All You Need for Accessibility - Resources List Options

[Webnauts]

All you need for learning, building, validating and publishing accessible web sites.

WATCH OUT FOR UPDATES & PLEASE REPORT BROKEN LINKS OR LINKS WITH MISLEADING INFORMATION!

[b]RECOMMENDED READINGS:

* Why is Accessibillity Important to You? http://www.webnauts.net/accessibility.html

* Skip Navigation Links are Important: http://www.webnauts.net/skip-navigation.html

* Avoid forcing links to open in a new window: http://www.webnauts.net/new_window.html

* Don' open new windows (tutorial) http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread...ad.php?t=186540

* Semantic Markup (must check!) http://cookiecrook.com/AIR/2003/train/semantics.php

* How to Save Web Accessibility from Itself http://www.alistapart.com/articles/saveaccessibility/


FREE ONLINE ACCESSIBILITY TUTORIALS:

* WebAim Accessibility Techniques & Concepts http://www.webaim.org/techniques/
* How-To: Accessible Web Design http://www.umuc.edu/distance/odell/cade/ad...owto/index.html
* Making Educational Software and Web Sites Accessible - http://ncam.wgbh.org/cdrom/guideline/
* Accessibility for Web Developers - Introduction http://www.developerfusion.com/show/4005/1/
* WebAim Introduction to Web Accessibility http://www.webaim.org/intro/intro
* SitePoint - Introduction To Accessible Web Design, by Nigel Peck http://www.sitepoint.com/article/952
* SitePoint - Do-It-Yourself Accessibility by Nicky Danino http://www.sitepoint.com/article/744
* Information Technology Technical Assistance and Training Center http://www.ittatc.org/training/webcourse/ (Free registration required)
* Bobby Report Explanation Files http://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/b...rowsereport.jsp
* HiSoftware® Understanding Accessibility http://www.hisoftware.com/uaen/WebHelp/uaen.htm
* Web Accessibility Learning Modules http://www.csufresno.edu/webaccess/learningmodules/
* Dive Into Accessibility http://diveintoaccessibility.org/
* Juicy Studio Accessibility Tutorial: http://www.juicystudio.com/tutorial/access...lity/index.html
* Designing Universally Accessible WWW Resources for People with Disabilities http://cita.rehab.uiuc.edu/courses/2002-02-REHAB711NC/
* Making Your Site Accessible http://uaweb.arizona.edu/styleguide/accessible.shtml
* W3C Example for Checkpoint http://www.w3.org/WAI/wcag-curric/sam1-0.htm
* Accessibility http://www.yourhtmlsource.com/accessibility/index.html
* WebDevTips Accessibility Tutorial http://www.webdevtips.com/webdevtips/html/...ity/index.shtml
* The National Center on Low-Incidence Disabilities (NCLID) http://vision.unco.edu/AccessibleDesign/
* JimThatcher.com - U.S Section 508 http://www.jimthatcher.com/webcourse1.htm
* School Web Accessibility http://www.tsbvi.edu/technology/web/508/0a.htm
* Accessible Web Typography - an introduction for web designers http://www.scotconnect.com/webtypography/index.php


FREE ONLINE ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY TUTORIALS

* Adaptive Technology Tutorials http://snow.utoronto.ca/technology/tutoria...ials/index.html
* Adaptive Technology Glossary http://www.utoronto.ca/atrc/reference/tech.../techgloss.html


INDIVIDUAL ACCESSIBILITY TOPICS TUTORIALS

1. Readability and Accessibility

* W3C/WAI Guideline 14. Ensure that documents are clear and simple: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.h...e-comprehension
* Readability and its Implications for Web Content Accessibility: http://wats.ca/resources/determiningreadability/1

2. Accessible Anchors (links)

* Accessible Anchors http://www.webdevtips.com/webdevtips/html/...ity/links.shtml

3. Building Accessible Forms

* General rules for web forms http://www.webdevtips.com/webdevtips/html/...orm_rules.shtml
* Forms and Accessibility http://www.seotoolbox.com/htmlchat/forms.html
* Better Accessible Forms http://www.accessify.com/tutorials/better-...sible-forms.asp
* Forms Accessibility http://www.yourhtmlsource.com/forms/formsa...essibility.html
* Designing Accessible Forms http://www.netmechanic.com/news/vol5/acces...bility_no19.htm
* Forms Refresher http://www.cookiecrook.com/AIR/2003/train/forms.php

4. Designing Accessible Tables

* How to Create Accessible Tables http://www.webaim.org/howto/tables/
* Designing Accessible Tables http://www.graphic-design.com/Web/Tips/nm_0109.html
* Table Manners http://www.mcu.org.uk/articles/tables.html
* Building accessible tables http://www.evolt.org/article/Building_acce...les/4090/42090/
* Accessible Tables http://www.jimthatcher.com/webcourse9.htm
* Favorite Tips http://www.graphic-design.com/Web/Tips/nm_0109.html

5. Using Alt Tags

* Providing text equivalents for images http://diveintoaccessibility.org/day_30_cr..._statement.html
* Improving accessibility with accesskey in HTML forms and links http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/forms/accesskey.html
* Limited Number of possible accesskey values http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wa...prJun/0117.html
* Effective Alt Text http://infocentre.frontend.com/servlet/Inf...e&rows=5&id=181
* On the length of alt texts http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/html/alt.html#length
* Making web graphics accessible http://www.evolt.org/article/Alt_and_beyon...4510/index.html
* Revealing Accesskey Information http://devedge.netscape.com/viewsource/200...veal-accesskey/

6. Using Accesskeys

* Improving accessibility with accesskey in HTML forms and links http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/forms/accesskey.html
* Device Independence http://snow.utoronto.ca/access/resources/keys.html
* Use numbers for accesskeys http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wa...prJun/0117.html
* Alt and beyond: Making web graphics accessible http://www.evolt.org/article/Alt_and_beyon...4510/index.html
* Unlocking Hidden Navigation http://www.alistapart.com/stories/accesskeys/
* More reasons why we don't use accesskeys http://www.wats.ca/articles/accesskeyconflicts/37
* Using Accesskeys - Is it worth it? http://www.wats.ca/articles/accesskeys/19
* Link Relationships as an Alternative to Accesskeys http://www.wats.ca/articles/accesskeyalternatives/52
* The Future of Accesskeys http://www.wats.ca/articles/thefutureofaccesskeys/66

7. Using Tabindex

* W3C/WAI about Tabindex http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/TS/html401/cp0101...1-TABINDEX.html
* Contradictions in Accessibility - Keyboard Usage and Tabindex http://www.wats.ca/articles/keyboardusagea...eandtabindex/62

8. Using Longdesc

* Demonstration of the LONGDESC attribute and the "d" link http://wats.ca/resources/longdesc/31
* Attribute for <IMG ...> LONGDESC = "URL" http://www.htmlcodetutorial.com/images/_IM...G_LONGDESC.html
* Making images more useful http://www.webdevtips.com/webdevtips/html/...ty/images.shtml

9. Using Colors

* Colors Tutorial http://www.ergogero.com/FAQ/cfaqhome.html
* Type and color http://www.joeclark.org/book/sashay/serial.../Chapter09.html
* Hex/RGB Converting Tutorial and vice versa http://www.htmlcenter.com/tutorials/tutori...fm/111/General/

10. Use Relative or Absolute Font Sizes?

* Care With Font Size http://www.w3.org/2003/07/30-font-size
* Font sizes http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/99/41/....html?tw=design
* Using relative font sizes http://diveintoaccessibility.org/day_26_us...font_sizes.html
* Accessible web text - sizing up the issues http://www.mcu.org.uk/articles/textsize.html
* Font size: the 'font-size' and 'font-size-adjust' properties http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-CSS2/fonts.html#f...font-size-props
* What's wrong with the FONT element? http://www.mcsr.olemiss.edu/~mudws/font.html
* Size matters http://www.alistapart.com/stories/sizematters/
* Making Text Legible http://www.lighthouse.org/print_leg.htm

11. Animated Graphics and Seizures

* How to Create Accessible Graphics http://www.webaim.org/howto/graphics/acces...ssiblegraphics5

12. Skip Navigation or to Content link

* Avoid forcing links to open in a new window http://www.webnauts.net/new-window.html
* Skipping over navigation links http://diveintoaccessibility.org/day_11_sk...tion_links.html
* Skip to Main Content Link http://www.washington.edu/accessit/AU/tuto...torial/ins.html

13. Creating Accessible PDF Files

* How to Create Accessible Adobe PDF Files Booklet http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/acce...ss_booklet.html

14. Creating Accessible PowerPoint Files

* PowerPoint - The Recommended Method http://www.webaim.org/howto/powerpoint/

FREE ONLINE BOOKS

* "Building accessible websites" by Joe Clark http://www.joeclark.org/book/sashay/serialization/


ONLINE CLASSES:

* Equal Access to Software and Information (EASI) http://easi.cc/workshop.htm
* REHAB711NC: Designing Universally Accessible Web Resources http://cita.rehab.uiuc.edu/courses/2003-09...11NC/index.html


ONLINE WEB ACCESSIBILITY EVALUATORS / VALIDATORS

* Webnauts Net (More-In-One) http://www.webnauts.net/check.html - Page conforms W3C/WAI-AAA Guidelines!
* UI-Test.com (All-In-One): http://uitest.com/en/check/
* Bobby http://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/index.jsp
* Web Aim Waive http://wave.webaim.org/index.jsp
* CythiaSays http://www.cynthiasays.com/
* ATRC Accessibility Checker http://checker.atrc.utoronto.ca/index.html
* UsableNet http://www.usablenet.com/
* Watchfire http://webxact.watchfire.com/
* Hera (for manual testing) http://www.sidar.org/hera/
* W3C Web Content Accessibility Checking Service http://www.w3.org/2000/07/eval43/


WEB ACCESSIBILITY DESKTOP TOOLS AND UTILITIES

* A-Prompt Web Accessibility Verifier http://aprompt.snow.utoronto.ca/
* A-Prompt Web Accessibility Verifier (German) http://www.wob11.de/publikationen/aprompt/...t/programm.html
* HiSoftware® Accessible Form Creator http://www.hisoftware.com/access/valueadd9.html
* Accessify Acrobot - Abbreviation and Acronym Generator http://www.accessify.com/tools-and-wizards...bot/default.asp
* Accessify accessible form builder (version 2) http://www.accessify.com/tools-and-wizards...r-version-2.asp
* Accessify Pop-up Window Generator http://www.accessify.com/tools-and-wizards...w-generator.asp

* NCAM Media Access Generator (MAGpie) http://ncam.wgbh.org/webaccess/magpie/
* STEP 508 http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?fuseac...=content&id=155


SOFTWARE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
* Windows Shareware and Freeware for People with Disabilities
http://www.at-center.com/windows.html


COLORS TESTING TOOLS AND UTILITIES

* Considering the Color Blind Design Evaluation: http://newmanservices.com/colorblind/default.asp
* Colour Contrast Analyser: http://www.juicystudio.com/services/colourcontrast.asp
* Colour Picker and Tester: http://www.tesspub.com/colours.html
* Color Metric Converter: http://colorpro.com/info/tools/convert.htm
* Colour transformations - Decimal: http://more.btexact.com/people/rigdence/co...s/colours1.html
* Colours confused with neutrals (Hex): http://more.btexact.com/people/rigdence/co...utrals_hex.html

BOOKS FOR WEB ACCESSIBILITY

* Maximum Accessibility - Making Your Web Site More Usable for Everyone, by J. Slatin & S. Rush http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0201774224/
* Building accessible websites, by Joe Clark http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/073571150X/
* WEB Accessibility for People with Disabilities, by M. G. Paciello http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1929629087/
* Accessible Web Sites, by Jim Thatcher and others http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/
* Computer and Web Resources for People with Disabilities, by Stephen Hawking http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0897933001/


SOME USEFUL RESOURCES FOR ACCESSIBILITY

1. How People with disabilities use the Web

* W3C - How People with Disabilities Use the Web: http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-Use-Web/20010104
* How do disabled people use computers? http://www.joeclark.org/book/sashay/serial.../Chapter03.html
* Disability and the Web: http://www.techdis.ac.uk/seven/disability_...nd_the_web.html
* Browse tips by physical disability: http://diveintoaccessibility.org/by_disability.html
* How People with Disabilities Use The Web http://www.blackwidows.org.uk/resources/ac...ml#colour-blind

2. A Guide to Making Documents Accessible to People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired by Jennifer Sutton.

The inclusion of products or services in the body of this guide and the accompanying appendices should not be viewed as an endorsement by the American Council of the Blind. Resources have been compiled for informational purposes only, and the American Council of the Blind makes no guarantees regarding the accessibility or quality of the cited references. More: http://www.acb.org/accessible-formats.html

3. Accessibility Statement

* Creating an accessibility statement http://diveintoaccessibility.org/day_30_cr..._statement.html
* Writing and posting the policy http://www.joeclark.org/book/sashay/serial...14.html#h2-1085

4. Words With Dignity - describing people with a disability

* Terms suggested to describe persons with a disability http://wats.ca/resources/wordswithdignity/35
* Treating Users with Disabilities as People http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20011111.html
* Guidelines for Reporting and Writing about People with Disabilities http://www.lsi.ku.edu/lsi/internal/guidelines.html

5. Convicing Clients to Pay for Accessibility

* Why Accessible Web Design is important for Business http://www.scotconnect.com/show.php?contentid=81
* Accessible Web sites are attractive http://www.accessify.com/articles/attracti...sible-sites.asp
* Auxiliary Benefits of Accessible Web Design http://www.w3.org/WAI/bcase/benefits.html
* Buy standards compliant Web sites http://www.w3.org/QA/2002/07/WebAgency-Requirements
*Websites: think the way your customers think http://www.gerrymcgovern.com/nt/2003/nt_20...3_09_08_ibm.htm
* Promoting and Advertising Your Accessibility http://nadc.ucla.edu/Promoting.htm

6. Accessibility in Distance Education

* A Resource for Faculty in Online Teaching http://www.umuc.edu/distance/odell/cade/ade/index.html

7. Guidelines

* Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/
*Trace Center Collation of Access Board's 508 FINAL RULE and GUIDES http://trace.wisc.edu/docs/2002-508-collat...l?style=default

8. Accessibility Laws

* Policies Relating to Web Accessibility http://www.w3.org/WAI/Policy/
(Countries on this page: AU - CA - DE - DK - ES - EU - FI - FR - HK - IN - IT - JA - NZ - PT - UK - US)


OTHER ACCESSIBILITY RESOURCES LISTS:

* Usability.gov Accessibility Resources List: http://www.usability.gov/accessibility/index.html
* Web Design References - Accessibility (everything you need...) http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/support/Training...essibility.html


TIPS STRAIGHT INTO YOUR MAILBOX:

* Accessible Web Design - weekly tips http://www.mcu.org.uk/weeklytips/

[AbleReach]

Webnauts, Cre8pc, Sanity, Bragadocchio, Adrian, etc., do you have sources for layman's language guides to accessibility law and law itself where it exists?
US?
UK?
EU?
AU?
Other?


Elizabeth

[Webnauts]

Elizabeth you may have a look above. I have added the answer on the list.

[Adrian]

As far as the UK's DDA legislation is concerned, it's difficult to put into layman's terms at the moment, because the waters haven't been tested. It basically states that you should make reasonable adjustements. Which of course, means different things, to different people.

There's some good info on Webcredible about Uk Website DDA requirements. But you may not be left with a much better answer after you've read that

I'm not so clear on the US Section508 requirements, but I think designing to UK standards should cover it as well. They're both there for the same kinds of reasons, and if you're making any kind of effort, that's a lot more than many sites.

[Webnauts]

IMO, if you try to design web sites conforming with the W3C/WAI Triple-A requirements, there is no need to bother about local laws.

[Adrian]

Well, no, considering ther is no standard beyond AAA, it would be hard for a law court to require conforming to anything higher.

Triple A can get pretty tricky though, and can be quite an obstacle to motivation if you tell people to just aim at that level.

First things first, aim for level A, see how you can go about meeting those criteria, then build up to AA. Many people are of the opinion that the courts would work to one of those 2 levels, and they are more easily acheived than going the full hog for AAA.

Obviously, going for the highest level of accessibility would be great! But when there are a lot of people not even considring it, I'd be happy to recommend working to lower levels first.

[AbleReach]

I went a-googling and found something with layman's language about the EU (I think)
http://europa.eu.int/comm/ipg/index_en.htm



Elizabeth

[Adrian]

I think it looks more like their own guidelines for that site Elizabeth. Still, you'd tend to hope that advice on the European Commisions site might be legal wouldn't you!

[AbleReach]

LOL, yup, that was a point I left out. It's been a wild week.
More to the point, when in doubt, look at how a major authority (government level) uses guidelines they purport to support. Not legal-eagle, but perhaps a jump-start to how to use guidelines.
Then again, I also enjoy reading the CIA's privacy policy.

:roll:
Elizabeth

[Webnauts]

For the UK, have a look here: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/e-governme...ntroduction.asp