accessibility

This is a very interesting and powerful question asked by my friend when we were having dinner a few nights ago. We had a good and long talk about it, and I’d like to share the points we raised in our talk.

We focused on the issues that can really prevent a user from accessing information on a web site.

The US government is suing Post Properties (PPS: 28.68 ,0.00 ,0.00%) for allegedly failing to provide accessible features required by federal law at some multifamily housing developments in six states.

The US Justice Department said Post Properties constructed and developed at least 19 multifamily apartment complexes in Georgia, Texas, Florida, New York, North Carolina, Virginia and the District of Columbia without accessible routes leading into and through buildings.

Donna Jodhan, who is blind, is taking the federal government to court because government websites are not accessible to blind and partially-sighted Internet
users.

Donna Jodhan was one of the first blind people in Canada to earn an MBA, in 1981, and one of the first in the world to obtain technical certifications from
software companies Microsoft and Novell.

So the Toronto accessibility consultant was shocked in 2004 when she had trouble applying for a position posted on the federal government’s jobs website.

Talk of inclusiveness and equal access for all is everywhere -- but that doesn't mean reality has caught up to rhetoric. As a Calgarian with a disability,
I constantly run up against barriers that turn routine activities into onerous challenges.

Improving accessibility for Calgary citizens has never been as high a priority for civic leaders as it should be, as Sharon Foo, a Calgary freelance writer
with a disability, noted in last Monday's Herald. I'd like to respond to the challenge she issued by setting out how, as Mayor of Calgary, I will confront
what is clearly a very personal issue.

Julius Charles Serrano, research director and accessibility consultant at Even Grounds, was the guest speaker at the recently concluded Usability Lunch in Wellington. This event was held on August 18, 2010 at Provoke Solutions in Wellington, New Zealand.

The Usability Lunch is a semi-regular event where professionals working in the field of usability. Common topics include usability-related research, issues, problems, and technologies.

Knowing about the costs involved in making a product or web site accessible is one of the best ways to ensure the success of this task. This helps you avoid unexpected financial issues that may hinder your project.

To assist you in becoming aware of the common expenses in an accessibility project, I’ve compiled some of the most important services you may need to acquire as you make your product or service accessible. This information should only serve as a set of examples and should not be treated as the only reference regarding accessibility-related expenses.

I always talk to my clients after completing an accessibility project. And I often find that one of the challenges they face is the lack of a clear set of ideas at the beginning. Some have even considered closing the project due to this issue. Very often they know that they would like to make their project accessible, but there is very little information on how to get started.

But I believe that taking on an accessibility project is one of the best decisions you can make, and that you can deal with this issue by knowing a number of important points.

Below, I will discuss the factors you need to consider so that your project can have a good start. This article is for you if you are on the initial stages of making your web site, product, or service accessible. This is also for you if you are generally interested in accessibility and how it is achieved.

THE OPEN AJAX ALLIANCE (OAA) is using open source web 2.0 initiatives to improve Internet access for the elderly and disabled.

The OAA
announced the open source tooling technology to help developers create accessible web 2.0 enabled sites that meet online accessibility standards. The guidelines
followed are the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, version 2.0 (WCAG 2.0), considered as the industry-wide global standard
for accessibility.

The Department of Justice (Department) is considering revising the regulations implementing title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA or Act)
in order to establish requirements for making the goods, services, facilities, privileges, accommodations, or advantages offered by public accommodations
via the Internet, specifically at sites on the World Wide Web (Web), accessible to individuals with disabilities. The Department is also considering revising
the ADA´s title II regulation to establish requirements for making the services, programs, or activities offered by State and local governments to the
public via the Web accessible. The Department is issuing this advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) in order to solicit public comment on various
issues relating to the potential application of such requirements and to obtain background information for the regulatory assessment the Department must
prepare if it were to adopt requirements that are economically significant according to Executive Order 12866.

The Justice Department will soon be seeking comment on four proposed rules to establish accessibility requirements for websites, movies, equipment and furniture,
and 911 call-taking technologies, Attorney General
Eric Holder said Wednesday at an event commemorating the 15th anniversary of the American Association of People with Disabilities.

Holder spoke as part of the Justice Department’s week honoring the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, known as the ADA. He pledged
“aggressive and appropriate” enforcement of the landmark disabilities law — both in communities and the department itself.