Web Accessibility Resources

Accessibility News

More on the Usage Lifecycle: Lifecycle Messaging

16 May 2008
by Josh
A great example of the Usage Lifecycle in practice. The other day I wrote about the idea that people go through a progression as they use your software, what I call the Usage Lifecycle. I described how Tripit.com was doing a good job at getting people over the hurdle of Sign-up with several really n... continues
via [Bokardo - Social Design by Joshua Porter]

Designing for the Social Web: The Usage Lifecycle

14 May 2008
by Josh
The Usage Lifecycle describes how far a person has progressed in using your web application, helping to identify the hurdles someone needs to overcome to become regular, passionate users. Babycenter.com has a really great newsletter. Once you tell the site when you’re expecting, it sends you a... continues
via [Bokardo - Social Design by Joshua Porter]

Come be happy

14 May 2008
by louisr
Steve Krug and I are in Chicago this week to teach our day-long workshops (me on Thursday, and Steve on Friday). Roundarch has kindly agreed to sponsor and organize a happy hour in concert with our visit. It takes place...
via [Bloug]

Douglas Adams on Interactivity

12 May 2008
by Josh
As anybody who has ever read anything knows, the most important part of a book are the quotes sprinkled throughout it. Yes, if you are able to pick the perfect quotes to start your chapters with, then you’ve done the majority of hard work in writing. The words that you write yourself, the othe... continues
via [Bokardo - Social Design by Joshua Porter]

Book testing: how we did it

8 May 2008
by louisr
Joshua Kaufman of UXmatters interviewed Liz Danzico and me about Rosenfeld Media, specifically addressing how we determined book features and tested our designs. We describe a bit of the "show and tell" approach we used for identifying features, and a...
via [Bloug]

New Rosenfeld Media book: Luke Wroblewski's "Web Form Design"

5 May 2008
by louisr
Whew! It'd finally available. Joy. Relief. Here's the info from the Rosenfeld Media site: We're excited to announce that Luke Wroblewski's long-awaited book, "Web Form Design: Filling in the Blanks," is now available! And with hundreds of sales since our...
via [Bloug]

Bootstrapping a Niche Social Network

5 May 2008
by Josh
Bootstrapping your niche is easier if you leverage existing motivation. How do you bootstrap your social site if you’re targeting a group that doesn’t yet use software (or doesn’t seem interested in using software)? While software designers can often see how useful their tool can b... continues
via [Bokardo - Social Design by Joshua Porter]

The Power of Niche Social Network Sites

2 May 2008
by Josh
The power of niche social sites isn’t just in connecting people, it’s in providing tools that allow people to do something better than they could before…or, the reason why PatientsLikeMe is an amazing web site. Ravelry.com is a social network site for the “knit and crochet c... continues
via [Bokardo - Social Design by Joshua Porter]

Two Worth Watching: Boston Web Studio and Social Media for Social Change Blog

1 May 2008
by Josh
A bit of local news to share with you: Boston Web Studio: Marc Amos, whom I met through local meetups, has taken the plunge and is now an independent web designer/developer specializing in creating attractive, modern, accessible web sites that appeal to the visitors your business needs to reach. Con... continues
via [Bokardo - Social Design by Joshua Porter]

The Redesign Must Die talk

30 Apr 2008
by louisr
Just on my way home from an enjoyable visit to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where Tim Offenstein and friends put on a great event. Sick (again; WTF?), exhausted, but happy. And happy to report that I should have...
via [Bloug]

Why people don’t trust “bloggers”

30 Apr 2008
by Josh
Jeremiah Owyang claims that people don’t trust bloggers. To back up this claim, he cites three market research studies showing that when given a choice, people would choose to listen to their friends and family rather than “bloggers”. The three studies were done by respected market... continues
via [Bokardo - Social Design by Joshua Porter]

Designing for the Social Web: the Book

29 Apr 2008
by Josh
Has it really been nine months? Last August, when I decided to go out on my own and start Bokardo Design, I also began writing a book on a new aspect of design that I called “social design”. Social design was the term I used when thinking about and designing for the social interactions ... continues
via [Bokardo - Social Design by Joshua Porter]

Tales from Redesignland

28 Apr 2008
by louisr
On Wednesday I'll be keynoting the University of Illinois' 9th Annual Webmaster Forum. The theme of the event is redesign, and for me, redesign boils down to two four-letter words. Double trouble. Redesigns are counterproductive; not surprisingly, my talk will...
via [Bloug]

The accessibility of the date-time pattern in Microformats

26 Apr 2008
by Isofarro
via [isolani: Web Accessibility]

Updated workshop slides

25 Apr 2008
by louisr
Just posted an updated set of the slides for my site search analytics workshop. Feel free to download them from SlideShare. I'll be teaching it once more this spring, in Chicago on May 15; come join us for the day....
via [Bloug]

Bug tracking for government

24 Apr 2008
by louisr
Just got back from a few days in the Bay Area. Incredibly packed trip, immensely enjoyable nonetheless. The coolest idea from the visit: Mike Kunavsky told me about ParkScan.org, a "...community-initiated, web-based reporting system that tracks maintenance conditions in San...
via [Bloug]

ICAT 2008

20 Apr 2008
18th International Conference on Artificial reality and Telexistence, Yokohama, Japan.
via [HCI Index]

Chicago early bird registration is April 18

17 Apr 2008
by louisr
The Steve and Lou tour's last spring stop is Chicago, May 15-16, and the early registration deadline is tomorrow. Register by then to receive a $100 discount off each day-long workshop. I'll be teaching my new workshop, Site Search Analytics...
via [Bloug]

I'm grateful

16 Apr 2008
by louisr
Anyone who's followed my blog over the past seven (!) years knows that I'm always promoting the IA Summit. It was my baby at its inception, but it's gotten better every year. As a strapping nine year-old, it's clearly enjoyed...
via [Bloug]

Early and Earley

15 Apr 2008
by louisr
The early registration for Steve Krug's and my May 15/16 Chicago workshops (site search analytics, do-it-yourself usability) is this Friday (April 18). Last chance to save $100 per workshop, last stop on our spring road trip; details here. And on...
via [Bloug]

North Shore Web Geek Meetup: April 17th at the Grog

15 Apr 2008
by Josh
The next North Shore Web Geek Meetup is happening this Thursday night, April 17, in Newburyport, MA. Here are the details: Date: Thursday, April 17, 2008 Place: The Grog (see map) Start: ~6-7pm Ends: ~9-10pm See the Facebook group or Upcoming page. By the way, at this meeting we’ll be se... continues
via [Bokardo - Social Design by Joshua Porter]

You didn’t come here from Google

7 Apr 2008
by Josh
That’s because I’m currently not being indexed by Google. Two weeks ago Google dropped this site from their search results because of the number of spam links I had on my pages. I did not put them there, of course, and I tried multiple times to get rid of them, but hackers kept coming b... continues
via [Bokardo - Social Design by Joshua Porter]

Captioning Sucks

So, I'm a bit late in posting about this, as the site was launched earlier in the week, but you still may not know that Captioning Sucks. Joe Clark would like you to know why this is. The site itself looks like an explosion in a paint factory - something ...
via [Accessify: latest news]

Introducing The John Slatin Fund Accessibility Project

It was not long ago that we learnt of John Slatin's passing. As a long-time active member of the accessibility world who worked with the W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative and co-authored a book on the topic, John was passionate about the topic. In his memory is a ...
via [Accessify: latest news]

HTML Reference with Accessibility Features

I almost forgot to put a mention on this site about something that I have been working on over the last few months, namely SitePoint's HTML Reference. While it is not specifically an accessibility resource it does cover the basics of accessibility, highlighting the various HTML elements and attribut... continues
via [Accessify: latest news]

A Beacon Just Went Out

Rest in peace, John Slatin. Your work in the field of accessibility will not be forgotten, and nor will the friendship and kindness to all who had the pleasure of knowing you or meeting you in person.
via [Accessify: latest news]

AccessU 2008 - Austin, TX

If you've just come back from another annual SXSW Interactive and the thought of returning so soon fills you with a sense of dread (and not just a little amount of concern for your poor, battered liver), look away now. For anyone still reading, here's the deal: Knowbility are running ...
via [Accessify: latest news]

Web 2.0 versus Web Accessibility 101

If you are in London in April and have an interest in advancing the web using the latest technologies but also care a dime about keeping the end result accessible, you must come along to the 1-day event that AbilityNet are hosting. Accessibility 2.0: A Million Flowers Bloom includes a ...
via [Accessify: latest news]

From PAS 78 to a full British Standard

British Standards Institution (BSi), the UK’s national standards body, now in the process of establishing a new technical standards committee to oversee the development of a standard which all organisations will be able to follow in procuring or developing an accessible website. [...] [Julie] Howe... continues
via [Accessify: latest news]

Review WCAG 2.0 Last Call Working Draft

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Working Group invites you to review the second WCAG 2.0 Last Call Working Draft published on 11 December 2007. WCAG 2.0 explains how to make Web sites, applications, and other content accessible to people with disabilities. Please submit any comments o... continues
via [Accessify: latest news]

Using Videos to Influence and Change Perceptions

I've just come back from speaking to a lady who works in the same company that pays my wages and who has rapidly diminishing eyesight - a rare eye condition has left her with something similar to cataracts, and a feeling of seeing everything through a heavy white curtain. The ...
via [Accessify: latest news]

Is this the test case we’ve all been waiting for?

Summary: Target case now open for class action and every blind person in the U.S. who has tried to access Target.com can become a plaintiff. Summary of summary: Target, you're screwed. [Well, maybe … possibly, but I am not a lawyer, usual disclaimers apply] Many times in ...
via [Accessify: latest news]

Creating Customer-Centric Websites

17 Mar 2008
Masterclass presented by Gerry McGovern, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
via [HCI Index]

Visions of Computer Science

17 Mar 2008
First international academic conference of the British Computer Society, London, UK.
via [HCI Index]

Practical accessibility tips

11 Mar 2008
by Isofarro
via [isolani: Web Accessibility]

BIOSTEC 2009

10 Mar 2008
International joint conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies, Porto, Portugal.
via [HCI Index]

Ajax and Accessibility talk at AbilityNet's Rich Media workshop

27 Feb 2008
by Isofarro
via [isolani: Web Accessibility]

WCAG Samurai errata released

26 Feb 2008
by joeclark
For real
via [Personal Weblog of Joe Clark, Toronto » Web accessibility]

From Business to Buttons

20 Feb 2008
MalmÃ¶, Sweden.
via [HCI Index]

HAID 2008

20 Feb 2008
Third international workshop on Haptic and Audio Interaction Design, JyvÃ¤skylÃ¤, Finland.
via [HCI Index]

The Web and Beyond: Mobility

20 Feb 2008
12e CHI Nederland conferentie, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
via [HCI Index]

Configuring links in Screen readers

12 Feb 2008
by Isofarro
via [isolani: Web Accessibility]

IHCI 2008

7 Feb 2008
IADIS International Conference on Human Computer Interaction, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
via [HCI Index]

ECCE 2008

2 Feb 2008
European Conference on Cognitive Ergnomics, Madeira, Portugal.
via [HCI Index]

uxTV 08

26 Jan 2008
First international conference on designing interactive user experiences for TV and video, Silicon Vally, CA, USA.
via [HCI Index]

They shoot standardistas, don’t they?

23 Dec 2007
by joeclark
How HTML5 is like They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
via [Personal Weblog of Joe Clark, Toronto » Web accessibility]

Squashing a persistent myth

20 Dec 2007
by joeclark
One more time, mes amis: px-sized fonts aren’t the problem
via [Personal Weblog of Joe Clark, Toronto » Web accessibility]

Spoiler: TTC Web redesign

20 Dec 2007
by joeclark
And the winner of the TTC Web redesign contract is…
via [Personal Weblog of Joe Clark, Toronto » Web accessibility]

Who’s behind Metrolinx?

11 Dec 2007
by joeclark
Further dissection of the Failed Redesign of the Year
via [Personal Weblog of Joe Clark, Toronto » Web accessibility]

Let’s pick on Metrolinx!

7 Dec 2007
by joeclark
What does the Failed Redesign known as Metrolinx sound like in a screen reader?
via [Personal Weblog of Joe Clark, Toronto » Web accessibility]

Accessibility Articles

AJAX accessibility for websites

Discover the accessibility problems caused by AJAX and how it can be used to enhance web accessibility.

10 common errors when implementing accessibility

Web developers often make the same errors as each other when implementing accessibility - find out what these are and how to avoid making these mistakes.

Improving accessibility for motor impaired users

The unique requirements for motor impaired web users can often be overlooked - find out what you need to do for your website.

Accessibility audit vs. accessibility testing

Article outlining the difference between the two accessibility evaluation methods: The accessibility audit and accessibility testing.

The future of web accessibility

Accessibility is currently in a great state of change - find out what the future hold for web accessibility and how this may affect your website.

Beyond guidelines: Advanced accessibility techniques

Find out how to go beyond the W3C accessibility guidelines and offer a truly accessible web experience.

Learning difficulties and web accessibility

Web accessibility for those with learning difficulties can prevent some unique challenges - find out why and what you should be doing.

The problem with automated accessibility testing tools

Automated accessibility testing tools can be useful, but there are a number of disadvantages with relying on them.

Improving usability for screen reader users

Find out how to improve usability and accessibility for screen reader users.

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.

WCAG 2.0: The new W3C accessibility guidelines evaluated

WCAG 2.0, the second version of the W3C's accessibility guidelines, is soon to be released - find out what accessibility experts Webcredible think of these new guidelines.

Web accessibility for screen magnifier users

Discover how to improve both usability and accessibility for screen magnifier users using the Internet.

Using the Web Accessibility Toolbar

The Web Accessibility Toolbar will help you test any website for basic accessibility in just a few minutes - find out where you can get it from and how to use it.

Usability for older web users

The number of older web users is growing at a dramatic rate. Find out how to make your website easy to use for this lucrative market.

Writing effective ALT text for images

Simply inserting ALT text isn't necessarily enough to ensure accessible images - the text must also be effectively written. Find out how to achieve this...

Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and web accessibility

Outlines the legal requirements for websites in the UK.

Making accessible forms part 2

Learn more on how to make your online forms accessible in part 2 of this HTML form tutorial

Making accessible forms part 1

Learn how to make your online forms accessible in this HTML form tutorial

Web accessibility myths

Discover the truth about web accessibility. This article debunks seven common accessibility myths.

Ten accessibility blunders of the big players

Points out some major accessibility mistakes made by very large websites - learn from their mistakes!

The DRC blew it

Review of the Disability Rights Commission's report into web accessibility.

Benefits of an accessible website - part 2: the business case

Not only can an accessible website make you more money, it'll also save you money.

Benefits of an accessible website - part 1: increase in reach

An accessible website can help you reap huge benefits, including access to a much greater audience.

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.

The secret benefit of accessibility part 1: Increased usability

Web accessibility has a huge number of benefits, one the main ones being increased usability. This article outlines some of the ways accessibility and usability overlap and how enhancing a website's accessibility can automatically improve its usability too.