Transcript Selling an Idea or a Product

Information underload
Julie Howell
Campaigns Officer
(Digital Access)
RNIB
Yes, blind people use
the Internet!!
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good Web design
browser flexibility
‘access technology’
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magnification software
synthetic speech
braille display
Why good Web design matters
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1.7m have sight problems in the UK (1 in 35)
inaccessible design censors blind people’s
access to information, participation, choice,
democracy and consumer rights
Disability Discrimination Act 1995
Government Web Guidelines 1999
don’t let blind people be paupers the of the
information society
Guidance
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http://www.rnib.org.uk/digital
http://www.w3.org/WAI
http://www.cast.org/bobby
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/betsie
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http://www.iagchampions.gov.uk/Guidelines/websites/
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Julie’s 10 top tips
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Is the text legible?
Is the design flexible?
Do all images have ‘alt-text’?
Is there a site map?
Do links make sense out of context?
Are imagemaps accompanied by text links?
Do frames have titles, is ‘noframes’ used?
Are alternatives offered for Javascript, applets, flash plug-ins?
Is Access Adobe available for PDF files?
Do all pages pass the ‘Bobby test’? http://www.cast.org/bobby
Tip #11
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User testing - ask disabled
Net users for feedback!
“...the more barriers you put in
the way, the less likely people
with sight problems are to
reach the information to which
they are entitled...”
Julie Howell, 22 March 2000
Julie Howell
Campaigns Officer (Digital Access)
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[email protected]
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www.rnib.org.uk/digital
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0171-391 2191
RNIB, 224 Great
Portland Street,
London W1N 6AA
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