Hi all, I believe making sites accessible is very important.
We are all used to ramps near stairs, lifts near escalators, lowered curbs at intersections. We need to get used to "baking in" time into our projects for accessible elements. Such elements are hidden headings (to aid semantics), skip links (to aid navigation), non-Javascript styles (to enable interaction with all content) and also high-contrast style sheets for vision-impaired users. > I don't believe that integrating accessibility into a project adds a > significant cost to a project anyway. I found that some of these elements take quite some time to integrate. Creating high-contrast CSS can take up to a day (or more if you're new to it), non-Javascript states usually more than an hour because you also have to edit the script. If you haven't considered accessibility in your company before you'll find that a lot of time goes by convincing the backing parties (Product Managers, Project Managers) to take it on board. For an example of a high-contrast version may I suggest to check out the Sydney Morning Herald's Travel section (http://www.smh.com.au/travel/). Click on "Low vision" in the navigation bar (We're going to replace "low vision" with "high contrast" since the former can be perceived as discriminatory). The styles you see then have been developed together with a vision-impaired person. They're not pretty, but usable. The biggest challenge with this kind of CSS is to keep up with development and remind oneself to update the code. It's not perfect, but it's a start. Cheers, Jens The information contained in this e-mail message and any accompanying files is or may be confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, reliance, forwarding, printing or copying of this e-mail or any attached files is unauthorised. This e-mail is subject to copyright. No part of it should be reproduced, adapted or communicated without the written consent of the copyright owner. If you have received this e-mail in error please advise the sender immediately by return e-mail or telephone and delete all copies. Fairfax does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in this e-mail or attached files. Internet communications are not secure, therefore Fairfax does not accept legal responsibility for the contents of this message or attached files. ******************************************************************* List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm Help: memberh...@webstandardsgroup.org *******************************************************************
