The 411 on Accessibility: Why it Matters
As federal employees, it’s our civic duty to foster a culture of inclusiveness and educate those around us on the importance of accessibility.
Posts Tagged: accessibility
Intentional Accessibility: Making Content Available to All
Here’s the reality – making something compliant and accessible takes time, energy and intention. It cannot be an afterthought.
How–and Why–to Use Descriptive Link Language
You’d think that people would know better by now than to use “Click here” for links. It’s not like they haven’t been told.
Comfortable…Around People with Disabilities?
I had a friend who always said, “As quiet as it’s kept…” meaning he would call out the so-called “elephant in the room”; the topic that no one wants to talk about. You could expect to hear… “As quiet as it’s kept, the only reason they laugh at Uncle Herb’s corny jokes is because he givesRead… Read more »
Focusing on Improving the Experience of the User: Do as We Say, Not as We Do
Over the past half decade the shift in popular business thinking have been more user and customer focused than ever before. Designing immersive, engaging and useful experiences for a user acts as the ‘rising tide lifts all ships’ in solving problems when developing products for public use. After using the myMyki website this past weekendRead… Read more »
Talkin’ Pretty: Design and Accessibility
We’ve got a new twist this week, folks. Since I’ve been blogging mostly about accessibility, I wanted to talk with someone who approaches accessibility from a different perspective than a subject matter expert. I met with a designer who works for a federal government agency and has a refreshing outlook on design and accessibility. SheRead… Read more »
Reality TV and Accessibility Have a Lot in Common
How many times have you heard people say, “I hate reality TV! I want real shows. I wish they’d make something else.”? I don’t understand why people remained glued to reality TV shows despite their professed hatred of them. “But there’s nothing else on,” people say. “I’ve gotta watch something!” Hold out, I say, holdRead… Read more »
My Parents Are on the Internet: Online and Aging
Mom’s battling it out with words, animals, and vegetables on her favorite game site. She’ll be reading the news again later this afternoon and probably paying the bills. I’ve noticed that she leans forward more often to see the screen. Dad’s balling and making it rain on his favorite computer parts site. He gets frustratedRead… Read more »
A Day in the Life of an Accessibility SME
I met a fellow govie recently, and when I told him that I work in digital media accessibility, he said, “OMG, I could not review code all day, every day!” Well…neither could I, and although that’s what most people think we accessibility peeps do, that’s not the case. I may or may not look atRead… Read more »
6 Audiences to Consider When Communicating Your Agency Messages
The Plain Writing Act of 2010 and Executive Order 13563 both require that we communicate clearly, accessibly, consistently so that government information is easy to understand. The principles of plain language help us provide universal access to government information, for many people. We’re told to “write for average comprehension,” when we use those principles. So,Read… Read more »