Author Archives: dnw

What’s new with Accessibility in iOS 11?

iOS 11 has some helpful new options in Accessibility to assist any person and everybody customise their iPhone and iPad interface to paintings with them and for them. Here is what’s new. Sensible Invert Sensible Invert is a brand new atmosphere to be added to the Invert Colours phase of Accessibility in iOS. While colourContinueContinue reading “What’s new with Accessibility in iOS 11?”

There’s Always Something to be Done: Liz Henry on Being Disabled in Tech

… Liz is currently the release manager for Mozilla, and has worked in two eras of tech: the 1990s and the mid-2000s to the present. She learned her computer skills from tinkering with computers from a young age, and having the freedom to experiment. In addition to her work in open source software, Liz isContinueContinue reading “There’s Always Something to be Done: Liz Henry on Being Disabled in Tech”

ARIA Labels and Relationships  |  Web  | Google Developers

Labels ARIA provides several mechanisms for adding labels and descriptions to elements. In fact, ARIA is the only way to add accessible help or description text. Let’s look at the properties ARIA uses to create accessible labels. aria-label aria-label allows us to specify a string to be used as the accessible label. This overrides any otherContinueContinue reading “ARIA Labels and Relationships  |  Web  | Google Developers”

Accessibility features in macOS and iOS that everyone should try

If you’re someone who doesn’t have any specific reasons to go there, you may have never explored the Accessibility settings on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad. While it’s true that those settings are there primarily for people who have special physical needs to modify how a device’s interface works, the fact is, many people whoContinueContinue reading “Accessibility features in macOS and iOS that everyone should try”

Using Keyboard-only Navigation, for Web Accessibility

… Programmers are big fans of using the keyboard instead of continually shifting between the keyboard and mouse. And yet a significant percentage of websites make it difficult or even impossible for users to perform some activities without using a mouse or other pointer device. This curious relationship between using the keyboard and developing for the keyboard has alwaysContinueContinue reading “Using Keyboard-only Navigation, for Web Accessibility”

Sounding out the web: accessibility for deaf and hard of hearing people [Part 2]

[Part 2] In my previous post, I spoke with Ruth MacMullen, an academic librarian and copyright specialist from York, about her experience of being deaf and how it affects how she uses the web. In this next post in the series, Ruth shares some of the things that make life easier for her on the web,ContinueContinue reading “Sounding out the web: accessibility for deaf and hard of hearing people [Part 2]”

Colorblind-friendly ‘Uno’ cards

In the game of Uno, knowing the color of a card is just as important as knowing its number, which means some colorblind players can be at a serious disadvantage. But now Mattel is fixing that — the company just announced a new accessible version of Uno, made with ColorADD cards. For the new version of the classic card game,ContinueContinue reading “Colorblind-friendly ‘Uno’ cards”

Sounding out the web: accessibility for deaf and hard of hearing people [Part 1] 

The largely visual nature of the web means that we tend to focus on supporting people who are blind or partially sighted. But deaf and hard of hearing people are often overlooked. I spoke with Ruth MacMullen, who is an academic librarian and copyright specialist from York in the UK, about her experience of beingContinueContinue reading “Sounding out the web: accessibility for deaf and hard of hearing people [Part 1] “

Reframing Accessibility for the Web · An A List Apart

We need to change the way we talk about accessibility. Most people are taught that “web accessibility means that people with disabilities can use the Web”—the official definition from the W3C. This is wrong. Web accessibility means that people can use the web.  Not “people with disabilities.” Not “blind people and deaf people.” Not “peopleContinueContinue reading “Reframing Accessibility for the Web · An A List Apart”

Defining and Measuring Usability and UX. The Big Difference Between Usability and UX

Everyone knows that user-friendly websites and apps are vital for the overall success of a business. We know that design quality indicates credibility and trust and that those things drive results. We know this. So how do you know that your site or app is easy to use? What steps do you take to know for sure that yourContinueContinue reading “Defining and Measuring Usability and UX. The Big Difference Between Usability and UX”

10 guidelines to improve your web accessibility

We put together a list of ten web accessibility guidelines that will guarantee access to your site to any person, in spite of their disabilities. There’s a quote by Tim Berners-Lee, Director of W3C and inventor of the World Wide Web, that says, “The power of the web is in its universality”. As people who make a living byContinueContinue reading “10 guidelines to improve your web accessibility”

Accessibility | Improvements to the next udpate are already planned

In both the Windows Anniversary and Creators Update, Microsoft has added many new enhancements to features across the operating system to improve accessibility for its customers who have low vision, are blind, have a partial hearing loss or deafness in either or both ears, live with physical disabilities, or need assistance reading text on theirContinueContinue reading “Accessibility | Improvements to the next udpate are already planned”

Accessibility and the Digital Service Standard | Digital Transformation Agency

… Accessibility has been a government priority for many years. The release of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.0 (or WCAG 2.0) set a new standard for accessibility. But for those of us who work in government, there is more to consider. Accessibility must go beyond the technical requirements. As I covered in myContinueContinue reading “Accessibility and the Digital Service Standard | Digital Transformation Agency”

Accessibility Testing: Checkers & Development Tools Review

Tools of the Trade In a different article, I outline the basics foundations of accessibility standards: “Understanding s508 & WCAG 2.0”. To further expand this, let’s look at various development tools to help author accessible content conformant to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (“WCAG”) 2.0 standards. Getting Started For a primer or refresher on whatContinueContinue reading “Accessibility Testing: Checkers & Development Tools Review”

Web Accessibility Checklist

A beginner’s guide to web accessibility Landmarks ARIA Landmark Roles are helpful landmarks that can be used by AT to navigate a website. Note: When you validate html using landmark roles, you’ll receive a warning stating these roles are redundant. In HTML5, several of the landmark roles are implicit via the native structural element whichContinueContinue reading “Web Accessibility Checklist”

Microsoft Hosts Its First Accessibility Summit to Better Tech Access For Disabled

Microsoft India today hosted its first-ever Accessibility Summit in the country to enhance technology access for people with disabilities. The summit aimed at demonstrating the business value of accessible technology for organizations, the need for a collaborative effort as well as assessing policy’s role in creating an accessible India.Through a series of constructive sessions, theContinueContinue reading “Microsoft Hosts Its First Accessibility Summit to Better Tech Access For Disabled”

The Potential of IoT Technologies for People with Disabilities

While being able to dim your lights, lock your doors, and adjust the thermostat using voice commands or a simple interface on your smartphone may seem like convenient novelties to some, for disabled individuals these can be essential to maintaining a safe, healthy, enjoyable home life. For example, a quadriplegic who cannot physically open theirContinueContinue reading “The Potential of IoT Technologies for People with Disabilities”

Four Free Tools for Automated Accessibility Testing of Web Apps

Designing and developing for web accessibility has become a requirement of modern computing. Depending on the content and complexity of your project requirements, it can also be a very difficult pursuit. Two colleagues of mine have already written excellent articles exploring the need for and design of accessible web sites: Designing Accessible Software – BreakingContinueContinue reading “Four Free Tools for Automated Accessibility Testing of Web Apps”

Canada’s new accessibility laws should focus on employment, inclusive buildings, transport 

The priorities, which were laid out in a report and released by the federal government Monday, summarize eight months of consultations held with Canadians from coast to coast. Carla Qualtrough Qualtrough, the minister tasked with crafting laws to make Canada more accessible to people with disabilities, says employment will be a key focus of herContinueContinue reading “Canada’s new accessibility laws should focus on employment, inclusive buildings, transport “

The Effects of Parallax Scrolling on User Experience in Web Design

The Effects of Parallax Scrolling on User Experience in Web Design Parallax scrolling is becoming an increasingly popular strategy in web design. This scrolling technique creates the illusion of depth on a webpage by making the background images move slower than the foreground images. In addition to its ability to engage users with a website,ContinueContinue reading “The Effects of Parallax Scrolling on User Experience in Web Design”

The ability to control Windows 10 with your eyes is coming soon

Controlling your PC with only your eyes is something that’s set to be possible much sooner than you probably think. According to the Windows blog, the technology will be available in the latest Windows 10 Preview Build (162570). The technology comes from a partnership with Tobii, a Swedish company that specifically develops eye control technology.ContinueContinue reading “The ability to control Windows 10 with your eyes is coming soon”