Interestingly, "Accessibility" is the first menu point on the W3C.org site, where all the experts go to hone their accessibility skills. The W3C is notorious for obscene amounts of information that you have to sift through; but just like a goldmine, you find beautiful nuggets with some effort. It's an art. Here are some gems:
Here is where it's all starts; the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). Not much has changed since I first dove into this area a few years back, however; the wealth and order of the information has matured significantly.
What I found most important (a simple definition) is:
- Define every object/element. By keeping these simple three words in your mind, you'll keep asking yourself if all the information you are providing is suitable for a user who cannot see. Until you are well versed in the subject, bookmark the WAI internal documents that correspond to each major HTML element and double-check your work against the documents. Tables, image-mapping, and alternative text for video , are key examples.
*** Here's the text-equivalent for non-text element cheat-sheet. That's a mouth-full! - Is each object on your page semantically correct and have an alternative source of information if it is a "visual" object? The simple semantics are important for interpretive tools, and the "alternative content" for visual objects is not only a great for accessibility, but a plus for SEO.
Here are some of the key documents within the WCAG Gateway Document :
Here some of the overview points "WAI Quicktips":
10 Quick Tips
The links in the Quick Tips below mostly go to the techniques documents that provide implementation guidance - including explanations, strategies, and detailed markup examples.
- Images & animations: Use the alt attribute to describe the function of each visual.
- Image maps. Use the client-side map and text for hotspots.
- Multimedia. Provide captioning and transcripts of audio, and descriptions of video.
- Hypertext links. Use text that makes sense when read out of context. For example, avoid "click here."
- Page organization. Use headings, lists, and consistent structure. Use CSS for layout and style where possible.
- Graphs & charts. Summarize or use the longdesc attribute.
- Scripts, applets, & plug-ins. Provide alternative content in case active features are inaccessible or unsupported.
- Frames. Use the noframes element and meaningful titles.
- Tables. Make line-by-line reading sensible. Summarize.
- Check your work. Validate. Use tools, checklist, and guidelines at http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG
*** Here is a wonderful Checklist of Checkpoints for WCAG.
I hope this helps. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any further questions or comments. Thank you for the opportunity.
This area of the Web is close to home because we have accessibility points in the family. My cousin, Joey Johnson, and his family have allot invested in the accessibility and disabled communities and are consultants in some areas. Joey has Leukodystrophy and thanks in contribution to his parents, he and others now live beyond the fatality rate. My cousin Jeremy St. Martin (his old blog) is a Catholic Priest that now serves for the Boston Deaf Catholic Community.
I would be honored and very excited to help further in any Web Accessibility endeavors with [client] and others.
Sincerely,
Andrew Mazzarella
iMedia Solutions
508-365-8391
