If we call ourselves professionals, we owe it to our clients, their clients, and ourselves, to do our job properly. A chef must care about health, a builder must care about safety, and we must care about accessibility.
James Edwards, aka ‘Brothercake’ has published a very neat argument on the frequently-asked question “Why Accessibility?”
Read his comments at Why Accessibility? Because it’s our job!.
The Accessibility Cookbook: a Recipe for Disaster, by Aaron Cannon.
This is a very well-written article which provides an “insider’s” viewpoint from both an accessibility and an interface designer’s perspective.
The article remarks, in brief, on the importance of knowing the why’s and how’s of accessibility. If you don’t understand why or how you’re helping a disabled user, you are immediately opening up a gateway to create new barriers. It’s not about following a set of rules; it’s about sitting down and thinking about whether a given choice will actually benefit the user.
In accessibility, many choices aren’t black and white. Just following the guidelines is a good way to cause trouble!
Hat tip to Cameron Moll for the link.
Filed under Accessibility, Blogging by Joe Dolson