Posted by weslinda on May 30, 2007 under Web Accessibility | 
In our final lesson on web accessibility basics, we’ll discuss how to test your site, and what to do to ensure you continue on a path of accessibility as your web site grows and develops. This article will be a little shorter than the others as we’ll direct you towards resources you can use to ensure your compliance to the WCAG.
Once you’ve completed the design of your new site, or updated your current site, then it is time to test your site against the standards. By far, the most widely used solution is the WebXact solution by Watchfire. This is a free tool that allows you to check a single page, and I use this frequently to test a page as a design moves forward. For long term projects, utilizing the commercial version called Bobby is your best bet.
You should also test your page by going through some specific browser based tests as described through a preliminary accessibility review of your web site.
As you move forward, the key is to continue using these preliminary and software based tools for each and every new page created. As you get more experienced with accessibility, then you’ll find that a common workflow will take place and accessibility will become second nature to you and your team.
Posted by weslinda on May 25, 2007 under Web Accessibility |
In this, the second lesson of our Web Accessibility Basics series, we’ll discuss What Makes Your Web Site Accessible. This discussion will include some basic items that will improve the overall accessibility of your web site, and we’ll include a link to a list of 10 things you can do to your web site to make it accessible from the WAI.
While there are tons of items that help make a web site accessible, we’ll focus on three key items in this article.
- Well organized Semantic Layout
- Text Based Navigation with section ID’s.
- Alt Tags and Title Tags for Images and Links
1. Well Organized Semantic Page Layout
One of the easiest ways to improve your web sites accessibility is to organize the content in a well structured layout. By using the generally accepted global structure as proposed by the W3C you can ensure that your document will be organized properly and be easily disected by your visitors. We encourage the use of valid HTML and CSS as your core.
Then combining Header Tags and paragraphs along with well defined sections is your great .
2. Text Based Navigation with Section ID’s
After developing your core structure, you need to incorporate text based navigation at the beginning of your document allowing your visitors to skip to the core sections of your page identified by ID’s. At a minimum you should have three key sections to your page, Main Navigation, Secondary Navigation and Main Content. This ads a main layer of general accessibility to your site.
3. Alt Tags and Title Tags for Images and Links
Text based document readers, and aural readers are unable to disect information from images. It is very important that any image has an ALT tag to describe the information the image is being used to display. Along with your ALT tags, all of your text based links should include “titles” that describe the information you are linking to.
While this is a very limited discussion on web accessibility, these concepts are solid foundations to turning your web site into a fully accessible one.
Posted by weslinda on May 24, 2007 under Web Accessibility |
This will be the first lesson in our four part lesson on web accessibility. We’ll define web accessiblity, and discuss why you as a web site owner should care.
Lets begin by defining web accessibility. Now, I will generally use information from the WAI or Web Accessibility Initiative to discuss these topics. I see no reason to attempt to re-write what has already been written so eloquently.
Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can use the Web. More specifically, Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web, and that they can contribute to the Web. Web accessibility also benefits others, including older people with changing abilities due to aging.
Web accessibility encompasses all disabilities that affect access to the Web, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities. The document “How People with Disabilities Use the Web” describes how different disabilities affect Web use and includes scenarios of people with disabilities using the Web.
Millions of people have disabilities that affect their use of the Web. Currently most Web sites and Web software have accessibility barriers that make it difficult or impossible for many people with disabilities to use the Web. As more accessible Web sites and software become available, people with disabilities are able to use and contribute to the Web more effectively.
Web accessibility also benefits people without disabilities. For example, a key principle of Web accessibility is designing Web sites and software that are flexible to meet different user needs, preferences, and situations. This flexibility also benefits people without disabilities in certain situations, such as people using a slow Internet connection, people with “temporary disabilities” such as a broken arm, and people with changing abilities due to aging.
Source: WAI Introduction
So in basic summary, web accessibility is developing a web site so any user can use, interact and receive information from the page. With a minimum of 10% of the population having some sort of disability, it is very important that you take notice of this need and begin to work towards basic Web Accessiblity on your web site.
Now that we have an idea of what web accessibility is, I’d like to discuss why it’s important to your business. In a time that you must differentiate yourself from the competition and laws are getting more strict regarding accessibility in both the workplace and online, making your web site accessible can be a positive in both business growth and reputation.
The Web is an increasingly important resource in many aspects of life: education, employment, government, commerce, health care, recreation, and more. It is essential that the Web be accessible in order to provide equal access and equal opportunity to people with disabilities. An accessible Web can also help people with disabilities more actively participate in society.
Source: WAI Continued
By working to make your web site more accessible, you open your business to a new level of potential clients and customers that you were unable to reach before, due to the inability of those visitors to see the information on your web site.
In our next article, we’ll discuss what makes a web site accessible.
Posted by weslinda on May 23, 2007 under Web Accessibility |
There is a lot of buzz around the phrase web accessibility and I think that many businesses simply don’t understand the concept or the importance of web accessibility and how it can affect their company.
In this series of articles we are going to cover the basic concepts surrounding Web Accessibility and provide resources for you to use to get a better understanding of the concept and how you can move your business towards this goal.
In our series, we will walk through four lessons that will get you up to speed on web accessibility.
After reading through this series, you will be able to understand web accessibility, realize how it can affect your business, understand how to make your site more accessible and have the tools to validate your site and keep it accessible.
