Recent Web Accessibility (and related Anikto) Items

Haven’t blogged for a bit due to work, the holidays, and working through the holidays. As a result, I’ve neglected to mention some very exciting things happening in AniktoWorld.

In December I was lucky to speak to some terrific folks at the Lancaster-Lebanon IU 13 for education services. We had a great discussion about web accessibility for the educational sector, things to keep in mind when selecting a learning management system, and how recent legal developments may impact state guidelines.

I was encouraged also to receive a bit of press on WebGrrls International by the wonderful Linda Johnson, who picked up on something I wrote about the use of Guitar Hero for rehabilitation purposes. Linda is a very sympathetic supporter of inclusive design, so I’m honored to be of mention.

Finally, I spent much of December writing manuscripts for some upcoming presentations. My paper on the use of virtual worlds among people with disabilities will be presented at CSUN 2009 in March, and a piece I co-wrote with a colleague will be presented at HCI International 2009 in July.

On top of all that, I’ve recently become involved with international software standards for accessibility. I discovered some baseline similarities among various countries, mostly tied to WCAG 1.0 and 2.0, and found some intriguingly salient attributes from select nations. Somewhere in there is a blog post; once I finish the study I may write about my findings.

So it goes in 2009. Last year was a busy one for Anikto, with much gained momentum and many new friends and supporters. Here’s looking to more great things this coming year!