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Response to blog Web Accessibility Initiative

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

This is a response to the blog Web Accessibility Initiative by Nathan Crause. Contrary to the title, the article attempts to disclaim the need for web accessibility, particularly for visual impairments. I submitted a comment but it wasn't posted. So here it is:

A 3.8% population with visual impairment is not minor at all. If your company has 1 million potential customers, you are ignoring 38,000 chances to make money! And if they're already customers, be prepared to receive up to 38,000 complaints.

Keep in mind that accessibility also benefits people who have mobile, hearing, and cognitive impairments. They are potential customers, too, and they themselves add up to much more than 3.8% of the U.S. population. The 2009 stats from DisabilityStatistics.org say about 2% of the U.S. population is visually impaired, while total percentage of people who are disabled is around 12%.

Java Applets...seriously?

Content of SVG can be made accessible. And even the accessibility of HTML5 canvas is being worked out.

In addition, Flash can be made accessible. Adobe has made huge improvements here, although not on the Mac. The problem is that developers have the tools to make web sites/apps accessible, but just hardly ever do it.

JavaScript libraries are usually not an issue either. For example, YUI3 and jQuery UI incorporates ARIA which help screen reader users with the interaction.

Still don't believe me? Check out the W3C's Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization.

If you current with web technologies, an accessible website doesn't have to be "crippling". The bar is now set much higher with modern coding practices available such as progressive enhancement, ARIA, and managing focus. A good example of an accessible web application is Yahoo! email.

The real issue here is ignorance. Ignorance in business, empathy, and proper development technologies and practices. I do agree with you [the author, Nathan] on one point, though; accessibility is a touchy subject.

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CSUN12 Quick Review

Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Another CSUN conference has come and gone and this year was better than ever. I met many great people for the first time including Joe Dolson, who's been on the Web Axe podcast a couple times in the past. The conference included much discussion on Google and accessibility, the announcement of WAVE5 beta by WebAIM, and the Tweetup was a bash! Special thanks to Adobe, Deque, and Accessible Media for being such great hosts. On Saturday morning, I attended the SS12 finals in which @Jennison was one of three judges (I judged last year). Be sure to check out the Great Big List by @mactoph which includes many links to presentations, round-ups, podcasts, and more. Also, here's my Flickr CSUN12 photo album. -Dennis

Joe, Jennison, Dennis, and John sitting at table for lunch.
Photo: Joe, Jennison, Dennis, and John at lunch. Credit: Angela Hooker.

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Comment on Effective Web Design to Enhance Accessibility

Friday, February 17, 2012

Several days ago, I submitted a comment to the article Effective Web Design to Enhance Accessibility, which was recently going around Twitter. The comment wasn't published, so here it is:
Proper use of headings is another very important issue.
Comments on points above:
  1. Adequate font size by default is best; 16px ideal, 10 or 12 is unacceptable.
  2. Alternative text is a basic requirement that many folks still miss. Especially important on infographics (and comics!). If too long for alt attribute, just put text on page.
  3. Great point, but “link text” or “link content” may be better use of words. The “title” attribute (a.k.a. tooltip) should only be used for supplemental (and not duplicate) information.
  4. Symbols in addition to color is a good practice. In W3C words, “don’t rely on color alone to convey meaning”.
  5. Be sure to have a label for each form component (and associate correctly). Use Fieldset/Legend for long forms to break in sections.

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WCAG Improvements

Sunday, February 12, 2012

It was such a relief when WCAG 2.0 became a W3C Recommendation back in December of 2008. But in the fast paced world of the web, nothing stays the same for very long. Even WCAG could use many improvements, especially after over three years. (Time sure flies!)

Jared Smith (@Jared_W_Smith) of WebAIM recently wrote an excellent article WCAG Next which explains some of the top issues and suggests how they can be improved. I pretty much agree with all. Here is a summary:

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Podcast 94: Women of CSUN12

Sunday, January 29, 2012

This podcast is a preview of the 27th Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, commonly known as CSUN, February 27 thru March 3 in San Diego, California. If you're not attending to the CSUN conference this year, this podcast is valuable in learning about current issues in web accessibility and "meeting" several great people in the field. If you are going, then you can also make a better decision in which sessions you want to attend.

First, Dennis and Jennison Asuncion (@Jennison) do an excellent overview of the conference (OK, mostly Jennison). Then several guests, all women, speak about their work, their sessions at CSUN, and some other fun thoughts. Four of the women live in the UK!

Download Web Axe Episode 94 (Women of CSUN12)

[Transcript of podcast 94]

Guests

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Fixing Alt - Facebook Like Button Explained

Saturday, January 21, 2012

The next in our "Fixing Alt" series is the Facebook Like button explained posted on MakeUseOf a while back. It's a short but sweet comedic image, but again, with no alternative text provided. So here it is.

Facebook Like button, equals: I've read it, but I'm too lazy to comment!

PS: There are so many other things wrong with the MakeUseOf web page. But since my New Year's resolution is not to be as critical, I won't go into it.

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Web Accessibility Conferences 2012

Saturday, January 07, 2012

Here's a list of conferences relating to web accessibility this year. Details for some of the annual events are not announced yet. Please comment with any changes, additions, and comments.

ATIA 2012 Orlando
January 25-28, 2012
Orlando, FL U.S.A.

Techshare India 2012 "Bridging the Barriers"
6-7 February 2012
New Delhi, India

International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference
Feb 27-March 3, 2012
Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel
San Diego, CA U.S.A.

Power Up 2010 Conference and Expo
April 2 and 3, 2012
Columbia, Missouri U.S.A.
Holiday Inn Executive Center
presented by Missouri Assistive Technology

W4A 2012
9th International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility
16-17 April 2012
Lyon, France

John Slatin Access U (from Knowbility)
May 15-17, 2012
Austin, Texas U.S.A.

Guelph Accessibility conference
May 29-30
Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Penn State Web 2012 Conference
June 11-12, 2012
Pennsylvania U.S.A.

ICCHP
13th International Conference on Computers Helping People with Special Needs
July 11-13, 2012; Pre-Conference July 09-10, 2012
University of Linz, Altenbergerstraße 69, 4040 Linz, Austria

AHEAD: Association on Higher Education And Disability
July 9-14, 2012
New Orleans, Louisiana U.S.A.
The Sheraton Hotel

Illinois Web Accessibility Conference and Expo
TBD

HighEdWeb Association (Higher Education Web Professionals)
October 7-10, 2012
Milwaukee, Wisconsin U.S.A.

ASSETS 2012
The 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility
October 22-24, 2012
Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A.

Accessing Higher Ground
Accessible Media, Web and Technology Conference
TBD
Colorado, U.S.A.

OZeWAI Conference
Australian Web Adaptability Initiative
Melbourne, Australia
Late November

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