Journal

I completed a website recently which included an accessibility statement link in the footer of each page. The accessibility statement basically outlined how I had made the site, why, and encouraged people who had difficulties accessing information for whatever reason to let me know. The client asked that the link be removed.

“What is the point of it, anyways?”

It would have been good to introduce him to some real-live users who are disadvantaged or locked-out from information that is presented in non-accessible ways. While I haven’t gone all Jacob Nielsen on yo ass, I think it is important for information-based sites to be as accessible to as wide an audience as possible.

This doesn’t just mean people who use screen readers or people using other assistive technology. It can mean people who have cognitive disabilities, people who are on dial-up, people who are colour-blind, people who don’t use a mouse, people who have their screen at the 800 by 600 resolution, people who don’t download photos, people who have switched off javascript. The thing with the web that I have grasped over the past year is that everyone uses it differently, and forcing a user to interact with your site the way you want them to is, well, rude. And dumb.

There are some accessibiity testers out there in teh interwebs. The Shaw Trust is is an interesting example. They profile their testers. They’re real people, not just numbers in a box. That’s a good way of doing it.

I searched for accessibility testers in Australia and have only come up with a few. I’m sure there are more out there. Addictive Media,& Vision Australia are the only two I could find.
I also came across an interview with Gian Sampson Wild of Purpletop, but I can’t seem to get connected with Purpletop’s website. Maybe they’re not there anymore?

It would be good for an Australian service to adopt a similar approach to the Shaw Trust. There seems to be a gap in the market at the moment. With there being a million web designers and design agencies who could theoretically use these services.

Tags: web //