Does your webpage conform

[Stephen Morriss]

Hi Pete

Yes it’s basically true.

http://webxact.watchfire.com/

this site can check for basic accessibility but if you do a search on the Internet you’ll find all sorts of info.

Steve

[Martin Pearson]

Peter the answer is at the moment nobody really knows!!!

Under the DDA changes have been made to make everything more accessable to everyone, like the wheelchair ramps, stair lifts, braille signage etc.

Web sites have not been excluded and there is a whole bundle of stuff the web designers are suppose to be doing now to ensure websites can be accessed by all, such measures as resizable text, limitations on flash usage, colours used on the site…. the list goes on and on.

But like the other changes most people seem to be either ignoreing it completely or making very small changes which don’t cast a lot if anything.

Even some of the big Corperations are getting it wrong, Walkers are one that spring to mind, they created a second site which was suppose to be accessable by all but you couldn’t find it and it has never been updaded, none of their special offers or competions have appeared on it despite the fact that they proudly display the bobby logo.

I have never heard of the code that lets you listen to the site being read and have know idea how that might work, still as I say there is a lot about it I still dont know.

[Phill Fenton]

:lol1: :lol1: :lol1: 😕

You’ve gotta be kiddin right?

[John Harding]

I created my website so customers were able to “see” the sort of things available. 😕 i dont think theres a way around that as much as poeple have good intentions, you cant have a level playing field all the time.

John

[Martin Pearson]

Sorry Phil, this time I am not!!

A designer I know has just walked away from a very good job with a big firm because they wanted him to create them an accessible site but they insisted on certain things and he says it is just impossible to do. He is still hopeing they will come back as nobody else will be able to do it either at any price!!

[Simon Clayton]

What an amazing amount of money spent on so few….

[David Rowland]

Don’t forget to add your websites to your profiles… so we can see them!!!

Also, the blind can adjust the size of text. View > Text Size > Largest. Also there is a magnifier in Windows.. So, speaking, this is within windows too.

First I have heard about it, but I did wonder about the blind regulations the other day in everything.

[Bryan Cabrera]

Peter,

I am pretty sure it depends on what type of site it is. I know, at least in the US, Federal Agency sites need to conform to Accessibilty Guidelines.

I usually design all of my sites with this in mind. It is good practice to have sites conform to Web Standards anyway. A good source of info can be found at http://www.webstandards.org/

Bryan

[Peter Normington]

I actually thought this was a wind up, but as you have pointed out, we do need to consider the disabled when we do things.
I will of course install a braille monitor in case i get a blind builder who wants to get his van signed.
(I know I’m being cynical)
but can a bit of common sense be used by the people who make this legislation?
Peter

[Bryan Cabrera]

quote martin:

Sorry Phil, this time I am not!!

A designer I know has just walked away from a very good job with a big firm because they wanted him to create them an accessible site but they insisted on certain things and he says it is just impossible to do. He is still hoping they will come back as nobody else will be able to do it either at any price!!

I wonder what they possibly would want him to do that is impossible. I am pretty sure that to conform one just have to provide an alternate way of accessing information. For instance if you have an all Flash site that contain text you could provide that information in text format.

The good news is that Developers like Macromedia and Adobe are building in accessibility tools into their products since there has been a big move towards Accessibility and Web Standards.

Again I think the laws only apply to certain sites like government agencies .

[Stephen Morriss]

Not in this country Bryan, as has been said the accessibility legislation came into effect last year in this country and it applies to all business’s.

Just think about an office that employs a blind buyer, they could be searching on the net, find your site and want the info on what you supply/make and yes signs are usually a visual thing but all you have to do is have descriptive alt tags on your images like “picture of 7 inch by 3 inch warning sign saying no entry, red text on white” this is at the basic level but can be enough.

Flash sites should be banned anyway 😀 ( I F-in hate them, please wait while this shite loads) but you can still add a text only alternative.

The main problem with having an alternative site is keeping them both updated, another reason not to use flash (bet you can tell I really dislike them)

[David Rowland]

I think you mean that Flash sites are moving us away from standard HTML set out by W3 peoples and going for the hi-gloss Flash look.

Broadband takes care of the pre-loaders these days, not too much of an issue now, again that is a bit of a discrimination against the dial up users!!

Unless ur website isn’t dynamically generated it is a pain to keep them updated if you have an alternative site as Stephen says. Then there is Browser compatibility, Firefox vs IE vs Mac browsers all showing your website slightly different.

[Russell Pavey]

all the info you need regarding this is here http://www.w3.org/WAI/

Alot of people are using it as a selling tool to scare people into doing things they shouldnt do etc.

[Martin Pearson]

Bryan, they wanted a AAA Bobby Approved site but insisted on lots of flash content, their corporate colours and a few other bits and pieces. No alternative site just the one.
If you check out the link Russel has posted and study what is required for a Bobby Approved site there are quite a few restrictions.

As for a second site containing mainly text this does work but causes all sort of problems when it comes to search engines, especially if your site has lots of pages, plus as has already been said you have a second site to keep updated.

[Bryan Cabrera]

I have agree about all Flash sites , I am not a big fan. I think Flash should be used to enhance a site but a site shouldn’t rely on it. It also depends on the type of site.

I didn’t mean to suggest keeping 2 different sites but to incorporate text that could be read in the site. There are waysof using Flash substitution in sites to keep in compliance. I don’t develop using Flash so I am not really up on the subject.

I am not sure about what you mean about the search engines. Text based sites are search engine friendly Flash isn’t (for the most part). Also if you have typed text and embedded in Flash you already have the text so retyping it is not an issue.

I rely on CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) for my layouts so the design is kept separate from the code. This way site wide changes can be made by editing single file.

Bryan

[Vince Francis]

I’m surprised they not asking for it to be in Braille!

Should’nt laugh, the way things are going they will lol

[Martin Pearson]

Bryan I’m not a web designer so I don’t really know the answers, just what I had heard from someone I know.
The search engine problem had something to do with the fact that having used the search engine you could end up on any page on a web site.
If a disabled person were to do a search and then end up in the middle of the flash site how would you redirect them to the other site?

I know the word disabled offends some people so if this is the case I appologise for keep using it but I’m not sure what else to use, as far as I am concerned you are either disabled or your not.