Helen Keller Day and Virtual Guide Dogs
Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending Helen Keller Day in Second Life, a 24-hour event sponsored by Virtual Helping Hands. The theme of the presentations and discussion was to raise awareness for Second Life users with disabilities.
Killing the Web Accessibility Stereotype
Providing safe and barrier-free access to digital means of commerce makes good business and ethical sense. There still appears to be an assumed dichotomy, however, between websites that are attractive but also accessible.
Thoughts From CSUN 2009
As much as I’m glad to be back home, I was very impressed and motivated by the folks I met and spoke with during my time at the Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference in Los Angeles
CSUN Conference 2009
I’m in Los Angeles, the site of this year’s Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference. Hosted by the CSUN Center on Disabilities, the intention of the gathering is to promote leadership in the technology and accessibility fields.
WebAIM Screen Reader Survey
The fine folks at WebAIM released the results of a survey conducted among users of screen readers. Some of the results confirmed items I either already knew or assumed to be true, but there were a few surprises as well.
Accessible Technology is the New Green
With celebrity attention paid to the accessibility of such devices as touch screen interfaces and satellite radio, there is evidence that the importance of inclusive design has reached mainstream status.
Legal Developments in Web Accessibility
Two items of legal interest appeared in this morning’s feeds. The first is a new subscription product offering digital trends analysis for accessibility products, the second is an investigation of Title III of the ADA that perhaps redefines our idea of “public accommodation.”
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.
Web Accessibility for Multiple Languages
The fine folks at WebAIM have announced a project to begin offering their WAVE web accessibility evaluation tool in multiple languages, starting with a Spanish-language version to be released in the first half of 2009.
Accessible Interactive Multimedia
Yesterday came the announcement of a new standard for authoring multimedia presentations using sound, video, images and text. The Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language, known as SMIL 3.0 offers users accessibility options as well.
PSO Presentation on Barrier-Free User Experience
Anikto will be speaking on behalf of the Philadelphia Standards Organization on Tuesday, November 11 at 7:45pm. Learn about the practical benefits of compliance, uncover some common accessibility assumptions, and discover how standards-based web design benefits users of all abilities.
Web Accessibility and Aging Task Force
Members of the WAI-AGE task force met recently, as they do every other week, to continue and review their work advocating accessibility of the Web for the elderly and people with disabilities. The intended outcome of this 36-month project is to develop and endorse extensions of the W3C/WAI with regard to the specific needs of the elderly.
iPod, iTunes and Accessibility
Today was Apple’s “Let’s Rock” event in San Francisco, an opportunity for the company to showcase its new product offerings for the fall. What may be of interest are some improvements in the area of accessibility for both the iPod and Apple’s corresponding iTunes software.
Keep the University of Texas Accessibility Institute Open
If you’re familiar with the University of Texas or the fine folks at Knowbility, you have heard of Dr. John Slatin. A tireless and inspiring advocate of Universal Design, the Accessibility Institute he founded at the University of Texas is in peril. But you can help.
Read "Keep the University of Texas Accessibility Institute Open"
Interview on “Twenty Minutes for Tech”
I’m deeply honored to have taken part in a conversation with Dave Solon on behalf of Twenty Minutes for Tech, a series of podcasts concerning topics related to technology in education. The entire interview is available online, with support links.
Designing for Baby Boomers
Many of the benefits of web accessibility can also be applied to sites targeted for Baby Boomers. As more and more people enter their late 50′s/early 60′s, we must take into account this rapidly growing online demographic. Last month the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) produced a document exploring this very topic.
PhillyCHI Discussion June 12 at UArts
On June 12 2008, I’ll be speaking on behalf of PhillyCHI about the concept of barrier-free user experience. I’ll also describe the practical benefits of compliance, explore the legal and technical history of accessibility, and offer advice to those who want to design attractive websites that meet the needs of all users.
Interview with T.V. Raman, Research Scientist at Google
Bill Cullifer, Executive Director and Founder of the World Organization of Webmasters (WOW), recently caught up with T.V. Raman at the seventeenth annual WWW2008 Conference in Beijing. His interview with Raman is part of this month’s WOW Technology Minute, and it’s a terrific insight into the various educational challenges surrounding web accessibility.
Read "Interview with T.V. Raman, Research Scientist at Google"
Here’s What’s Missing: A Number
Seth Grodin talks about a backlash over green marketing – marketers’ promise to contribute to the welfare of our environment if we buy their product or service – and feels that it’s not too long before consumers become increasingly cynical. Grodin suggests that assigning a numeric value to a proposed benefit legitimizes these efforts, and I say we need to do the same with accessibility.
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