Categories
law webaim

Section 508 to be updated

In the post Section 508 to be updated on WebAIM, Jared Smith announces that Section 508 (of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973) is going through the process of being updated. There are also some excellent comments on this post.

The portion of Section 508 dealing with web sites is outdated and badly needs this revision. The guidelines are loosely based on WCAG 1.0 Priority 1, which also needs updating (see Podcast #55: WCAG Samurai).

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Categories
articles

Web Accessibility Myths

In the article Web Accessibility Myths, common misunderstandings of accessible web sites are addressed and rebutted. Be it a poorly marked-up article, the content has some great points including:

  • Creating a separate text-only equivalent can lead to a number of problems.
  • To develop an accessible website from scratch will cost virtually the same as to develop a website that isn’t accessible.
  • Web accessibility actually places very few restrictions on website design.
  • Blind and disabled people benefit from the Internet perhaps more than anyone else.
Categories
law

Mexico Signs Manifesto on Web Accessibility

Twenty-three Mexican states and three Mexican municipalities have created and signed a manifesto on web accessibility and usability. The manifesto states:

As administrators, our objective is to create and maintain websites that are both useful and easy to use for the widest possible audience: usable and accessible websites. We believe that government, academia and the private sector should work together to achieve this objective.

The manifesto sprang from the Usability and Accessibility for the Web International Seminar which was held in Monterrey, Mexico this past July (2007).

Categories
ajax podcast screenreader

Podcast #57: AJAX and Accessibility (Part 2)

Previously, Dennis and Guest Mark McKay began the discussion on nearly taboo subject of AJAX and web accessibility in Podcast #49: AJAX and Accessibility. Now in Part 2, Dennis and Ross discuss the problems and solutions in greater detail.

Download Web Axe Episode 57 (AJAX and Accessibility, Part 2)

The Problems & Solutions

  • Notifying screen readers updated content
  • For JavaScript disabled browsers, use Hijax and progressive enhancement
  • The dreaded alternative page
  • The future?

AJAX Links

News

Announcements

Categories
law

Court rules against Target on website accessibility lawsuit

Huge news pertaining to web accessibility law in the U.S. — a California court ruled that web sites such as target.com are required by California law to be accessible.