Still Building Websites Like It’s 1995
Somewhere in my pile of web junk, countless desktops, laptops, tablets and Kindles later, is a picture of me using my first PC in the kitchen of my old townhouse. My parents and the guy who would later become my husband (for which I had NO idea at the time that was in my future!), were standing behind me. I must have been showing them how I would unplug the house landline, dial up AOL with the 9600 baud modem, screech and cringe at the noise until AOL connected me to the world and then I could email or work on my first website, called Dancing Thunder’s Playground. It was 1995. I was surrounded by books on HTML, PERL and…
Confusion Continues in the US Over Website Accessibility Regulations
There continues to be ongoing confusion over whether or not websites must be ADA compliant in the USA, despite promises for clarity and guidance on accessibility guidelines from the government. Driven by an alarming number of ADA lawsuits in the online retail and financial sectors, many corporations opted to build accessibility into their websites from the ground up by following WCAG guidelines. However, without any legal reason to provide accessible web pages, it was too easy for most other companies not to. This opened the doors to lawyers who specialize in ADA lawsuits and litigation soared, creating what eventually became H.R. 620, The ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017. Passed by the House in February 2017, H.R. 620 stalled…
Removing Barriers to Your Websites and Software
Barriers, walls, and division tactics may appear to be the new society norm, but simmering underneath are companies and people throwing open their doors to everyone wanting to work, learn, and contribute in positive ways. Not everyone has the desire to plug in to life. Sometimes it takes a traumatic event to push past what you know and believe. For those of you who develop software and online apps, design websites or create digital marketing strategies, one area you are not often taught enough about is how to break down barriers and open up full access and reach. It’s not something taken seriously unless an event occurs, like a lawsuit or public customer complaint. Typically, from the first team gathering…
Accessibility and Inclusive User Experience
There is growing interest in web accessibility around the world, with more companies seeking to make their web properties inclusive and user friendly for all people. Perhaps it’s to increase conversions, or create an ethical brand, but whatever the driving force behind the increase in accessibility testing and need for specialists, in the United States, there remains resistance. With the pending vote by the US Senate on H.R. 620, the amendment to the ADA passed by the House to change accessibility laws, I’ve been asked repeatedly whether a website should be accessible. Nearly every website usability audit or web design client I speak with places accessibility at the bottom of the pile of things to plan for. Educating them is…
