Buzz Archives for May 2005
What’s that object, again?
A while ago, we asked the W3C: how do we go about including multimedia objects in Web documents in a backwards-compatible way? In the first of a two-part issue, the W3C gave us a little history lesson about the birth of multimedia inclusion in HTML documents. Now, in this long-awaited ...
By Steph Troeth | Filed in WaSP Asks the W3C
- Capgemini Goes Valid
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Valid, CSS-based redesigns have become almost routine around here, but now and again we see standards making their way into a quarter they haven't previously reached. So it is with the new Capgemini site. While large international consultancies are long on the expertise and experience needed to help megacorps, they're also ...
By Chris Kaminski | Filed in Web Standards (general)
- Ten Questions for Joe
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Ten Questions for Joe Clark is the latest (May 12, 2005) interview offering by The Web Standards Group. Joe Clark talks about fonts, "more" links, opening new windows, skip links, source order, titles, accessible PDFs, forms, data tables and more. In April, the group interviewed Jason Santa Maria on a variety of ...
By Holly Marie Koltz | Filed in Web Standards (general)
- Practical Ajax
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Cameron Adams, the antipodeon man in blue, has written a nice hands-on guide to using Ajax. The article, over on SitePoint, is called Usable Interactivity with Remote Scripting.
By Jeremy Keith | Filed in DOM, DOM Scripting TF
- CSS Reboot 2005
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May 1st. To be remembered for... Elvis Presley and Pricilla's wedding anniversary? (1967) Last British concert by Beatles? (1966) The first Batman comic published? (1939) Well yes, but also for the first CSS Reboot 2005. CSS Reboot will attempt to bring together web professionals who design with CSS and standards in mind to launch their ...
By Andy Clarke | Filed in Design
The Web Standards Project is a grassroots coalition fighting for standards which ensure simple, affordable access to web technologies for all.
Recent Buzz
WCAG 2.0 is a W3C Recommendation
By Matt May | December 11th, 2008
After 9.5 years of work, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 have reached W3C Recommendation status. On behalf of the WaSP Accessibility Task Force, I’d like to welcome WCAG 2 officially into the pantheon of Web standards.
I think this tweet by caledoniaman sums up the level of anticipation:
WCAG 2.0 and a new Guns ‘n’ Roses album in the same year. What’s the world coming to.
Interesting comparison. They’ve each had about as many pre-releases. In any case, I can say, having spent over 8 years with it, that WCAG 2 is not as entertaining as Chinese Democracy. But I do think that it’s better equipped to stand the test of time.
If I had to pick one thing I’m most happy about, I’d say it’s that the HTML- and text-centrism in WCAG 1 is largely gone. In its place is a much more flexible (dare I say robust?) concept of accessibility-supported technology. So when newer technologies can show themselves to be directly accessible, they too can be used in WCAG 2-conformant content.
Over the years, many people have conflated “WCAG-conformant” with “accessible,” and that’s led to people making statements like: “Don’t use JavaScript–it’s inaccessible.” That’s bad for everyone, from users with disabilities who actually can work with JavaScript (which is to say, the vast majority), to Web designers and developers, to policymakers, to those developing new technologies.
With WCAG 2, “Don’t use x” is no longer valid. (Was it ever?) It is now up to you, the developer, to work on the direct accessibility of your content, no matter what technology you choose. I believe we’re about to experience a new wave of accessible design techniques, as a result.
But first, we need to flush “Don’t use x” out of our system. Some are accustomed to saying it about anything they’re not comfortable with. That’s only holding accessible design back. It’s time to learn what’s out there, today, and use it in everyday Web design. It’s time to make everyone’s Web more accessible. Have a look at the WCAG 2.0 Recommendation, and its supporting material. Then, start thinking about what a more accessible Web could be. We still have a lot of work to do.
Filed in Accessibility, Accessibility TF, W3C/Standards Documentation, Web Standards (general) | Comments (8)