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Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
True Innovation
Innovate 2011 is being billed as the “Premier Event for Software and Systems Innovation”. The agenda focuses on demonstrating how your organisation can maximise its investment in software and systems throughout the entire development lifecycle: from plann ing and prioritis
ing projects through to best practices in deployment and testing. In terms of accessibility, this means one thing: automated accessibility testing software.
IBM purchased the Watchfire accessibility testing tool in 2007 and incorporated it into their automated scanning software, Policy Tester. As some of you know, Watchfire bought out Bobby in 2005. Bobby was the very first automated accessibility testing tool, released in 1995. Now there are many accessibility testing tools, but back then there was only one, and it was free (back when a large web site was a couple of hundred pages). It was so popular that accessibility specialists across the globe had trouble convincing clients that their site wasn’t necessarily accessible just because “it passed Bobby”!
I’m very happy to be involved with Policy Tester and the Innovate event. Join me in either Sydney on the 19th July or Melbourne on the 21st from 2:05 – 2:50pm to discuss the latest issues in accessibility.
Living on the Edge
In July I’ll be presenting at the Edge of the Web conference in Perth. There are two topics I’ll be discussing:
Changes to the AHRC Disability Discrimination Act
On the Thursday I’ll be addressing changes to the AHRC Disability Discrimination Act. If you’d like to find out what’s changed, what’s been added and what you need to know, including how the endorsement of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, Version 2.0 will affect you, please join me.
PDFs and accessibility: can they really be made accessible?
There’s been a lot of talk lately about whether PDFs really are an accessible technology. With the advent of WCAG2, the power to decide has become the province of AGIMO and the Australian Human Rights Commission (formerly HREOC). Their conclusions were that this isn’t the case and as such, PDFs should always be included with an accessible format. Their view isn’t shared by everyone, however. To find out more, join me after lunch on Friday to get the lowdown and make up your own mind.
I hope you can make time to attend the conference. I’m sure you’ll find it extremely educational, not to mention enjoyable with the opportunities to socialise with like-minded others. See you there!
Yes I’m recommending WCAG2 now
I had a client ring me yesterday, wanting to know if they should be trying to comply with WCAG1 or WCAG2. They had read my article: Why I’m sticking with WCAG1… for now, and wanted to check if my opinion still held. I wrote that post a little over a year ago, and although much has stayed the same (there are still few free accessibility testing tools that test against WCAG2 for example), much has changed. For example, the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) has released the Web Accessibility National Transition Strategy, the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) have updated their Web Advisory Notes and most states in Australia now have formalised compliance to WCAG2 or are following the federal strategy.
Areas needing improvement
There is still a lot of confusion regarding WCAG2. It is still a very complex series of documents that require specialist interpretation. Free accessibility testing tools, like WAVE by WebAIM and Cynthia Says by HiSoftware need to be updated to test against WCAG2. Instructional guides like the eGovernment Accessibility Toolkit and the Office for Disability Factsheets need to be updated to WCAG2. AGIMO needs to clarify some policy-related issues re WCAG2, such as the use of JavaScript, Flash and Word documents. It would also be useful to post relevant and regular updates to their Accessibility Blog.
Is a WCAG2 Level A site still compliant to WCAG1 Level A?
I was recently asked this question by a client. There are four WCAG1 Level A checkpoints that are not represented in WCAG2, Level A:
- Checkpoint 4.1: Clearly identify changes in the natural language of a document’s text and any text equivalents (e.g., captions).
- Checkpoint 6.1: Organize documents so they may be read without style sheets. For example, when an HTML document is rendered without associated style sheets, it must still be possible to read the document.
- Checkpoint 6.3: Ensure that pages are usable when scripts, applets, or other programmatic objects are turned off or not supported. If this is not possible, provide equivalent information on an alternative accessible page.
- Checkpoint 14.1: Use the clearest and simplest language appropriate for a site’s content.
For more information on the WCAG1 checkpoints and their mapping to WCAG2, see the W3C Comparison of WCAG1 checkpoints to WCAG2.
Checkpoint 4.1
Clearly identify changes in the natural language of a document’s text and any text equivalents (e.g., captions).
Identifying changes in the natural language of a document can be achieved using the LANG element. Screen readers recognise this element and modify their speech output to match the relevant language. I believe this is still a useful technique and it is unfortunate that it has now been relegated to WCAG2, Level AAA.
Checkpoint 6.1
Organize documents so they may be read without style sheets. For example, when an HTML document is rendered without associated style sheets, it must still be possible to read the document.
It is unclear whether this is a requirement of WCAG2 or not. This is a decision to be made by the AHRC, or even AGIMO. It requires a definition of accessibility supported uses of technologies, and whether style sheets are an accessibility supported technology or not. There is some overlap between this checkpoint and Success Criteria 1.3.2 (Meaningful Sequence): “When the sequence in which content is presented affects its meaning, a correct reading sequence can be programmatically determined”. Personally, I still test this checkpoint when I am testing against WCAG2, as it is one of the easiest ways to determine if a screen reader will interpret the page in the correct order.
Checkpoint 6.3
Ensure that pages are usable when scripts, applets, or other programmatic objects are turned off or not supported. If this is not possible, provide equivalent information on an alternative accessible page.
As with Checkpoint 6.1, whether this is a requirement of WCAG2 is a decision that policy-makers such as AHRC and AGIMO need to make. I also test this checkpoint when testing against WCAG2 because although these technologies often have accessibility features, it has yet to be documented how supported these features are by most assistive technologies.
Checkpoint 14.1
Use the clearest and simplest language appropriate for a site’s content.
Anyone who is aware of my work with the W3C WCAG Working Group knows that I fought long and hard to keep this checkpoint at Level A in WCAG2. Unfortunately, in this, I failed. Clear and simple language is extremely important for people with cognitive disabilities – and it should be remembered that there are more people with cognitive disabilities than people with sensory disabilities (vision, hearing, physical) combined. There are many excellent accessibility requirements that address the needs of people with cognitive disabilities at WCAG2, Level AAA, and I am hoping that policy-makers such as the AHRC or AGIMO identify some of these success criteria and make them mandatory for Australian web sites. In the meantime though, there are products such as BrowseAloud that are specifically aimed at assisting people with cognitive disabilities (and address many WCAG2 Level AAA success criteria), which can be implemented by site owners concerned about the accessibility of their site to people with cognitive disabilities.
An Accessibility Morning: Gian Wild and BrowseAloud
An Accessibility Morning: Gian Wild and BrowseAloud
Canberra: Wednesday, 09 February, 2011
Brisbane: Friday, 11 February, 2011
Melbourne: Tuesday, 15 February, 2011
Sydney: Wednesday, 16 February, 2011
Cost: Free of Charge
09.00 – 09.30: Registration, Tea and Coffee
09.30 – 10.15: Updates to the Australian Human Rights Commission Disability Discrimination Act: Web Advisory Notes
10.15 – 10.30: Morning Tea
10.30 – 11.15: BrowseAloud Information and Demonstration
11.15 – 12.15: Creating websites accessible to people with cognitive disabilities
12.15 – 12.30: Question and Answer Session
12.30 – 13.30: Lunch and Networking
Refreshments, morning tea and lunch will be provided.
Please RSVP by 2nd February to guarantee your place.
To register, E-Mail Samantha Corr at: s.corr@browsealoud.com, confirming your name, organisation, job title and any dietary requirements.
