independence of children and adults with disabilities by promoting the use and improving the availability of accessible information technology.
Three articles were recently published in Knowbility's Accessible Content Magazine.
All three articles are available at Accessible Content Online a quarterly print and online publication that is available FREE to people involved with accessibility. The online magazine includes accessible HTML versions of all articles in the magazine, including code and URLs. For the first 60 days, access to the online version of the current issue is available by using the ID and Password found in the print version of the magazine. After the magazine has been out for 60 days, the online version can be accessed without a password.
05-04-06 - Paul Coulter's article on website navigation provides helpful tips on accessible design. Two quick tips: ensure that potential clients or customers are able to find information by using, at most, 3 clicks; and visit websites similar to your own to see which navigation structure they have chosen. Read the whole article at WebProNews.com.
04/30/07 - The Telecommunications and Electronic and Information Technology Advisory Committee's next meeting is May 22 – 24, 2007 to review and recommend changes to its standards for electronic and information technologies that were issued under section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. The meetings, open to the public, will be held at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Arlington, Virginia. Persons wishing to attend must pre-register. For more information, contact Tim Creagan at creagan@access-board.gov, (202) 272-0016 (v), or (202) 272-0082 (TTY).
10-30-06 - From the Access Board newsletter:
The next Section 508 "Lunch and Learn" program will be held December 13th from 12:00 to 1:30 at the Board's offices. This informal lunchtime discussion series highlights different aspects of compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which ensures access to electronic and information technologies procured by the Federal government. The upcoming session will focus on the conversion of electronic documents for accessibility, including high-volume collections, and will feature a speaker from a company engaged in this work. Those interested in the program can attend in person, though space is limited, or by teleconference (with realtime transcription). For more information, contact David Baquis at baquis@access-board.gov (email), (202) 272-0013 (voice), or (202) 272-0082 (TTY), or visit the Board's website at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/training.htm.
09-07-06 - Read the full press release at the National Federation of the Blind's website.
A federal district court judge ruled September 6, 2006 that a retailer may be sued if its website is inaccessible to the blind. The ruling was issued in a case brought by the National Federation of the Blind against Target Corp. The suit charges that Target's website is inaccessible to the blind and violates the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA"), the California Unruh Civil Rights Act, and the California Disabled Persons Act. Target asked the court to dismiss the action by arguing that no law requires Target to make its website accessible, but the Court denied Target's motion to dismiss and held that the federal and state civil rights laws do apply to a website such as target.com.
The suit, NFB v. Target, was filed as a class action on behalf of all blind Americans who are being denied access to target.com. The named plaintiffs are the NFB, the NFB of California, and a blind college student, Bruce "BJ" Sexton.
09-01-06 - The Access Board will be holding monthly discussion sessions on Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act to discuss and share information about different aspects of the law, the Board's standards, and various issues. These informal lunchtime sessions are typically held at the Board's offices and often feature guest speakers. Due to high interest and limited space, a teleconference option is also being offered with realtime transcription. The dates and topics of upcoming meetings will be posted on the Board's training calendar and on its website at www.access-board.gov/sec508/training.htm. For more information, contact David Baquis at baquis@access-board.gov or (202) 272-0013 (voice) or (202) 272-0082 (TTY).
07-12-06 - WGBH National Center for Accessibile Media (NCAM) announced publication of Accessible Digital Media: Design Guidelines for Electronic Publications, Multimedia and the Web, available free. Visit NCAM's Web site to explore other ongoing access initiatives.
07-11-06 - News from "Access Currents", a free newsletter issued by the Access Board every other month by mail and e-mail:
The Board has organized a new advisory committee to assist in updating its access standards for electronic and information technologies procured by the Federal government. Issued under section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act in 2000, the standards cover websites, computer hardware and software, phone systems, fax machines, copiers, and other technologies. The Telecommunications and Electronic and Information Technology Advisory Committee will review these standards and recommend how they should be updated. The committee will also review Board guidelines for telecommunications products issued under section 255 of the Telecommunications Act. The Board plans to update these guidelines jointly with its 508 standards to ensure consistency in their coverage of telecommunications technologies.
The committee's membership includes representatives from industry, disability groups, standard-setting bodies in the U.S. and abroad, and government agencies, among others. Members were selected from applications received in response to a Board notice published in April. The Board has structured the committee to represent a balanced cross section of interested parties and stakeholders and to help promote international coordination.
The committee will provide a forum for establishing consensus on updating the 508 standards and telecommunication guidelines. Topics the committee will explore include coverage of products and technologies, including new or convergent types, solutions to identified access barriers, the content of new or revised specifications and criteria, and their harmonization with comparable international efforts in this area. The Board will officially propose changes to the standards and guidelines for public comment based on the committee's recommendations. The committee's first meeting is scheduled for September 27-29 at the National Science Foundation, Room II-555, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Virginia. Committee meetings are open to the public.
For further information, contact Tim Creagan at creagan@access-board.gov (e-mail), (202) 272-0016 (v), or (202) 272-0081 (TTY).
04-27-06 - Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) Last Call Working Draft and supporting documents were published 27 April 2006. The WAI encourages people to review and submit comments on the following documents:
Note that the deadline for comments has been extended from May 31, 2006 to June 22, 2006.
04-25-06 - The Access Board is organizing an advisory committee to assist in the update of the standards for electronic and information technology procured by Federal agencies that were issued under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. While limited to technologies procured by the Federal government, the standards have had a broader impact by promoting product accessibility across all markets.
Since technologies continuously evolve, periodic review and update are essential in keeping accessibility criteria current. This will be the first update of both the 508 standards and the guidelines for telecommunications equipment.
Visit the Board's website at www.access-board.gov/index.htm or contact Tim Creagan, the Board’s Section 508 Access Specialist by e-mail at creagan@access-board.gov, voice at 202-272-0016, or TTY at 202-272-0081.
From a 04-20-06 press release at www.michigan.gov/som/0,1607,7-192--141369--,00.html:
Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today signed legislation establishing a rigorous high school curriculum in Michigan, calling it an essential step in building a diverse economy that will help keep young people in the state. The Governor also renewed her call for a $4,000 scholarship for all students to receive education or training beyond high school.
"If Michigan is to compete in a global economy, we must have the best educated workforce in the nation to attract jobs and investment to our state," Granholm said. "This new challenging curriculum will help ensure that every student in Michigan is prepared for college or technical training when they finish high school."
The bill includes a requirement for one online class to graduate from high school.
"Ensuring that students graduate from high school with the tools they need to succeed in college or technical training is just the first step," said Granholm. "Now we must ensure that financial barriers don't prevent students from getting the education they need..."
It will be interesting to see how they ensure the avoidance of not only financial barriers, but other barriers to access by students with impairments affecting vision, mobility, hearing, speech, or difficulty reading. This requirement will help raise awareness of the need for accessible online learning environments as students with different abilities take the classes. Hopefully the original design will include accessibility principles, helping ensure that accessibility barriers do not prevent students from getting the education they need.
Updated on 05/29/07. These materials are intended for educational and nonprofit purposes only. All rights reserved. Contact by e-mail: Joan Good Schwimmer.
