Category: Digital Accessibility

That’s the life long mission, isn’t it? Plainly put and without dancing around the topic, how is it that people don’t already care? By people, I speak of those of us that work in the Web industry. If you work in this field and you haven’t heard anything about Web accessibility, it’s probably because you live under a rock. But then again, maybe it’s because the education of Web related subjects is still in its infancy. Maybe it’s because of the open and versatile nature of the Web, in that anyone can potentially, with the right tools and motivation, learn…

HTML  code semantics, forms, tables, Use CSS, Tabbed navigation, Colour contrast, WAI-ARIA attributes. HTML code semantics Following HTML code semantics is fundamental in making your web applications accessible because assistive technologies, like screen readers, rely on the code to transmit the correct information to the user. Forms are communly inaccurate due to a lack of the label tag or the misuse of the input fields.(Check out the W3C for forms in HTML4 or W3C for forms in HTML5.) Another commun mistakes involves data tables weither by not structuring your table with the proper elements or  by adding visual attributes that should go…

Here are the main things to think about when designing a website: Maintain a design and layout consistency throughout the site, Avoid clutter, Include written transcript for any audio and visual media, Avoid multiple level menus. Do not have more than two levels, Include a sitemap when your site has embed pages, Avoid making the width of content too large, Any one link should have the same title, Make the titles of the pages clear, Content must be simple and to the point (Especially if your target audience is broad.), Do not add default value in form fields, Make sure…

The secret of the “em” is proportions. Keeping the appropriate proportions regardless of the size. Let’s use font-sizes as an example. First, set a parent font-size as an absolute measurement. Let’s say 16 pixels in the body. All subsequent sizes use the following formula: child pixels/parent pixels = child ems. So if you want an h1 to have a pixel size of 24, then its em unit would be 1.5 (from 24/16). Nested elements require particular attention, because they multiply on each level. If you have a div inside a div and the outer div has a font-size of 1.5em,…

The main consensus is to avoid them. Why you say? Well because it’s not necessary. If you really want to open a link in another tab or window, you can do it yourself: In Firefox, hover over the link you want to access, right-click your mouse to get a menu and click on “Open Link in New Tab” or “Open Link in New Window”. In Internet Explorer, hover over the link you want to access, right-click your mouse to get a menu and click on “Open in New Tab” or “Open in New Window”. I found other compelling reasons to…

Websites dedicated to online awareness and magazines alike are pushing more and more the importance of Web Standards. Sites like A List Apart has been an advocate for Web Standards and Web Accessibility for years. WordPress, Joomla and other content management systems have embraced the principles of accessibility. Forums like Accessifyforum have also seen increased interest. Governments and now Educational Institutions, mainly Universities are taking the matter into their hands. Blogs like www.prettysimple.co.uk/blog and contests like at www.accessibilityinfocus.co.uk encourage and pursue the issue in terms of content, design and context. I even came across a guild for accessible web designers.…

Lists can be tricky, but as long as you keep a consistent structure and the correct sequence, lists are a piece of cake. Here are the basics to remember: Make your menus into unordered lists, Place the list inside a div, Have an H2 header with menu title (hide it if not need to be visible), The ul has no left indentation (for browser compatibility), Use display:inline for horizontal lists, Breadcrumbs use nested lists, Be diligent. To read more about lists: CSS Design: Taming Lists