Everybody accesses the Internet differently. Maybe you prefer using Firefox over Internet Explorer for your browser, or you like Yahoo over Gmail. Or, maybe you prefer the screen reader Window-Eyes over JAWS. Chances are you didn’t think about the last preference because you do not use screen reading software to access your computer and get online.
If you are a web designer, you should think about how someone with a disability might access the Internet. Why? Because many government web sites are required by law to be accessible to people with disabilities. The Web Accessibility Initiative develops guidelines for web accessibility and support materials to help Internet users and web designers understand why people access the Internet differently and why we need to make sure our web sites are accessible.
The Illinois Center for Information Technology and Access is offering two workshops for web designers:
Designing Universally Accepted Web Resources is a hands-on course where you will build your own accessible web site using HTML, CSS and iCITA Best Practices.
Designing Accessible Web Forms is a course that helps you understand how browsers interpret labeling markups for screen readers.
If you’d like to learn more about web accessibility, check out previous INDATA blog posts on the WAVE toolbar and the difference between Twitter.com and Accessible Twittr.