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

Fieldsets, Legends and Screen Readers

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

In the article Fieldsets, Legends and Screen Readers from The Paciello Group Blog, the author Roberto Castaldo provides some excellent insight into how the screen readers JAWS and Windows Eyes work with the Fieldset and Legend tags. (Fieldset and Legend tags are used to group elements within a form.)

He concludes that support in JAWS is better overall than Windows Eyes, and that even there are issues in both screen readers, developers must continue to implement these standards tags and other accessibility practices.

Some tips from the article include:

• Fieldset and Legend tags must be used together, never independently of each other.
• Keep the content of the Legend tag brief (the Legend may be read when each of the controls contained in a Fieldset receive focus.)
• In Windows Eyes, the option to read the Legend tag is off by default.
• Fieldsets may be nested.

Labels: form, screenreader

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Paul Boag wears reading glasses and gloves

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

In Boagworld podcast episode 130, I discovered that in order to help test web accessibility, Paul Boag wears glasses (that he doesn't need) and gloves and attempts to navigate through a site. Excellent idea!

In order to better understand [the elderly's] experience I have bought a pair to ski gloves and some reading glasses (I don't need reading glasses). Every now and again, I surf the site I am designing wearing both the glasses and gloves. The glasses make the screen hard to read while the gloves hamper my use of the mouse and the keyboard. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to select something from a drop down menu wearing ski gloves!

Labels: expert, motor, podcast, testing, visual

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Podcast #66: Target, YouTube, Fangs, and more

Friday, September 12, 2008

Jammed-packed episode on several web accessibility topics with special co-host Jared Smith of WebAIM.

Download Web Axe Episode 66 (Target, YouTube, Fangs, and more)

NFB vs. Target Lawsuit

• NFB vs. Target Lawsuit is Settled!
• Target Web Lawsuit: The Six Million Dollar Question
• Target Lawsuit Settled from WebAIM

Other Topics

• Web Axe Nominated in .net magazine Awards! [vote now]
  
• Petition to Save UT Accessibility Institute
• YouTube now has video captioning available
• Fangs add-on available for Firefox 3 from Peter Krantz
• Web Accessibility Gone Wild

Labels: caption, law, podcast, screenreader, webaim

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Participate in The Helen Project

Monday, September 01, 2008

You can now use a free toolbar application to rate web sites on web accessibility. The toolbar is part of The Helen™ Project, hosted by the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB). The project is in a public beta so AFB is asking for feedback. All internet users, especially people with disabilities, are welcome to use the toolbar.

From the AFB:

We offer you a free downloadable, fully accessible, web site rating toolbar application (which we affectionately named "Helen™") that will enable you to have your voice heard as you experience problems and/or success in using any web site. And, most importantly, Helen™ will enable the collective voice of the user community to be heard by web site providers...

If you are already a registered user of afb.org, you are ready to participate. Simply download the Helen Toolbar Application. Not a registered user? Register with afb.org and The Helen™ Project for free.

Labels: toolbar

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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

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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.