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Re: Accessible Art Web site

for

From: Holly Marie
Date: Dec 18, 2001 4:01PM


Is this site and message ok to share with other designers who are
wondering how one makes an art site accessible or more accessible?

And on another note may I share this message with a professor who
teaches Marketing on the Internet and Ecommerce and is also Blind?

Thanks,
Holly
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Adam Alonzo" < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
To: < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2001 3:03 PM
Subject: Accessible Art Web site


>
> Dear List Members,
>
> I'd like to introduce Access Art, a new Web site produced by The
> Dayton Art Institute in collaboration with Wright State University.
> Though it includes a great deal of visual and aural content, it was
> designed to be as accessible as possible to everyone. A summary of
> its accessibility features is included below.
>
> I encourage you to visit the site at:
>
> http://tours.daytonartinstitute.org/accessart/
>
> Please feel free to contact me with suggestions on ways to improve
> the accessibility of the site. You can respond to me directly at:
>
> <EMAIL REMOVED>
>
> Please note that Access Art is a new addition to the Art Institute's
> overall Web site, and that the general site does not yet conform to
> the same accessibility standards.
>
> I look forward to your feedback,
>
> Adam Alonzo
> Accessible Arts! Coordinator
> Office of Disability Services
> Wright State University
> 3640 Colonel Glenn Highway
> Dayton, Ohio 45435-0001
> <EMAIL REMOVED>
> (937) 775-5806
>
> ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES OF ACCESS ART
>
> From its initial planning stages, Access Art was designed to be as
> accessible as possible to everyone, particularly people with
> disabilities using adaptive computer equipment. This commitment to
> accessibility has been implemented throughout the site in many ways,
> some obvious and some subtle. This section contains details about
these
> accessibility features in order to provide guidelines for other museum
> Web sites to follow.
>
> Accessibility Standards
> Access Art was developed using the Web Content Accessibility
Guidelines
> as its standard for accessible design. These guidelines are provided
by
> the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium.
>
> Image Alternatives
> All images within Access Art are accompanied by a brief text phrase
that
> serves as an alternative for visitors who cannot see the image. This
is
> suitable for logos, icons and other simple graphics.
>
> Image Descriptions
> In addition to the brief text alternatives for simple graphics, all
> works of art are accompanied by a lengthy text paragraph that
describes
> the appearance of the object for visitors who cannot see it. Also, all
> icons and graphics used within Access Art are described on the Graphic
> Descriptions page.
>
> Keyboard Access
> Access Art is designed to be fully accessible to individuals who use a
> keyboard or similar device instead of a mouse. The EyeSpy image
> enlargement system allows visitors to view works of art in detail
> without having to use a mouse.
>
> Text Transcripts
> There are many audio segments included in Access Art, so text
> transcripts are provided for the benefit of those who cannot hear the
> recordings.
>
> Cascading Style Sheets
> Certain design elements of this site, such as text size and color, are
> implemented with Cascading Style Sheets, a flexible system that can be
> changed by users to make text easier to read.
>
> Language Specification
> While the primary language of Access Art is English, there are many
> instances of other languages throughout the site. For the benefit of
> those using screen readers to vocalize the Web pages to them, such
> changes in language are clearly identified.
>
> Hyperlink Text and Titles
> Hyperlinks within Access Art avoid ambiguous phrases such as "Click
> Here," and they include embedded titles to further amplify their
> purpose.
>
> Navigation Menus
> Access Art provides a dynamic menu at the top of each page that makes
> navigation easier and informs users of their position within the site.
> It also includes a "hidden" link that allows people using adaptive
> equipment to skip the navigation menu and move to the main content of
> the page.
>
> Table Layout and Markup
> While tables are used for layout on this site, they are never used to
> place sections of text side by side, avoiding potential problems for
> visitors using screen readers. Also, tables use embedded titles and
> summaries to explain their purpose and layout.
>
> JavaScript Alternative
> There is only one usage of JavaScript within Access Art, and it is
> accompanied by a script-free alternative for visitors whose Web
browsers
> do not support JavaScript.
>
> Accessibility Testing
> The design of Access Art was evaluated using alternative browsers,
> adaptive technology and accessibility testing tools such as Bobby, an
> online service provided by CAST.
>
> Accessibility Review
> The accessibility of Access Art was also tested by a panel of advisors
> with a variety of disabilities, and by experts in the field of Web
> accessibility.
>
>
> ---
> To subscribe, unsubscribe, or view list archives,
> visit http://www.webaim.org/discussion/
>
>




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