Newsletter Archives - June 2004
Note
This newsletter is maintained here for archival purposes. The content presented here may be outdated, may contain out-of-date links, and may not represent current best practices or represent the opinion and recommendations of WebAIM. For up-to-date information, please refer to the WebAIM web site.
During the first few weeks of June, WebAIM delivered the coordination and leadership online training event. We had a wonderful turn out and three live audio broadcasts with individuals that have worked with creating Web accessibility policies in government, education, and business. We shifted our focus from the typical annual technical training that we do every year to address the need for reform within institutions rather than just technical training. As part of this focus, WebAIM has also been involved with the state of Oklahoma to implement Web accessibility reform within K-12, postsecondary, and state government institutions. If you wondering about a technical training, no worries, you can look forward to a technical training this fall.
Featured Article
Assessing Assessment
Computer and Internet based tests are used for a variety of purposes. From entering education or employment, to improving basic learning, people everywhere are taking tests. With the advancement of testing from the traditional paper-based tests to the technologically advanced electronic tests, people are able to reap the benefits of easier access to tests, faster response times, and greater reliability and validity of tests. However, persons with disabilities are being left out of the picture and out of the tests. Read the full article: Assessing assessments: The inequality of electronic tests.
On Target Tip
Guild of Accessible Web Designers (GAWDS)
GAWDS.org was officially launched May 26th, 2004. "GAWDS.org is an association of organisations and accessible web designers and developers - and it is designed to both promote and protect standards - not technical standards - but accessible web design standards." Jim Byrne, founder of GAWDS, states in the press release announcing the launch that "Accessibility goes far beyond preparing Web sites for disabled people, accessibility is now shorthand for the adoption of core standards that benefit every user of the Internet and impact the bottom line of every business. GAWDS intends to promote these standards to instill in Web designers the high level of competence and professionalism required to unlock the full potential of the Internet."
GAWDS goal is to help Web designers accept standards and use them in their profession. As part of the requirement for membership to the guild, all guild members should demonstrate the inherent good use of Web standards and support of accessibility standards in their work. Whether involved with Web development in education, government, or business the guild is worth looking at.
On Target Resources
Hermish.com is yet another tool to add to the growing list of tools to aid you in creating and designing accessible Web pages. Although still a little rough around the edges there are some good features and tools provided free of charge to add to your bag of tricks. The tools include an accessibility check (checks against W3C standards as well as Section 508), page display check, browser compatibility check, and a superceded HTML check.
YouSearched.com is a new search engine based in the UK that focuses on the development of a search engine that is accessible to all users. "Building an accessible search engine is our highest priority at YouSearched. We have created a search engine designed to be fully accessible to all users. We hope that by making other designers and site users more aware of the need for accessible sites, we can help encourage the production or redevelopment of other fully accessible websites in the future."
According to their Web site, the search engine conforms to the accessibility standards of Section 508 and WCAG 1.0 priorities 1, 2, and 3. The site design includes category search results in a left hand column, sponsored results in a right hand column, and standard results in the center of the page. The design also includes the use of semantic structure and access keys. Although the search engine itself is limited, the concept and design are noteworthy.