(GC Standard On Web Accessibility, W3C WCAG 2.0, AODA, Section 508) / “Web Accessibility Matters” course or keynote
Course Description
It used to be that the only way to comply with Web accessibility standards for persons with disabilities or difficulties was to publish content in HTML. One of the most exciting parts of the new Standard On Web Accessibility and WCAG 2.0 is that it has become feasible for you to choose PDF as the only container for certain content on your Web site … but only if you know how. We’ve worked with industry leaders such as Adobe to put together this comprehensive and powerful course, where attendees walk away with immediately-applicable tips and techniques to make all their pages more accessible.
De-mystify how to make online or offline Web and PDF accessible whether your source is Word, Excel, Powerpoint, InDesign… or existing PDF!
Most adults suffer from some level of disability or difficulty that can be mitigated through accessible technologies. And when we design for the extremes, everyone benefits.
Not only will you comply with the standards (AODA, WCAG 2.0, Standard On Web Accessibility, Section 508, PDF/UA…): you’ll be broadening the audience for your content while enriching the experience of existing users.
Meet the new accessibility laws faster, and with no programming knowledge required. Broaden audiences, improve Google reach, while making sites accessible to all. Spend a day with David Berman, rated #1 on this topic in North America, and learn how to comply with new laws and WCAG 2.0 guidelines on access for disabilities.
Whether you are new to accessibility and WCAG, or already familiar with WCAG 1.0, you’ll learn immediately-applicable tips and techniques in this powerful accessibility course.
“Inspiring, engaging … techniques I can use.”
- Liv Stenersen, Government Administration Services, Oslo (Norway)
David Berman will convince you of why accessibility is important for everybody, then provide in-depth familiarity with federal and international guidelines that will help your Web and PDF content be a more effective resource for your entire audience. You’ll also gain familiarity with assistive technologies that help people with specific disabilities and difficulties.
Canada’s federal government led the world when it first introduced its accessibility-centric Common Look & Feel (CLF) policy, now replaced with its Standard On Web Accessibility and Standard on Web Usability. Our full-day course includes a thorough review of every pertinent standards that apply to accessible PDF, including other policies which call for WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA compliance (such as U.S. Section 508 and Ontario’s AODA). These new standards allow PDF to be your primary format, but only if your PDF is truly accessible … and that is poorly understood. We’ll cover everything from tables to charts to fillable forms and testing recommendations.
Finally, you’ll venture into where accessibility meets usability. Not only will you leave with ideas you can use right away, you may also gain a whole new attitude towards how technology can improve lives. By the end of the day you will not only be aware of why accessibility and standards affect everyone: you’ll be equipped with a thorough understanding of the best strategies to approach what needs to be done and how.
“Excellent… knowledge I can use.”
- Sandra Clark, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Oslo (Norway)
“Focused and easy to follow.”
-Jason Hollett, gordongroup
“Great. He kept me listening and understanding.”
- Matthew Brunetti, Lixar IT
Each full-day participant leaves with a comprehensive 160+ page learning guide, detailing every relevant accessibility success criterion.
“Inspiring!”
- Morten Budeng, King Design
“Excellent.”
- Sylvie Nyman, Indian and Northern, Affairs Canada
What’s Wrong
Computer-mediated accessibility to information represents the greatest liberation in human history. Most people in our societies have some sort of physical or mental difficulty which can stand in the way of clear communication unless proper design steps are taken.
Although most professional Web developers now create their sites with an awareness of technical design issues such as browser incompatibilities and platform dependencies, they are still experiencing difficulties with emerging accessibility standards. Many Web sites continue to be designed based on assumptions that don’t address the specific needs of people with disabilities and difficulties and thus fail to deliver the promise of the Web to all users.
“Very good speaker – good sense of humour.”
- Johan Fong, House of Commons
“Entertaining.”
- Sjur Kristiansen, Telenor Telecommunications Group
“Eye-opening. Love your method of teaching.”
- Jean Descrochers, National Research Council
“I enjoyed it all.”
- Robert Hallat, Public Service Commission
“Right on target.”
- Marius Monsen, Reaktor ID
“He knows what to do!” “This will guide us for the AA Standards”
- Bassil Wehbe, Agriculture Canada
What Makes This Course Unique
Our course leader, David Berman, is a consultant on common look and feel implementation for large Web sites, and has worked on Web accessibility projects for many large organizations including Statistics Canada, the National Research Council, and IBM. He has been the project manager of numerous accessible Web projects, has developed strategy and design for CFIA, CRA, CMHC, Health Canada, Canadian Heritage, Industry Canada, and the International Space Station … as well as many private sector and non-profit organizations.
By addressing and understanding accessibility issues, Web developers can more effectively deliver their message to their whole audience, while complying with the legal and moral responsibilities, regardless of physical or mental impediment.
What You Will Learn
You will learn how to make your current sites more accessible by complying with current standards and guidelines. Specifically, you will learn:
First Half (morning of a full-day course)
- why accessibility matters to everyone, not just those with disabilities
- the major disabilities and challenges: what they are and how most of us have some level of difficulty that can be assisted by accessible design
- assistive technologies we can typically use to mitigate these issues
- examples of accessible multimedia
- how accessibility will help your bottom-line
- overview of regulations
Second Half (afternoon of a full-day course)
- W3C WCAG 2.0 guidelines
- current standards (AODA, Section 508, Canada’s Standard on Web Accessibility)
- specific technologies and design techniques used to satisfy accessibility concerns
- testing frameworks for accessibility issues
- how to make PDF files more accessible
- specific techniques to save money through accessible coding
- where accessibility meets usability
- draft standards on developing accessible PDF
- specific technologies and design techniques used to satisfy core PDF accessibility issues
- how to make PDF files more accessible
- understanding of how enterprise-wide document development processes can save money and time while automating PDF generation
- testing frameworks for PDF accessible
“Very good: made me think…”
- Bente Mollevik, Norwegian Savings Bank Association
“Great: very comprehensive. Touching on all aspects of accessibility.”
- Marc Iafelice, CFIA
“David really knows his topics. Very well done: got the point across in a way that can be apply to everyone.”
- Sean Strasbourg, CFIA
Goals
At the end of this event, you will:
- know many techniques you can apply right away to make content more accessible
- have a comprehensive understanding of W3C WCAG 2.0 and current government accessibility guidelines and how to meet them
- be able to make informed decisions as to what degree to comply with accessibility standards
- understand better the experience of those with disabilities using the Web, multimedia, and software apps
- know you’re doing the “right thing” by ensuring accessibility for all
“Excellent.”
- Steinar Sandum, Adax, Svelvik (Norway)
“Interesting content, really well delivered. Visual and engaging. Gives us a common language and approach.”
- Chris Cook, CFIA
“Although I am from a program with no technical background, this seminar will change the way we prepare/write/present documents, policies, directives, forms, etc for posting on the Web.”
- Sharon Drolet, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Typical Agenda for Full Day Course
9:00 to 10:15: PDF idealism, Why We Should Care, Deficits, Assistive Technologies
10:15 to 10:30: break
10:30 to 11:45: Overview of sustainable PDF, Section 508, AODA, and the new Standard on Web Accessibility, WCAG 2.0 Principle 1
11:45 to 12:45: lunch
12:45 to 14:15: WCAG 2.0 Principles 2 and 3 through the PDF lens
14:15 to 14:30: break
14:30 to 16:30: WCAG 2.0 Principles 4, QA tools for PDF, Beyond AA
What You Get
When David Berman Communications hosts this course*, regular ticket holders receive:
- a complimentary, comprehensive 160+ page learning guide, detailing every major accessibility guideline (also available separately for $89 with optional 1-on-1 distance coaching)
- complimentary meals, snacks and beverages throughout
- a thirty-minute one-on-one personal coaching tele-session with David within a month
- the option to attend this course again in the future, as a refresher, at no additional cost
- the option to attend the first half on one date and the second half at a future date
- a money-back guarantee: if, after coaching and refresher, you don’t think you’ve got your money’s worth, we’ll refund your entire registration fee
(*If you are attending one of our courses hosted by another organization, confirm which of these items apply.)
Register or call 1-613-728-6777… or bring this event to your site: for a keynote, half-day, or full-day event, customized for your group.
Choose your date and register now
Prerequisites: None (no programming experience required)
Berman speaks on accessibility in Oslo, Norway
“Clear and entertaining: will allow more strategic planning rather than just reactionary stumbling.”
- Steve Doody, Justice Canada
“This will make us better communicators.”
- Luc Bergeron, SSHRC
“Perfect.”
- Jean Leclair, Environment Canada
“Loved the examples. David is very engaging and knowledgeable facilitator. His passion is obvious. Will help me better evangelize.”
- Patrick Dunphy, CBC
“Excellent: very engaging speaker.”
- Jean-Marc Mondoux, Elections Canada
About the Expert Speaker
David Berman is the principal of David Berman Communications. He has over 25 years of experience in graphic design and strategic communications.
David was appointed a high-level advisor to the United Nations on how universal design and accessible IT can help fulfill the Millennium Development Goals more rapidly.
He is a member of the ISO standards committee on accessible PDF documents.
His book (Do Good Design, Pearson/Peachpit, 2009) about how design can be used to create a more just world speaks about universal design and accessibility, and is now available in 4 languages, as well as Braille.
He has worked extensively in adapting the printed word for electronic distribution, including software interface development.
He has much experience as a senior consultant in applying accessibility and standards to government Web sites, as well as to private sector clients such as IBM and the Bank of Montreal, both as a strategist and compliance testing/coaching leader. He regularly teaches accessibility principles as part of his professional development workshops, and developed custom workshops for the National Research Council and Ontario’s largest school board. His plain writing, design, and accessibility work include award-winning projects for the City of Ottawa, the Ontario government, and Canada’s federal government. Clients include Justice Canada, Canada Revenue Agency, Health Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Region of Ottawa-Carleton and the Ontario Literacy Coalition.
David’s opinions have been featured in the Financial Post, the Globe And Mail, the Ottawa Citizen, the Montreal Gazette, Marketing, Applied Arts, HOW, and Communication Arts magazines, as well as ABC and CBS.
David ranks #1 on speakerwiki.org on this topic for a reason. His arc as an internationally-celebrated expert speaker has brought him to over 30 countries. He is a National Professional Member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS) and the Global Speakers Federation (GSF).
David is currently Ethics Chair of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, was named a Fellow (the highest professional honour for graphic designers in Canada) in 1999, and has served as a director and sustainability chair of Icograda, the world body for graphic and communications design.
Guest Presenters
David will often include guest subject matter experts within a full-day course. For instance, in 2011 he has been joined by:
- Jeff Braybrook (CEO, Blueprint), former Deputy Chief Technology Officer for the Government of Canada, and responsible for CLF
Who Should Attend
This course is targeted to all project managers, Webmasters, production coordinators, programming leaders, strategists, and controllers, involved in developing Web or other new media projects.
- senior departmental officials
- chief information officers
- heads of communication
- Web managers
- Web functional specialists
- people who need to get their Web site compliant with current and future government and/or W3C WCAG 2.0 accessibility standards
- people who manage or plan Web sites
- people who coordinate people who build Web sites
- people who design or program Web sites
- people who represent clients who hire others to develop Web sites
- people involved in: Web project management, analysis, architecture, interaction design, graphic design, prototyping, writing, development, quality control
- developers of online applications, games, mobile apps
This course delivers all the knowledge required for Level A and Level AA awareness training as documented in the Government of Canada’s Accessibility Responsibility Breakdown (WCAG 2.0).
Language:
English or French available on-site.
Duration:
One-day course, half-day course, or keynote presentation (we also provide this course customized on-site for your organization).
To be notified via e-mail of when we schedule new instances of this topic, subscribe to our E-Newsletter.
Comparison to Similar Courses from Other Providers
| Course | David Berman Communications | Canadian School of Public Service (CSPS) |
|---|---|---|
| Course Name | The new Standard On Web Accessibility | Web Accessibility Standard for the Government of Canada (T710) |
| Duration | 1 day: 0900-1615 with 1-on-1 follow-up | 3 days: 0830-1630 |
| Price: | $354 to $649 | $900 |
| Location | Multiple locations | Ottawa |
| Track record of course: | Since 2002 | Since 2011 |
| Presenter | David Berman: ranked #1 on this topic in Canada (speakerwiki.org), national member CAPS | ? |
| Open to: | all | public servants only |
“Wonderful handout! The way extra information, like links and explanations, is included works beautifully.”
- Elizabeth Strand, Making Waves, Oslo (Norway)
“Very understandable and fun.”
- Liz Breines, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Oslo (Norway)
“Highly valuable.”
- Maureen Quirouet, Parliament of Canada
“Excellent.”
- Sylvie Nyman, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
“Excellent storytelling. Thanks!”
- Sarah Rosenbaum, Norwegian Knowledge Centre for Health Services
“Makes you feel you are part of the course.”
- Arup Ghosh, BMO Financial Group (Bank of Montreal)
“Excellent, eye-opening, and not preachy!”
- Carrie Walker-Boyd, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Reviewed January 16, 2012
Schedule
“Really enjoyed your session.”
- Jim Dixon
“I love David’s approach.”
- Carole Dubuc, Canadian Armed Forces
The New Standard on Accessibility: WCAG 2.0 schedule
| ACCESSIBILITY EVENTS | LOCATION | HOST/REGISTRATION | FEE* |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2013 | Toronto, On | DesignThinkers 2013 | tba |
| Fri October 25, 2013 | Ottawa, ON | David Berman Communications | $299-597 |
| Fri June 21, 2013 | River Building, Carleton University Ottawa, ON | David Berman Communications | $299-597 |
| Fri May 31, 2013 | Carleton University | David Berman Communications | Free |
| Mon April 22, 2013 | Cornwall, ON | St. Lawrence College | $390 |
| Monday Apr 8 - 9, 2013 | Toronto, ON | St. Lawrence College | $390 |
| Wed February 27, 2013 | Hamilton, ON | David Berman / T-Base Communications | $549-649 |
| Fri February 22, 2013 | Ottawa, ON | David Berman Communications | $354-649 |
| Mon January 21, 2013 | St Lawrence College, Kingston, ON | St. Lawrence College | $390 |
| Thu January 10, 2013 | London, ON | David Berman / T-Base Communications | $549-649 |
| Thu December 13, 2012 | Ottawa, ON | Transportation Safety Board of Canada | private |
| Thu November 22, 2012 | River Building, Carleton University Ottawa, ON | David Berman Communications | $354-649 |
| Fri November 16, 2012 (postponed) | Ottawa, ON | David Berman Communications | $549-649 |
| Wed November 14, 2012 | Ottawa, ON | Ministère du Patrimoine canadien | private |
| Thu November 8, 2012 | Markham, ON | David Berman / T-Base Communications | $549-649 |
| Wed November 7, 2012 | Mississauga, ON | David Berman / T-Base Communications | $549-649 |
| Fri October 26, 2012 | Ottawa, ON | OCDSB / T-Base Communications | private |
| Thur October 25, 2012 | Ottawa, ON | OCDSB / T-Base Communications | private |
| Wed October 17, 2012 | Ottawa, ON | OCDSB / T-Base Communications | private |
| Tue October 9, 2012 (all day) (postponed) | San Francisco, CA | David Berman / T-Base Communications | $549-649 |
| Wed September 12, 2012 (all day) (postponed) | Boston, MA | David Berman / T-Base Communications | $549-649 |
| Tue-Wed July 17-18, 2012 | Niagara Falls, ON | Web Accessibility Matters | private |
| Mon May 14, 2012 (morning) | Delta Hotel, Winnipeg, MB | Manitoba Libraries Conference | $65-$130 |
| Wed May 9, 2012 | Strathcona Hotel, Toronto, ON | T-Base Communications | $549-$649 |
| Tue May 8, 2012 (all day) | Strathcona Hotel, Toronto, ON | David Berman / T-Base Communications | $549-649 |
| Thu May 3, 2012 (all day) | Toronto, ON | Accessible Media Inc. | private |
| Tue April 23, 2012 (all day) | Hotel Pennsylvania, New York City, NY | David Berman / T-Base Communications | $549-649 |
| Fri March 23, 2012 | Adobe Canada, Ottawa | T-Base Communications | $549-649 |
| Fri March 23, 2012 (Accessible PDF by Design - related all day course) | Adobe Canada, Ottawa | David Berman / T-Base Communications | $549-649 |
| Wed March 21, 2012 (7:00pm speech) | Capital Hill Hotel, Ottawa, ON | Editors Association of Canada, National Capital Chapter | Free: EAC members, $10: non-members |
| Thurs March 9, 2012 | Ottawa, ON | Public Health Agency/T-Base Communications | private event |
| Fri February 10, 2012 (morning) | Ottawa, ON | Canada Revenue Agency | private |
| Thu January 19, 2012 (all day) | Ottawa Convention Centre, Ottawa, ON | David Berman / T-Base Communications | $495-595 |
| Mon-Tue January 9-10, 2012 | Toronto, ON | BMO / T-Base Communications | private |
| Tue November 29, 2011 (all day) | Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, ON | David Berman / T-Base Communications | SOLD OUT |
| Thu November 23, 2011 | Ottawa, ON | National Research Council | private |
| Wed November 3, 2011 | Ottawa, ON | National Research Council | private |
| Wed October 5, 2011 | Lord Elgin Hotel, Ottawa, ON | David Berman / T-Base Communications | $319-595 |
| Fri September 27, 2011 | Webinar | Environments for Humans | $179 |
| Fri September 9, 2011 | Indigo Hotel, Ottawa, ON | Correctional Service Canada | private |
| Thu August 18, 2011 | Adobe headquarters, Ottawa, ON | David Berman Communications /RGD Ontario | $249-495 |
| Fri June 17 2011 | Adobe headquarters, Ottawa, ON | David Berman Communications /RGD Ontario | $249-495 |
| Thu April 7, 2011 | Ottawa Public Library, Ottawa, ON | RGD Ontario | $395-495 |
| Tue March 29, 2011 | Ottawa, ON | CFIA HR | by invitation |
| Thu February 17, 2011 | Ottawa, ON | CFIA Public Affairs | by invitation |
| Wed April 14, 2010 | Ottawa, ON | David Berman Communications | $495 |
| March 2010 | Montreal, PQ | eXplorance Inc. | by invitation |
| Wed October 28, 2009 | Beijing, China | Icograda World Congress 2009 | see host site |
| Thu April 30, 2009 | San Francisco, CA | Voices That Matter Web Design Conference | speaker breakfast |
| Thu April 2, 2009 | Delhi, India | World Summit Award Grand Jury | by invitation |
| Thu November 13, 2008 | Ottawa, ON | David Berman Communications | $495 |
| Mon July 6, 2008 | Daegu Exhibition Conference Centre, Daegu, Korea | Icograda Design Week in Daegu 2008 | see host site |
| Tue April 29, 2008 | Ottawa, ON | David Berman Communications | $495 |
| Thu March 13, 2008 | Tunney's Pasture, Ottawa, ON | Statistics Canada | private event |
| Tue February 19, 2008 | Tunney's Pasture, Ottawa, ON | Health Canada | private event |
| Wed November 7, 2007 | Minto Business Centre, Ottawa, ON | David Berman Communications | $495 |
| Thu November 9, 2006 | Minto Business Centre, Ottawa, ON | David Berman Communications | $495 |
| Thu February 16, 2006 | Minto Business Centre, Ottawa, ON | David Berman Communications | SOLD OUT |
| Tue December 6, 2005 | Oslo, Norway | Norwegian Design Council | SOLD OUT |
| Thu October 20, 2005 | Minto Business Centre, Ottawa, ON | David Berman Communications | SOLD OUT |
| Thu June 9, 2005 | Minto Business Centre, Ottawa, ON | David Berman Communications | $495 |
| Tue December 22, 2004 | Tunney's Pasture, Ottawa, ON | Health Canada | private event |
*Discount packages for non-profits, and travel subsidies available. Additional discounts available for groups over 3 people. Call (613) 728-6777 for details.
All prices, offerings, and dates subject to change without notice.
To register for a course given by our own organization,register online or call (613) 728-6777.
Resources
RESOURCES FOR ATTENDEES
For the convenience of course attendees, we provide this list of links and books cited in this course’s manual (in their rough order of appearance):
Comparison of accessibility features in various versions of Microsoft Windows: 
http://www.microsoft.com/enable/products/chartwindows.aspx
Search for assistive technology products: http://www.microsoft.com/enable/at/
JAWS for Windows:
http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_products/software_jaws.asp(warning: the demo is a 52 megabyte download)
Best source in Canada for JAWS software (as well as many other assistive technologies):frontiercomputing.on.ca
Zimmerman Low Vision Simulation Kit by Dr. George J. Zimmermanwww.lowvisionsimulationkit.com
Read Regular font, by Natascha Frensch:http://www.readregular.com/english/intro.html
NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access):http://www.nvda-project.org
Advanced on-screen keyboard example: ScreenDoors 2000http://www.madentec.com/products/screendoors.php
Mouse grid software example: Hippocampus Mouse Grid plug-in for Dragon Naturally Speakinghttp://sean.wenzel.net/voicerecognition/mousegrid
Section 508 of USA’s federal Rehabilitation Act Amendments (1998):http://www.justice.gov/crt/508/508law.php
Section 508 full standards:http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Content&ID=1
Australian government web accessibility standards and guidelines: http://webguide.gov.au/accessibility-usability/accessibility/
Other International Government Policies Relating to Web Accessibility (CH, DE, DK, ES, EU, FI, FR, HK, IL, IN, IT, JA, NZ, PT, UK): http://www.w3.org/WAI/Policy/
UN Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities:http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/dissre04.htm
Government of Canada’s new Standard on Web Accessibility:http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/14msg-eng.asp
Associating a graph and its description with the longdesc attribute:http://www.utexas.edu/disability/ai/resource/how_to/graphic/img_w_longdesc/img_w_longdesc.html
WET Media Player:http://alpha.gcwwwtemplates.tbs-sct.ircan.gc.ca/theme-clf2-nsi2/mediaplayer-joueurmedia-eng.html
Sample Transcripts/Captions (Timed Text):http://alpha.gcwwwtemplates.tbs-sct.ircan.gc.ca/theme-clf2-nsi2/mediaplayer-transcript_captions-eng.html
National Center for Accessible Media rich media samples: http://ncam.wgbh.org/richmedia/index.php
Color Oracle (colour blindness simulator):http://colororacle.cartography.ch
ColorChecker WCAG Contrast checker Firefox Add-on:https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/wcag-contrast-checker
Contrast Analyser from The Paciello Group that has eyedropper for graphics … and in both official languages!:http://www.paciellogroup.com/resources/contrast-analyser.html
Check My Colours:http://www.checkmycolours.com
Luminosity Colour Contrast Ratio Analyser (Juicy Studio):http://juicystudio.com/services/luminositycontrastratio.php
Photosensitive Epilepsy Analysis Tool (PEAT) Testing Tool:http://trace.wisc.edu/peat
Core Techniques for Web Accessibility Guidelines 1.0:www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-CORETECHS/#writing-style
aDesigner (Flash and Flex accessibility checker): http://blogs.adobe.com/accessibility/2009/06/evaluating_flash_and_flex_cont.htm
PDF Accessibility Checker (PAC):http://www.access-for-all.ch/en/pdf-werkstatt/pdf-accessibility-checker-pac.html
W3C’s PDF Techniques for WCAG 2.0:http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/WCAG20-TECHS/pdf.html
Assessing PDF files for accessibility:http://www.adobe.com/enterprise/accessibility/popup_assess_pdfs.htm
Creating accessible PDF files:http://www.adobe.com/enterprise/accessibility/popup_create_pdfs.html
Guide to the essentials of creating accessible PDFs with Microsoft Word and Acrobat Professional 8:http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/futuremedia/accessibility/bbc_accessible_pdf_master17.pdf
PDF and WCAG 2.0 Webinar:https://admin.adobe.acrobat.com/_a295153/p89681357/
Using accessibility features with Acrobat 8:http://www.adobe.com/enterprise/accessibility/popup_acr8_accessibility.html
HTML5:http://www.w3.org/TR/html5
HTML5 differences from HTML4:http://www.w3.org/TR/html5-diff
WAI-ARIA 1.0 technical specification:http://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria
WAI-ARIA 1.0 primer:http://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria-primer
Web Experience Toolkit (WET):http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/tb-bo/td-dt/fact-info-eng.asp
YUI Graded Browser Support:http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/aarticles/gbs
Standard on Web Accessibility Assessment Methodology:http://alpha.gcwwwtemplates.tbs-sct.ircan.gc.ca/theme-clf2-nsi2/assessMthdEval-WebAccess-eng.html
W3C’s Understanding WCAG 2.0:http://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/
W3C HTML Test Suite for WCAG 2.0:http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/WCAG20/tests/
Adobe Browserlab:http://browserlab.adobe.com
Fangs (Firefox extension) screen reader emulation:https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/fangs-screen-reader-emulator/
Colour deficiency simulator (iPad/iPhone):http://www.brailleinstitute.org/MobileApps.aspx
WAVE Toolbar for Firefox:http://wave.webaim.org/toolbar
WAVE for Dreamweaver:http://wave/webaim.org/blog/wave-dreamweaver-extension
Web Accessibility Toolbar for IE:http://www.paciellogroup.com/resources/wat-ie-about.html
Web Developer Toolbar (Chrome and Firefox extensions):http://chrispederick.com/work/web-developer
Browsealoud:
http://www.davidberman.com/design/browsealoud.php
Some sites that respect text size well:
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/index-eng.asp
United States “Section 508” of the federal Rehabilitation Act Amendments (1998):
http://www-306.ibm.com/able/laws/uslaws.html#508
eNorway 2009: Norwegian Ministry of Modernization strategy for e-government:
http://odin.dep.no/mod/norsk/aktuelt/pressesenter/pressem/050001-070060/dok-bn.html
Roundup of how Canada ranks in international studies: http://www.gol-ged.gc.ca/rpt2006/rpt/rpt10_e.asp
W3C (World Wide Web Consortium): http://www.w3.org
W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0): http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/wcag20.php
WCAG2.0 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines:
Comparison of WCAG 1.0 Checkpoints to WCAG 2.0 in Numerical Order: http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/from10/comparison
WCAG2 1.1: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#text-equiv
WCAG2 1.2: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#media-equiv
WCAG2 1.3: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#content-structure-separation
WCAG2 1.4: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#visual-audio-contrast
WCAG2 2.1: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#keyboard-operation
WCAG2 2.2: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#time-limits
WCAG2 2.3: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#seizure
WCAG2 2.4: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#navigation-mechanisms
WCAG2 3.1: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#meaning
WCAG2 3.2: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#consistent-behavior
WCAG2 3.3: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#minimize-error
WCAG2 4.1: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#ensure-compat
Treasury Board of Canada’s Testing Techniques Repository For WCAG 2.0: http://alpha.gcwwwtemplates.tbs-sct.ircan.gc.ca/theme-clf2-nsi2/testing-techniques-essai-eng.php
Treasury Board of Canada’s Web Experience Toolkit (WET): http://tbs-sct.ircan.gc.ca/projects/gcwwwtemplates
Government of Canada’s Accessibility Responsibility Breakdown (WCAG 2.0): http://alpha.gcwwwtemplates.tbs-sct.ircan.gc.ca/theme-clf2-nsi2/accessRespBreakdown-eng.html
WebAIM’s WCAG 2.0 Checklist: http://webaim.org/standards/wcag/checklist
Techniques and Failures for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0: http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/WCAG20-TECHS/Overview.html
W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 1.0): http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10
Techniques for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (1.0): http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS
W3C WCAG1 1.1: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-text-equivalent
W3C WCAG1 1.2: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-redundant-server-links
W3C WCAG1 1.3: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-auditory-descriptions
W3C WCAG1 1.4: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-synchronize-equivalents
W3C WCAG1 2.1: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-color-convey
W3C WCAG1 2.2: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-color-contrast
W3C WCAG1 3.1: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-use-markup
W3C WCAG1 3.2: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-identify-grammar
W3C WCAG1 3.3: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-style-sheets
W3C WCAG1 3.4: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-relative-units
W3C WCAG1 3.5: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-logical-headings
W3C WCAG1 3.6: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-list-structure
W3C WCAG1 3.7: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-quotes
W3C WCAG1 4.1: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-identify-changes
W3C WCAG1 4.2: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-expand-abbr
W3C WCAG1 5.1: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-table-headers
W3C WCAG1 5.2: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-table-structure
W3C WCAG1 5.3: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-avoid-table-for-layout
W3C WCAG1 5.4: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-table-layout
W3C WCAG1 6.1: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-order-style-sheets
W3C WCAG1 6.2: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-order-dynamic-source
W3C WCAG1 6.3: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-scripts
W3C WCAG1 6.4: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-keyboard-operable-scripts
W3C WCAG1 6.5: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-fallback-page
W3C WCAG1 7.1: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-avoid-flicker
W3C WCAG1 7.2: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-avoid-blinking
W3C WCAG1 7.3: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-avoid-movement
W3C WCAG1 7.4: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-no-periodic-refresh
W3C WCAG1 7.5: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-no-auto-forward
W3C WCAG1 8.1: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-directly-accessible
W3C WCAG1 9.1: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-client-side-maps
W3C WCAG1 9.2: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-keyboard-operable
W3C WCAG1 9.3: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-device-independent-events
W3C WCAG1 10.1: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-avoid-pop-ups
W3C WCAG1 10.2: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-unassociated-labels
W3C WCAG1 11.1: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-latest-w3c-specs
W3C WCAG1 11.2: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-avoid-deprecated
W3C WCAG1 11.4: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-alt-pages
W3C WCAG1 12.1: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-frame-titles
W3C WCAG1 12.2: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-frame-longdesc
W3C WCAG1 12.3: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-group-information
W3C WCAG1 12.4: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-associate-labels
W3C WCAG1 13.1: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-meaningful-links
W3C WCAG1 13.2: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-use-metadata
W3C WCAG1 13.3: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-site-description
W3C WCAG1 13.4: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-clear-nav-mechanism
W3C WCAG1 14.1: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-simple-and-straightforward
Accessibility For Ontarians With Disabilities Act, 2005 AODA Integrated Accessibility Standards (Ontario Regulation 191/11, April 2011): http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/source/regs/english/2011/elaws_src_regs_r11191_e.htm
National Center for Accessible Media rich media samples: http://ncam.wgbh.org/richmedia/index.php
Magpie (for creating captions and audio descriptions for rich media): http://ncam.wgbh.org/webaccess/magpie
Color deficiency simulator: http://www.vischeck.com
Colour deficit palette tester: http://www.iamcal.com/toys/colors
“Effective Color Contrast”: http://www.lighthouse.org/accessibility/effective-color-contrast
Colour Contrast Check: http://www.snook.ca/technical/colour_contrast/colour.html
Colour Blind People and Link Colours: http://www4.gvsu.edu/~leahym/ColorBlindness.html
“How To Design Web Accessible Page For The Colorblind”: http://www.allwebdesignresources.com/webdesignblogs/graphics/how-to-design-web-accessible-pages-for-the-colorblind
SMIL to create multimedia presentations:
What is SMIL: http://www.w3.org/AudioVideo/#SMIL
Accessibility Features of SMIL: http://www.w3.org/TR/1999/NOTE-SMIL-access-19990921/
SMIL example: http://www.geocities.com/ramirez_j2001/freedom/xhtml-smil_example.html
XHTML 1.0: http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1
Migrating to XHTML 1.0 Strict:
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/tb-bo/td-dt/mxhtmls-eng.asp
Alternatives for deprecated elements and attributes:
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/tb-bo/td-dt/adea-sread-eng.asp
AChecker http://achecker.ca/checker/index.php
CSS Validator: http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/
Browser support for CSS Properties:
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/tb-bo/td-dt/cssbs-csspcn-eng.asp
User Agent Accessibility Guidelines:
Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines:
Dublin Core Metadata Initiative: http://dublincore.org
Metadata harvesting: http://www.asis.org/IA03/fast.ppt
Treasury Board of Canada Recommended Policy for Common Look and Feel for Intranets (CLFIE):
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/int-ext/intranet/intranet_e.doc
Government of Canada Metadata Implementation Guidelines for Web Resource Discovery: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/im-gi/mwg-gtm/ts-sf/docs/2006/metaweb/metaweb00_e.asp
TBITS 39: Treasury Board Information Management Standard, Part 1: Government On-Line Metadata Standard: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/its-nit/standards/tbits39/crit391_e.asp
Complete list of Health Canada metadata: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/tb-bo/guide/meta/nov-2005-eng.php
Writing Effective Web Documents: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/tb-bo/td-dt/wewd-rdwe-eng.asp
CLAD Readability Mark certification: http://www.eastendliteracy.on.ca/ClearLanguageAndDesign/services/service4.htm
More Reading on clear English:
“Eats, Shoots & Leaves” (by Lynne Truss ISBN: 1-592-40087-6)
“Writing Readable Regulations” (by Thomas A. Murawski, Carolina Academic Press ISBN: 0-89089-849-9)
“Beyond Readability” (by Dr. Janice C. Redish, American Institutes for Research, no ISBN)
Great Books about Usability Testing:
“Don’t Make Me Think” (by Steve Krug, Que Publishing, 2000 ISBN: 0-7897-2310-7)
“Handbook of Usability Testing” (by Jeffrey Rubin, John Wiley & Sons, 1994 ISBN: 0-471-59403-2)
Great Books about Information Architecture:
“Information Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing Large-scale Web Sites (2nd Edition)” (by Louis Rosenfeld and Peter Morville, 2002, O’Reilly ISBN: 0-596-00035-9)
“The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint” (by Edward R. Tufte, 2003, no ISBN)
Great Books about Typography:
“Stop Stealing Sheep” (by Erik Spiekermann ISBN: 0-201-70339-4)
Clear reading on clear writing:
Writing Readable Regulations by Thomas A. Murawski,
Carolina Academic Press, ISBN: 0-89089-849-9
Beyond Readability by Dr. Janice C. Redish,
American Institutes for Research (no ISBN number) Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss, ISBN: 1-592-40087-6
More Reading:
“The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information” (by George A. Miller, 1956, no ISBN): http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Miller
Government of Canada CLF 2.0:
Part 1: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/clfs-nnsi/clfs-nnsi-1-eng.asp
All four CLF 2.0 parts in one document: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/clfs-nnsi/clfsp-nnsii-eng.asp
Crosswalk table from CLF 1.1 to CLF 2.0: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/cw-tc/cwtoc-tctdm-eng.asp
CLF 2.0 Toolbox: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/tb-bo/tbtoc-botdm-eng.asp
ISO 639-2 codes: http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/code_list.php
CLF Standard 3.1: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/inter/inter-03-01_e.asp
Part 2: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/clfs-nnsi/clfs-nnsi-2-eng.asp
CLF 2.0 Text Equivalents Repository:http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/tb-bo/td-dt/ter-det-eng.asp
Sample Help page: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/tb-bo/hpe-epa-eng.asp
Canada CLF 1.1 Standard 6.1: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/inter/inter-06-01_e.asp
Canada CLF 1.1 Standard 6.2: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/inter/inter-06-02_e.asp
CLF 2.0 CSS FAQ: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/tb-bo/td-dt/css-faq-eng.asp
CLF 2.0 Compliance Checklist for Web sites: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/ccl-ldv/ccl-ldv-eng.asp
Government of Canada Common Look and Feel 2.0 Template Technical Guide: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/tb-bo/td-dt/gcttg-gtmgc-eng.asp
UXBlog’s Five Best & Worst CLF 2.0 Designs:http://ampli2de.com/uxblog/index.php?itemid=68
Free online PDF conversion tools: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/access_onlinetools.html
PDF and accessibility: http://www.adobe.com/enterprise/accessibility/main.html
Creating Accessible Adobe PDF Files: http://www.adobe.com/enterprise/accessibility/pdfs/acro6_pg_ue.pdf
Institutional signature: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/fip-pcim/index_e.asp#ident
Directive on the Use of Official Languages on Web Sites: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pubs_pol/hrpubs/OffLang/duolw-dulow_e.asp
Directive on the Use of Official Languages in Electronic Communications: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pubs_pol/hrpubs/OffLang/duolec-dlloce_e.asp
“Canada” wordmark: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/fip-pcim/index_e.asp#symbols
Government Communications Policy: http://www.tbssct.gc.ca/Pubs_pol/sipubs/comm/siglist_e.asp
Sample Accessibility Notice: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/tb-bo/an-aa-eng.asp
Sample Accessibility Notice on the “Help” Page: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/tb-bo/hpan-paaa-eng.asp
AODA Accessibility Standards for Customer Service (Ontario Regulation 429/07) Compliance Manual:http://blog.amdsb.ca/pdf/AODA/ComplianceManual.pdf
“Making Text Legible”: http://www.lighthouse.org/accessibility/legible/
Auto-acknowledgement template: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/4/auto1_e.asp
Copyright/Permission template: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/5/5ex_e.asp
Privacy template: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/5/5ex2_e.asp
Privacy Notice for the Collection of Personal Information template: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clfnsi/5/5ex1_e.asp
CLF 1.1 Sample Common Menu Bar: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/6/6common_e.asp
‘Skip navigation link’: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/6/skip_e.asp
Institutional Menu Bar: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/6/6institution_e.asp
W3C HTML validation service: http://validator.w3.org/
GC.CA Subdomain Registry: http://www.registry.gc.ca/
Bilingual Welcome Page template: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/6/exmpl1_e.asp
FIP Symbols of Government: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/fippcim/index_e.asp#symbols
FIP Signatures for GoC Web Sites: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/gcalttext_e.asp
Unilingual Welcome Page: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/fip-pcim/nav3_e.asp
Where to get WATS: www.gotraining.ca orwww.davidberman.com
Where to buy usability testing: www.davidberman.com
TBS Common Look and Feel Self-Assessment Guide (1.1): http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/guide/guide_e.pdf
W3C CSS Validation service: http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/
W3C Markup Validation: http://validator.w3.org/
W3C Link checker: http://validator.w3.org/checklink/
Total Validator: http://www.totalvalidator.com
W3C RSS feed checker: http://validator.w3.org/feed
CSS Analyser (Juicy Studio):http://juicystudio.com/services/csstest.php
HTMLTidy: http://www.w3.org/People/Raggett/tidy
TBS Pages Templates for CLF 1.1: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/6/1-tools-outils_e.asp
TBS Model cascading style sheets 1.1: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/1/model/model-css-general-guidetb_e.asp
Browser compatibility testing: http://www.anybrowser.com/siteviewer.html
Browser emulator for really early browsers: http://www.dejavu.org
Screen size testing: http://www.anybrowser.com/ScreenSizeTest.html
Checking for broken links: http://www.anybrowser.com/linkchecker.html
Link maintenance: http://www.changedetection.com/monitor.html
Checking for bad links, HTML syntax, broken tags: ChangeAgent, http://www.xlanguage.com
Color deficiency simulator: http://www.vischeck.com
Making Tables Accessible:http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/tb-bo/td-dt/mta-rta-eng.asp
Making Forms Accessible:http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/tb-bo/td-dt/mfa-rcfa-eng.asp
Replacing Radio Buttons With Selects:http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/tb-bo/td-dt/radio-eng.asp
Government of Canada Treasury Board CIO Common Look and Feel for the Internet: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/index_e.asp
Government of Canada CLF 2.0 Guidelines: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/index-eng.asp
Government of Canada CLF Guidelines 1.1 for intranets and extranets: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf-nsi/int-ext/intranet/intranettb_e.asp
Government of Canada Internet Guide – Universal Accessibility:http://www.canada.gc.ca/programs/guide/3_1_4e.html
CPB/WGBH – NCAM: http://www.wgbh.org/wgbh/pages/ncam/webaccess/index.html
HTML Writers Guild – AWARE Center: http://www.awarecenter.org/
WebABLE: http://www.webable.com/
IBM Human Ability and Accessibility site: http://www-306.ibm.com/able
Accessibility Testing:
http://www-306.ibm.com/able/guidelines/web/accessweb.html
Designing Web Content For Persons With Disabilities: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/tb-bo/td-dt/dwcpwd-ccwph-eng.asp
Accessible Initiative Link Solution: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/tb-bo/td-dt/ails-slia-eng.asp
Article example on accessible accordion view:http://www.filamentgroup.com/lab/expand_and_collapse_content_accessibly_with_progressive_enhancement_jquery/
Sample Accessibility Features Statement: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/clf2-nsi2/ahlpaacc-eng.asp#afsecoa
Welcoming People With Disabilities To Your Workplace:
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pubs_pol/hrpubs/tb_852/cwwed_e.asp
Employment Equity and Diversity for Managers:
http://www.psagency-agencefp.gc.ca/ee/index_e.asp
30 Days To A More Accessible Web Site: http://diveintoaccessibility.org/
Web Accessibility Checklist: http://www-306.ibm.com/able/guidelines/web/accessweb.html
Accessibility evaluation tools:http://www.deyalexander.com.au/resources/uxd/accessibility-evaluation-tools.html
Evaluation, Repair, and Transformation Tools for Web Content Accessibility:http://www.w3.org/WAI/ut3/ER/existingtools.html
Additional browsing: http://www.websitesthatsuck.com
The Web Page From Hell: http://www.re-vision.com/hell
Tima watch by Julien Bergignat:http://www.julienbergignat.com/
Introduction to Ontario’s Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation: http://ontario.ca/accessON
ROT (Redundant, Outdated, Trivial):http://www.systemscope.com/news/clean-out-the-rot-in-your-web-closet/
ROT (Redundant, Outdated, Trivial):http://www.webpagecontent.com/arc_archive/171/5/
Web Design with Style, Ease, and CSS:http://www.onlinewebdesigndegree.com/resources/web-design-with-style-ease-and-css/
RESOURCES FOR HOSTS
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I have to say, I find it somewhat amusing that you include a poorly captioned video in a post on making sure web presences are accessible… or should I say “making sure their web presence is art sesame” since that’s what your captions say! Closed captioning is included in WCAG 2.0 level AA, is essential for the Deaf and hard of hearing, as well as second language learners, people watching media in noisy places or places with a lack of privacy, adds clarity where speakers have unfamiliar accents or there is unfamiliar terminology, and has the added benefit of enhancing SEO. If you’re committed to web accessibility, caption your video!
Jennifer, mea culpa! We had Google’s raw machine translation wrongly enabled on that version. We’ve swapped in our proper captions so it is now as it should be. “art sesame” indeed! What a great example of machine captioning gone wrong: I’ve screen captured it for my WCAG 2.0 course where we show people how to use machine captioning as a starting point to efficient excellent manual captioning. Thank you again for taking the time to point it out.
Also thank you for sharing your excellent list of why competent captioning matters: total agreement! One more thing to add to your list: captioned video also created a starting point for manual or machine translation to other languages. One of my favorite examples of when captioning benefits everyone is when we’re at the gym and there are five treadmills and five televisions tuned to different channels: so of course they turn the volume off and turn the captions on! When we design for the extremes, everyone benefits.
PS. I went to make a thank you donation to chs.ca and there is a security problem on your Donate Now button: your security certificate is reporting as expired which definitely discourages donors.
Hi David, I have a new question for you. In IE8 when using a select box that contains more than one option there is a browser problem when zooming in to increase the size of the font for a user that has decreased vision. The select box remains at a relatively stable size, so the more the user zooms in the more the option displayed is cut off, and just shows the tops of the word. Do you know of a solution to this issue?
Hi. This could be one of several issues. Could you please email me a screen capture, and tell what OS version you are running, to make sure I am understanding correctly? Thank you.
Abbreviations
My question relates to the use of acronym tags, however, I realize that this tag is being deprecated in HTML5. Regardless, the use of the tag whether it be acronym or abbr remains the same. As you know the federal government has its own language in acronyms and often page content can contain not just many instances of a particular acronym but also may have many different acronyms present as well. Understanding the correct implementation of this tag will save hours of rework in the future. Please correct any wrong statements and elaborate on the misunderstood statements below.
* The correct syntax of an acronym tag is Treasury Board Secretariat.
*All acronyms can be tagged but the title element is always used in the tag when present.
*All acronyms should be tagged to force the screen readers to read them as separate letters instead of a word but the title element should only be used in the first instance. For example: ISO.
*Once the first instance of the acronym has been coded with the correct syntax as in the first bullet, it is not necessary to wrap the other instances of the acronym in a tag.
*If the tag is presented without the title element most browsers present an indicator that there is attached info. However, for the sighted user this is incorrect but this does allow the unsighted user to get the acronym delivered correctly. Which way should have precedence in your opinion?
*Acronym tags are not mandatory in WCAG 2.0.
*Incorrect use of the acronym tag is a fail under Success Criteria 1.3.1 – Technique F43.
Hi! I’m glad you enjoyed our training session, and I thank you for these questions, as I’ve received many inquiries about acronyms lately, and am eager to share some clarity.
You are correct that ACRONYM is deprecating in favour of ABBR, as an acronym is simply an instance of an abbreviation. Assistive technologies generally treat both the same way (a notable exception being around IE6 which alone supported ACRONYM yet not ABBR).
Therefore, in my responses to each of your statements I’ll dwell on ABBR though my comments also apply to ACRONYM…
sjw: * The correct syntax of an acronym tag is Treasury Board Secretariat.
David: For HTML, the correct typical syntax would be
<acronym title="Treasury Board Secretariat">TBS</acronym>for the acronym element, though I recommend you replace acronym with abbr. For PDF, you would use an /E structure instead.sjw: *All acronyms can be tagged but the title element is always used in the tag when present.
David: Almost true. Using the ABBR element to make an abbreviation clearer is one way of doing so, in which case the TITLE attribute should be present. However, there are some situations where an ABBR (or ACRONYM) isn’t technically possible (for instance, within an alt attribute when providing a text description of an image) in which case it is best to simply spell out the term. Also, when an acronym is first used, it is a common technique to spell out the term in parentheses immediately following the acronym) for all to “see”: in such cases also using an ABBR or ACRONYM would by dysfunctionally redundant (as, for instance, someone using a screen reader would then wrongly hear the expanded form twice).
sjw: *All acronyms should be tagged to force the screen readers to read them as separate letters instead of a word but the title element should only be used in the first instance. For example: ISO.
David: Untagged, the screen reader is going to read an all caps word as separate letters. And I think that all instances should be coded identically (see my next response…)
sjw: *Once the first instance of the acronym has been coded with the correct syntax as in the first bullet, it is not necessary to wrap the other instances of the acronym in a tag.
David: Although there is a debate around whether to TITLE every instance or just the first instance, I’m in the every-instance camp, for many reasons:
- there are cases where the same abbreviation will appear with two different meanings on the same page, for example “Dr. Bombay, 123 Riverside Dr., Ottawa”.
- not every assistive technology is going to elegantly apply the one instruction to all instances of an identical abbreviation, and we are always seeking device independence
- down the road a developer or algorithm may cut and paste a portion of your page into another page, and thus lose the rule
- it is more difficult to do quality assurance if not all instances are handled the same way
sjw: *If the tag is presented without the title element most browsers present an indicator that there is attached info. However, for the sighted user this is incorrect but this does allow the unsighted user to get the acronym delivered correctly. Which way should have precedence in your opinion?
David: I recommend that you always include the title attribute. Also, don’t forget the value of potentially also including a LANG attribute whenever the expanded version is not in the language of the page.
sjw: *Acronym tags are not mandatory in WCAG 2.0.
David: Nothing is mandatory in WCAG 2.0 . Rather, for the example of Treasury Board of Canada, their site is governed by the Canadian government’s new Standard On Web Accessibility, which makes compliance mandatory for all WCAG 2.0 success criteria of Level A and Level AA (with some exceptions). Because the WCAG 2.0 success criterion for expanding on abbreviations (3.1.4) is designated Level AAA, including ABBR (or ACRONYM) is not mandatory under the Standard On Web Accessibility.
sjw: *Incorrect use of the acronym tag is a fail under Success Criteria 1.3.1 – Technique F43.
David: Yes, that would be a Level A failure. I think what we’re getting at here is someone wrongly using ABBR or ACRONYM to force the visual dotted underline effect in many browsers. Of course, more generally, there are other success criteria which would also be failed with wonton miscoding of ABBR (or any element for that matter).
All around, ABBR elements are a blessing, and one can even control them further through CSS. And, although designated Level AAA, the folks in marketing for sites seeking A or AA compliance will also appreciate the potential control that the use of ABBR can give to how any abbreviated brand “sounds” online.
Final tip: don’t forget that you can also use ABBR in the opposite way in table header rows, providing a more terse alternative heading that will have the benefit of reducing the read-out-loud time of phrases that will be read repeatedly by a screen reader.
Thanks for your response David. It will help us to determining how we will implement this tag in the future. In regards to your statement “Untagged, the screen reader is going to read an all caps word as separate letters.”, I have listened to our pages with both Jaws and NVDA and did not find this to be true. Is there a setting in these readers that would be set to ensure that all caps words will be read as separate letters?
You’re right: my statement is too broad. Both NVDA and JAWS have logic where if the abbreviation has sufficient vowels to be pronounceable AND the phrase is not in their exception dictionary, then they may try to sound it out (i.e. an acronym), rather than spell out each letter (i.e. an initialism). These algorithms are more likely to spell out when the word is all caps, but you still won’t necessarily get the result you desire: further discouraged by the fact that NVDA currently effectively ignores and , while JAWS ships with the user preference to expand them turned off.
However, if you really want to make sure that a given abbreviation will be spelled out when the assistive technology and user preferences are ready to accommodate, here’s the deeper best practice…
In your CSS, specify these styles:
abbr, abbr.acronym {speak:normal;} abbr.initialism {speak:spell-out;}… now that you have established a class that distinguishes initialisms, then for each abbreviation you would prefer spelled out, you would code like this example:
(note that you don’t need a TITLE in this situation, as this assumes you don’t want to present “International Standards Organization” in any case).
You could go even deeper, with a class for truncations, for instance.
Thank you David, this is the information that I have been searching for.