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Number of posts in this thread: 13 (In chronological order)

From: LSnider
Date: Wed, Sep 15 2010 5:18PM
Subject: Best Tips?
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Hi Everyone,

I am back on the list after being away for a couple of years. I have been
lurking for a couple of weeks and am still impressed by the expertise and
feedback, it is still one of the best lists!

I am writing an article on the 10 best accessibility tips for web sites.
This is for an audience of people who have little knowledge of
accessibility, are relatively new to web stuff overall, but they have web
sites. I was wondering what you would consider the top three tips for the
average web site owner?

If you had to be on a desert island with just three tips, what would they
be?

Cheers

Lisa

From: adam solomon
Date: Thu, Sep 16 2010 1:00AM
Subject: Re: Best Tips?
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1. Make sure site is keyboard accessible: all click events are on focusable
elements (like image buttons instead of clickable images, no clickable divs
unless there is an anchor, etc.).

On Thu, Sep 16, 2010 at 1:17 AM, LSnider < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:

> Hi Everyone,
>
> I am back on the list after being away for a couple of years. I have been
> lurking for a couple of weeks and am still impressed by the expertise and
> feedback, it is still one of the best lists!
>
> I am writing an article on the 10 best accessibility tips for web sites.
> This is for an audience of people who have little knowledge of
> accessibility, are relatively new to web stuff overall, but they have web
> sites. I was wondering what you would consider the top three tips for the
> average web site owner?
>
> If you had to be on a desert island with just three tips, what would they
> be?
>
> Cheers
>
> Lisa
>

From: adam solomon
Date: Thu, Sep 16 2010 1:09AM
Subject: Re: Best Tips?
← Previous message | Next message →

1. Make sure site is keyboard accessible: all click events are on focusable
elements (like image buttons instead of clickable images, no clickable divs
unless there is an anchor, etc.).

On Thu, Sep 16, 2010 at 1:17 AM, LSnider < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:

> Hi Everyone,
>
> I am back on the list after being away for a couple of years. I have been
> lurking for a couple of weeks and am still impressed by the expertise and
> feedback, it is still one of the best lists!
>
> I am writing an article on the 10 best accessibility tips for web sites.
> This is for an audience of people who have little knowledge of
> accessibility, are relatively new to web stuff overall, but they have web
> sites. I was wondering what you would consider the top three tips for the
> average web site owner?
>
> If you had to be on a desert island with just three tips, what would they
> be?
>
> Cheers
>
> Lisa
>

From: Shrirang Prakash Sahasrabudhe
Date: Thu, Sep 16 2010 3:27AM
Subject: Re: Best Tips?
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1. For all the images provide appropriate text alternative using "alt"
2. Label all form fields appropriately using <label>
3. Ensure that all parts of your website can be reached using keyboard

From: Simius Puer
Date: Thu, Sep 16 2010 4:00AM
Subject: Re: Best Tips?
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1. Keep your code as as simple as possible and fully semantic*
2. Don't just do "check box" accessibility - test your website on real
people with real disabilities
3. Accessibility is not a one-off action - once you have built an
accessible site your processes need to keep it that way.

* - not only helps accessibility but also SEO, cross-browser compatibility
and loading times

From: John E. Brandt
Date: Thu, Sep 16 2010 7:48AM
Subject: Re: Best Tips?
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Remember that the web is not just webpages. Make sure all of your documents
and attachments (e.g., word processor, spreadsheets, presentations, PDFs)
are accessible too.

John E. Brandt
jebswebs.com
Augusta, ME USA
= EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
www.jebswebs.com

From: deborah.kaplan
Date: Thu, Sep 16 2010 8:12AM
Subject: Re: Best Tips?
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1. Use your browser settings to disable CSS and images. Try to make
sense of your own website. Can you?

2. Unplug your mouse. Can you still navigate your website? (This
one is a little bit trickier, because people who have to use
alternative input devices are aware of tracks for navigation that
most users don't know about. But I still like to suggest it as a
tip.)

From: Jablonski, James (LNI)
Date: Thu, Sep 16 2010 8:39AM
Subject: Re: Best Tips?
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"If you had to be on a desert island with just three tips, what would
they be?"

1. Assure sufficient contrast between information and non-information.

2. Provide relevant, accessible text for objects that deliver
information.
3. Assure that the site can be utilized without the use of touch (hands
free.)

From: Patrick Dunphy
Date: Thu, Sep 16 2010 9:03AM
Subject: Re: Best Tips?
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> If you had to be on a desert island with just three tips, what would they
> be?
>

Lots of great answers already - my top 3 would be.

1. Use effective Alt text for non text elements where appropriate
2. Ensure content has structure (headers)
3. Make sure links are understood out of context (no click here's)

Thanks!
-PD

From: J. B-Vincent
Date: Thu, Sep 16 2010 9:12AM
Subject: Re: Best Tips?
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1) Test, test, test, especially with individuals who use assistive technology. Have as broad a range of testers as possible--e.g., people with learning disabilities, people with tunnel vision as well as macular degeneration.

2) Use WAVE to get a solid overview of a page's access problems; use the Web Accessibility Toolbar to get more detailed information on specific items.

3) Make sure you understand the *why* of specific guidelines. For example, the LANG attribute may not seem important, until you hear a screen reader try to parse a Spanish page using English pronunciation.

From: Michael.Moore
Date: Thu, Sep 16 2010 10:51AM
Subject: Re: Best Tips?
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1. Correct Form Field Labels
2. Meaningful Alternative Text
3. Valid Semantic Markup (Headings, Tables for data not layout, Lists, etc.)

Mike Moore

From: Jared Smith
Date: Thu, Sep 16 2010 11:57AM
Subject: Re: Best Tips?
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There have been many excellent recommendations given. I always find
such "Top X" lists about accessibility interesting. They, as do most
of the recommendations given here, tend to focus on the issues that
have the most distinct impact on a specific audience. Alternative text
for images, for example, has a distinct impact on screen reader users
- but not a terribly big impact on about anyone else. Keyboard
accessibility is vitally important... for users that must use a
keyboard.

Not to minimize the importance of such things, I wonder if our lists
would change if we were instead to focus on the issues that have the
biggest impact on the *largest* number of users.

Having given this about 2 minutes of thought, mine would probably include:
- Provide relevant and useful content and functionality.
- Use standard web design and usability practices and patterns. Make
the page appealing and attractive to the user.
- Simplify.
- Use language appropriate to the audience.
- Use robust technologies that are compatible with the broadest array
of user agents.

... and things like that. In many ways, it doesn't matter how
technically accessible the content and functionality of a page is if
the user doesn't get anything useful or enjoyable from it.

Jared Smith
WebAIM

From: Janet Sylvia
Date: Thu, Sep 16 2010 1:42PM
Subject: Re: Best Tips?
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Top 3 that come to mind:

1. Use structural markup properly;

2. Ensure accessibility of content (i.e. audio, video, pdf, forms, etc);

3. Check website/content with accessibility checkers: automated tools, manual checks, and include individuals who utilize assistive technologies.


Janet Sylvia
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602