Designing Accessible Web Pages
Presenters: Kelly Ford, Carl Brown, Geoff Freed,
Crystal Waters, Jane Berliss, Jutta
Treviranus
The goal of universal web design is to create web sites which serves everyone regardless of individual needs and abilities and the technology they use to access the web.
The explosion of the World Wide Web (WWW) has created exciting new ways for doing many things: e.g., to locate and store information, to perform daily living tasks such as ordering groceries or meals, to communicate with others, to read books online, to deliver and receive education. For persons with disabilities, assistive technologies can provide access to these new opportunities provided by the Web, but some aspects of Web design limit the accessibility of a site for a person with a disability.
The purpose of this tutorial is to provide:
- a basic understanding of the capabilities of assistive technologies as they relate to Web accessibility;
- a contextual understanding of access issues in various Web environments;
- demonstrations of how access issues arise from Web design;
- information about existing resources for accessible Web design; and
- a discussion of developments affecting the future of Web accessibility.
Participants will come away with an understanding of the basics of Web design which make sites more accessible for persons with disabilities as well as for everyone.
Six Web experts will present half-hour presentations illustrating use of access technologies or Web design issues. The tutorial will close with commentary and discussion on the future of Web accessibility.
Presenters:
1. Kelly Ford, founder of the WebWatch listserv which monitors accessibility of important Web sites will demonstrate and discuss accessibility issues for blind users.
2. Carl Brown, Director of the High Tech Centers Training Unit of the California Community Colleges, will illustrate a successful access technology, speech recognition, and discuss accessibility issues for users with physical or learning/cognitive disabilities.
3. Geoff Freed, of WGBH in Boston, will discuss access issues for persons who are deaf.
4. Crystal Waters, web design author will take participants through the basics of universal web design which enables as many people as possible to use a site.
5. Jane Berliss, will provide participants with a toolbox of existing resources which deal with developing accessible Web pages.
6. Jutta Treviranus, of the University of Toronto, will discuss the future of Web accessibility.
The tutorial manual will include text and resources from the presenters as well as other information and resources gathered by tutorial organizers.
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