Serial II - Different Dimensions of Accessibility

"The basis of accessibility is that every Web user should have access to the information and experiences available online. The nature of the Web and the tools used to create and access the information it offers means that some users, for instance, those with visual, auditory, or other physical impairment, have difficulty accessing Web content. The tenets and practice of the accessible Web aim to ensure these users' impairments do not prevent them from finding the Web a valuable resource, and that they have access to the same content that other visitors enjoy."

(Defintion of accessibility from http://www.sitepoint.com/glossary.php )

Different Dimensions of Accessibility- Episode III - November'05
(Other Episodes: Episode I - Sep '05 | Episode II - October '05  | Episode III - November '05 )

Welcome to the final episode of “Different Dimensions of Accessibility.” I hope this serial has found its mark by creating an awareness of this concept. In this episode we conclude our discussion by summarizing our understanding of accessibility and how it is applied. In harmony with Gagne’s ninth event, this issue brings you some URLs to “enhance retention and learning.”

The following links will emphasize some of the important concepts that we came across in this serial. Becoming aware, as Benjamin Bloom has told us, is the first step in the process of learning. Through this serial, it's only the "Knowledge" level that I've hoped to reach, rest I leave to the need of your job.

1. Click on http://www.umuc.edu/ade/li/index.html for clearly classified information on accessibility. This page begins with a short quiz, which will give you some idea of how well accessibility is implemented in the US universities. The site then provides links to Section 504, 508, and ADA guidelines and details. Do bookmark this site if you are working with accessibility.
   
   
2. With the ever-increasing use of Internet to provide education, more and more qualified students are joining the online courses. This trend makes it imperative for course developers to become aware of different kinds of disabilities that should be accommodated. To find out more about the different types of disabilities and the corresponding assistive technologies, click on http://www.umuc.edu/ade/ud/index.html
   
   
3. I also recommend that you check out the three sample sites (before and after) by clicking on http://www.umuc.edu/ade/bp/index.html
   

Different Dimensions of Accessibility- Episode II - October'05
(Other Episodes: Episode I - Sep '05 | Episode II - October '05  | Episode III - November '05 )

This episode presents some more dimensions of accessibility. In the second episode of serial, "Different Dimensions of Accessibility," we take our knowledge of the concept to a higher plane. The last episode focused on the conceptual framework; this issue focuses on application. This ordering is under the aegis of Bloom's Taxonomy,and progresses from simple to complex, so I recommend that you visit the links in chronological order.

We've often heard of Accessibility testing tools; some of us have even used them; but how do you find out whether the accessibility test tool that you are using, is good enough. Which points can be tested through these tools and which can't? Where human intervention is necessary? Find answers to these questions, in the article "Evaluation and Repair: Testing for Section 508 Web Accessibility," at http://www.jimthatcher.com/testing.htm

At the right-hand-side, this page offers some more useful links. I think the following two are extremely useful.

1. http://www.jimthatcher.com/webcourse1.htm, which helps you understand the basics of Web-Accessibility and begins by exploring Section 508. In this very organized section, you will also find some embedded links that will connect you to other sites that have very useful information.
   
   
2. http://www.jimthatcher.com/whatnot.htm, provides you an insight into what you should not do if you want your page to remain accessible to all users. The manner in which information is presented is straightforward, yet interesting. You can see some good ID around these articles at jimthatcher.com

We've talked about the fact that there are tools that help us find out whether our web page is following the guidelines for accessibility, click on this URL to experience WebEXACT: http://webxact.watchfire.com/
You can run the accessibility test on a URL of your choice and observe the kind of data they return.

Different Dimensions of Accessibility- Episode I - September'05
(Other Episodes: Episode I - Sep '05 | Episode II - October '05  | Episode III - November '05 )

I implore you to first read the article http://www.vibrantwavelength.com/accessibility.htm. This article will give you a foothold into the much traveled yet less understood realm of online content publishing. It will help you answer the following questions, among many others that you may have.

· What is accessibility?
· Why am I expected to create alt text for images?
· How will it help anybody if I provided transcripts for audios?
· What are these guidelines?
· Do I have to implement all the guidelines if I want to make my content accessible?

Also read a short and pertinent article on accessibility at: http://www.htmlhelp.com/design/accessibility/why.html

The web page at http://www.mandarindesign.com/uie.html has some very interesting and useful links. I recommend that you perform the color-blindness check on a site of your choice. The results will surprise and, I hope, inspire you.

To get a view of the legal angle on accessibility, I recommend that you visit the following URL.
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/dda1992264/

The above URL will lead you to the following two URLs, which I feel are extremely important from the viewpoint of a content developer.
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/dda1992264/s22.html
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/dda1992264/s23.html

The most important URL is http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/. This URL gives us the W3C guidelines for making web-content accessible. The guidelines are available as pdf, html zip archive, and text file. Choose the one you find most convenient and read through it.