Categories
browser text visual

Don’t Use Text Resizing Widgets

Web sites should not implement text resizing widgets–you know, those little buttons, usually an “A+” and “A-” that increase/descrease the size of the text on the site. The responsibility for providing this functionality lies with the browser, like the forward and back buttons.

Web designers/owners need to put forth more effort in teaching/guiding the user to using the browsers’ features for text resizing. Equally, the browsers themselves should make this feature more obvious and usable.

In addition, most sites I see that use resizing widgets are not very accessible; they seem to add this feature as a cheap replacement (bluff, excuse) for a genuinely accessible web site.

More:

Categories
roundup

Podcast #56: Web Axe 2-Year Anniversary!

So it’s been two years since I started Web Axe. After a year, Ross Johnson joined in as co-host for most shows, which I think helped keep the dialog going and definitely give some fresh input. We did some big interviews over the last year, and had a couple of great guests Joe Dolson and Mark McKay.

For a special feature, the following web experts were gracious enough to send me input on their thoughts about recent events and trends in the world of web accessibility:

  • Mark McKay
  • Joe Dolson
  • Roger Johansson
  • Patrick Lauke
  • Jared Smith
  • Ross Johnson

Download Web Axe Episode 56 (2-year anniversary)

Past Web Axe Interviews

News Links

Categories
articles

How to Make Your Blog Accessible to Blind Readers

Here are some good web accessibility tips in an article from the American Foundation for the Blind, How to Make Your Blog Accessible to Blind Readers. Although the article aims at blog sites, the rules can be applied to any site.

The main points of the article are:

  • Choose an Accessible Service
  • Describe Your Images
  • Avoid the Dreaded “Click Here” or “More…”!
  • Put Your Blogroll on the Right-Hand Side
  • Check the Comment Form—Is It Labeled Properly?
  • Use Flexible Font Sizes
  • Don’t Force Links to Open in New Windows

PS:
The next podcast coming soon. Web Axe two-year special!

Categories
screenreader

JAWS Shortcut Keys/Commands

While doing a little testing in JAWS, I quickly remembered how inexperienced I am with the program. So I went to the Help section to look up some shortcut keys. All the information is there, and there’s a lot of it, but on many different pages.

So I put what I thought were the most significant key commands on one HTML page. It can print nicely on 2 paper pages. Hopefully you will find it useful!

JAWS Shortcut Keys/Commands

Categories
articles

Reworking A Large Site for Accessibility

Creating an accessible web site can be challenging. Retro-fitting a web site for accessibility is even tougher. Now try upgrading a humongous, corporate site full of new and old pages. Where to begin? Fortunately, Accessites.org has posted an article by Mel Pedley to help tackle this problem: 5 Steps To Reworking A Legacy Site