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Re: Question regarding accessible badges or widgetsforFacebook and Twitter

for

From: Debra Cerda
Date: Feb 25, 2009 4:25PM

Hi, Randi!
I would recommend that you read Desiree's post about her experience with Facebook at this blogpost http://universallydesigned.net/uncategorized/facebook-the-good-bad-and-the-ugly/

As a sighted user who's also had some usability issues with Facebook, I would recommend your friend set it up and show you how to ignore applications requests that are difficult to manage.

Sincerely,
Debra

>>> Randi < <EMAIL REMOVED> > 2/25/2009 4:11 PM >>>
Hi all,

I just joined this list and the forum at webaim after stumbling across
webaim and emailing the webmaster. I'm in no way a web develper
yet...I've been blind for ten months now; it was hugely unexpected. I
was an avid web user before and am teaching myself VoiceOver and
Apple, having been a PC user before. I've just been lurking here, not
understanding much LOL.

The Facebook thing caught my attention however. I didn't use Facebook
before and actually have a friend coming over Monday to set me up
there. Am I hearing correctly that Facebook is not accessible? Or is
it simply the widgets and the so called follow me thing? I'm going to
be disappointed if I can't use it since I'm hoping to get back in
touch with friends.

I don't know if a newly blind chic is welcome to post and ask
questions here. I'm very interested in web advocacy since I have
experience in the web both sited and blind. I also am interested in
starting a forum for the blind and visually impaired since I haven't
found any cool ones.

If this list is just for experienced web developers, let me know and
I'll go back to lurking until I start my own site.

Sincerely,

Randi O.

On 2/25/09, Debra Cerda < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> Hi,
> Thank you everyone for your responses, my apologies for not being more
> clear. I appreciate the additional information on the accessible twitter and
> FB. However, I'm on the content side of it, wanting to include a "Follow me
> on twitter" badge or link. Or a "Tweet the Facts" much like on the bottom of
> Charity: Water's http://www.charitywater.org/twestival/index.html , which
> appears to fail accessibility testing. Friend Feed was also recommended if
> we wanted to aggregate the non-profits FB and Twitter to their front page,
> but I also don't know how well that would meet accessibility requirements.
> Again, we want to help the non profit use social media tools to promote
> their mission, but need the content on their website to be accessible.
>
> Sincerely,
> Debra
>
>>>> "John E. Brandt" < <EMAIL REMOVED> > 2/19/2009 1:26 PM >>>
> I see someone already beat me to the answer regarding Accessible Twitter and
> Accessible Facebook. I've put the info on my blog
> http://www.jebswebs.net/blog/ - the Accessible Facebook appears to be a work
> in progress and I still can't find an actual application that can be used.
> The Twitter link is: http://www.accessibletwitter.com/ and though usable now
> is still being developed. BTW, one comment on Twitter from an screen reader
> user questioned why the need as apparently the plain ole Twitter site was
> pretty accessible.
>
> All that said, this is still a great question. We might broaden it to
> include all social networking systems including ones that you "build"
> yourself like NING and KickApps. My testing of both of these leaves me
> wondering if there are any out there that are accessible.
>
> BTW, I am experimenting with NING right now and it's accessibility problems
> do not seem as severe as KickApps. So, I will work with NING for now.
>
> I also have to mention at this point the caveat that you can create the most
> accessible web application in the world and it only takes one user to add
> inaccessible content to create an accessibility problem.
>
> Lastly, it is my understanding that JavaScript and Flash and even AIR can be
> made accessible, but that needs to be done early in the development cycle.
> We need to get our message to the developer community.
>
> ~j
>
> John E. Brandt
> Web Design, Development, Consultation
> Augusta, Maine USA
> www.jebswebs.com
> <EMAIL REMOVED>
> 207-622-7937
>
>
>