Web Axe: web accessibility podcast and blog

Podcast and blog on practical web design accessibility tips.

What is web accessibility? | Email: web axe [at gmail] NOSPAM! dot com

Current Posts

Interview on Flash and Accessibility

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

18 Questions for Niqui Merret and Aral Balkan on Flash and Accessibility is a great post from Wait till I come, the blog of web developer and Javascript expert Christian Heilmann. Chris interviews Flash experts Niqui Merret and Aral Balkan on Flash Accessibility. Questions include:

• Can you elaborate what accessibility means in terms of Flash?
• Is ActionScript a necessity to achieve accessibility?
• Can Flash interact with screenreaders? If so, how?
• Can pure Flash applications ever be as accessible as HTML solutions?

Labels: accessibility, expert, flash, interview

0 comments

Podcast #39: Business Reasons for Web Accessibility

Monday, January 29, 2007

Dennis and Ross discuss the various business reasons for web accessible including increased users, easier maintenance, avoiding lawsuits, and decreasing bandwidth. Some good news items also.

Download Web Axe Episode 39 (Business Reasons for Web Accessibility)

Related Links

• Financial Factors in Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization (W3C)
• Web accessibility & business

News

• Low Vision and Search Accessibility
• Big.com
  
• 7 Accessibility tips you don't want to make
• Should you create a mobile specific page and how?

Labels: accessibility, business, news, podcast, web

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Web Accessibility Presentation

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Dennis Lembree, main host of Web Axe (and owner of web development company CheckEngine USA) gave a presentation on web accessibility at the January meetup for Refresh Detroit. Topics included the definition of the term, general issues, guidelines and law, and advocates. You can get the web accessibility presentation on the CheckEngine USA web site, which is available in HTML and PDF formats.

Labels: accessibility, overview, presentation, web

1 comments

Firefox 2 Breaks Numeric Access Keys

Saturday, January 20, 2007

The Firefox 2 browser breaks numeric access keys. Yes, it's true. Firefox 2 now requires the Shift key to the Alt + Access Key function, but it doesn't work with numbers. How silly. A large portion of sites (including mine) that implement access keys use numbers because they are least likely to interfere with various user agents.

But now, there's a solution! Firefox 2.0.0.1! It's available through Firefox's auto-update. Shift + Alt + Access Key now works fine.

In IE, the access key usage hasn't changed; it's Alt + Access Key, then Enter.

• Firefox 2 breaks numeric access keys
• Firefox 2.0 and Access Keys
• W3C Tab Index Attribute

Labels: accessibility, accesskey, browser, firefox, web

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Technical Issues

Thursday, January 18, 2007

The hosting company for the podcast files is currently experiencing technical issues. Please return at a later time to download a podcast. In the meantime, feel free to blog away! Thank you for your patience.
-Dennis

UPDATE:
OK, everything's back up. Hoorah!

UPDATE 2:
The podcast MP3 files have been moved to a different server, and text updates have been made to some of the blog entries. (Unrelated to original issue.) Your RSS reader may display the Web Axe listings as new.

Labels: administrative

1 comments

New Design!

Monday, January 15, 2007

Web Axe now has a new design with a custom Blogger template. Some updates include the following. Any comments?!

• Adjustable width
• New color scheme and header images
  
• More accessible code (and skip to links)
  
• Better SEO
• Added Ross to host information

1 comments

Podcast #38: Screen Resolution

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Dennis and Ross discuss many considerations and techniques concerning screen and browser resolution when designing an accessible web site including:

• Fixed vs. 1024 x 768 vs 800 x 600
• Using Javascript with layout design
• Recent screen resolution stats of users
• Min/max-width and IE support
• Considering content/audience

Download Web Axe Episode 38 (Screen Resolution)

• Browser stats from W3C
• 800x600, should I really care?
• Optimal width for 1024px resolution?
• Should all sites be fluid?
• Resolution vs. browser size vs. fixed or adaptive width
• Resolution dependent layout example

Other links:

• Shout out for good blogging
• beast-blog.com (Mike Cherim)
• snook.ca (Jonathan Snook)
• 456bereastreet.com (Roger Johansson)
• Article on Sitepoint, Ajax & Screenreaders

Labels: accessibility, design, javascript, layout, monitor, podcast, resolution, screen, size

0 comments

101 Practical Website Accessibility Tips

Monday, January 08, 2007

Here's a great article from Accessibility 101 that provides 101 tips for developing an accessible web site. Many are basic, but many are not as well known. Anyone can learn a little something from this list.

101 Practical Website Accessibility Tips for dummies

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UN Audit of Web Accessibility

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

The United Nations commissioned a report on web accessibility with very disappointing results. Only 3 home pages from 100 web sites achieved Single-A accessibility from the WCAG 1.0 guidelines (the lowest level of web accessibility compliance). The sites were chosen from 20 countries in 5 categories (Travel, Finance, Media, Politics, and Retail).

Also, here's a blog post about the issue along with a lot of discussion at 456 Berea St: 97% of websites are still inaccessible.

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Previous Posts

• Podcast #76: Web Accessibility Disasters
• Roundup: Accessibility Links on Twitter
• Accessible YouTube Sites
• Free Browsers for Visual Impairment
• Colorblind, Law, and Lightboxes
• Podcast #75: Jeremy Keith Interview, Google Wave
• ATIA Chicago 2009
• Accessibility Round-Up from Twitter
• Podcast #74: Awards, Events & Back to Basics
• Accessible Twitter Wins Award, Slidedeck

Archives

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Related Sites

• Web Overhauls - tune-up your web site!
• Accessible Twitter - superior alternative to Twitter.com.
• 3.7crea.tv - web design and marketing blog.
• Refresh Detroit - regional group for web professionals.
• Detroit Podcasters Network.
• Website Design - seo friendly web design company.

About the Hosts

 

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Web Axe was nominated for "Podcast of the Year" in .net magazine's 2008 and 2009 Best of the Web awards.

To learn more about Dennis Lembree, the founder and main host of Web Axe, visit his web site at www.DennisLembree.com.