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How do people with disabilities use Web 2.0?
OK, I know, I should have been paying attention earlier. If I wanted accessibility sessions I had my chance to suggest themes, questions and topics...right? But as I look through the sessions for the latest in accessible blogging tools, content management systems, fundraising software, do I really find....nothing?! absolutely nothing about accessibility?
Nothing on accessibility at the coolest nonprofit tech conference ever?
How could that be? I admit that I am a bit cocooned. I spend 90% of my time with people who know tons about accessibility...people like John Slatin, Jim Thatcher, Molly Holzschlag, Kelsey Ruger, Glenda Sims... or with people who want to know more about accessibility, like the participants in AIR programs, Access-U and CalWAC. But am I really so sheltered? so deluded? Does the rest of the world really care about access to the web for 55 million Americans and 750 million people worldwide...not at all?!
Cause the truth is, I did suggest Web 2.0 accessibility as a topic last fall when I first heard that there would be a NetSquared Conference. But I did not stay in touch and did not reiterate and did not lobby - mostly because Compumentor has been on the leading edge of accessibility advocacy for years and years. I took for granted that web access would be a central consideration.
So here is my suggestion. Let's talk about accessibility in ALL of the sessions. Perhaps that is the ultimate message. Accessibility is no longer a separate topic, but is integrated into the considerations we make about ALL APIs.
Yeh, that will work.
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8 hours 5 min ago - Many thanks Laura
1 day 16 hours ago - Great list of resources Beth
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go, Sharron, go
"Let's talk about accessibility in ALL of the sessions." I'll certainly be bringing it up if it isn't! I get so tired of accessibility being an after thought in so many tech-related discussions... thanks for pushing for this, Sharron (who I get to hang with in-person! I'm so excited!)
STC Resources
Check the Society for Technical Communication (STC) AccessAbility SIG for more:
http://www.stcsig.org/sn/index.shtml
Session materials from this year's annual conference are available at:
http://www.stc.org/53rdConf/sessions/session.materials.asp
Terrific question!
To digress for just a minute: I think that part of the answer depends on how web 2.0 gets described. Is it a bundle of AJAX functions? That's one answer. Is it the opportunity to engage with other users on-line? That's a different answer.
(Just to be clear: I don't know what the answer is. I just believe the question to be different enough to prompt a different answer)
But to your point: nothing on accessibility and the defact dismissal of 750M people world-wide. We don't have a session. We do have a portion of the conference, afternoon of the second day, devoted to Making It Happen. In the spirit of unconference and open space, we want this to be a place where the tables are turned and any session can happen. I'm going to post more about in the day or two but I'm extending an invitation to you, here and now, to grab a place in that afternoon and we'll devote resources to gathering information together and helping to follow up on this question.
Marnie Webb
Net2 team
Making It Happen, I'm in!
Thanks Marnie - I'll check out Making It Happen and try to grab a spot. Wouldn't this be an unbelievable group to brainstorm with about how to include EVERYONE in new ways to communicate?!
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Sharron Rush | knowbility.org | disability tech access
Web Design Conversation including accessibility considerations
I recently considered accessibility issues on the web more because of a recent conversation that I had with a few people on my podcast. The subject of the conversation was web design for nonprofit organizations. One of the guests, Prof Norms Coombs is the CEO of EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information). He brought up some good points about accessibility considerations on websites. If you're interested in checking out the interview you can download it directly at:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/coreyp501c3/501c3cast_05152006.mp3
or you can find it on the www.501c3cast.com website and subscribe to the RSS feed there.
I totally agree
I couldn't agree more with what you say. I was surprised at the lack on support within Wordpress for accessibility and that no plugins (as far as I could see) had been written.
I have started creating one myself. Writing the features are not so hard, but making sure it works with every site is going to be a challange. Anyone who wants to use it, will probably have to re-write at least some of their CSS.
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Image is UnavailableHi Tane,I don't know if this
Hi Tane,
I don't know if this is just my browser, but I am getting "Image Unavailable" messages, so I'm unsure what you were linking to. Marnie has suggested we pull together a conversation about accessibility for all of these APIs on the afternoon of Day 2. I'll keep posting as I find out more about it and hope you will join the discussion.
Thanks!
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Sharron Rush | knowbility.org | disability tech access
hmm
Don't know what it is? I see the same thing, certainly nothing I added in my comment post. It was just plain text. I posted it from my home browser, and I am at work at the moment, I'll check and see it's not something I have on my PC that did it.
Please feel free to add my email to your discussion list, tane.piper at gmail dot com and keep me informed.
Regards,
Tane