Somebody recently contacted me with a fundamental question: they were undertaking an accessibility audit, and didn’t know how to structure the process. They knew web accessibility well enough — but from the perspective of setting out to perform an audit, they weren’t sure where to go. As a result, I’m putting together this article to talk a little about how to structure an accessibility review, in all the practical ways — how you address coming up with a quote or […]
Continue reading “How to structure an accessibility review” »Tag: a11y
What is Web Accessibility?
Accessibility Accessibility is a general term used to describe how easy it is for people to get to, use, and understand things. (Wikipedia) It is a common mistake to believe that accessibility refers exclusively to the relationship between people with disabilities and their environment. That is, that making a building, website, or other device "accessible" is merely the process of ensuring that a person with a disability will be able to use it. This is not precisely wrong; it is […]
Continue reading “What is Web Accessibility?” »Forthcoming Updates on Federal Section 508 Rules
Section 508 web accessibility standards were written as an amendment to the Rehabilitation Act in 1998. In web development terms, this isn’t short of an eternity — and in all practical sense defines an era. The web programming methods and styles of 1998 were radically different to what you see in normal use today. The Section 508 rules have been under revision recently, and were available for public comment until June 21, 2010. Unfortunately, my time didn’t allow me to […]
Continue reading “Forthcoming Updates on Federal Section 508 Rules” »United States disability statistics: Measurement and sources.
On Wednesday of last week, I published an article on disability statistics in Practical eCommerce magazine. Although there’s nothing particularly wrong with the article, I find myself wanting to publish a follow up article with more detail on the statistics. Statistics are complicated beasts, and I feel that detailed explication of sources and statistical problems is well worth while. First, sources: Americans with Disabilities: 2005 The primary source for statistics in the Practical eCommerce article was a report called Americans […]
Continue reading “United States disability statistics: Measurement and sources.” »New Accessibility Review at Practical eCommerce
The second in my monthly column of Practical eCommerce accessibility reviews is available today! This review follows a different pattern than the previous, setting up a persona-based walkthrough of the reviewed site. Read my review of of Pets Contained at Practical eCommerce. It’s always interesting to see what I’ve written after the editors have had their way with it… 😉
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