Web 2.0 = Accessibility 2.0?
Missouri Power Up 2009
http://webaim.org/presentations/2009/powerup
Jared Smith
webaim.org

What is Web 2.0?

static content
vs
dynamically updated content

new content requires page
reloads
vs
new content now

links and buttons
vs
full desktop-like interactivity

save data on form submit
vs
save data anytime

traditional interactions
vs
non-traditional interactions
(drag & drop, etc.)

Real-time content

Simplified interfaces
Better visual design
Higher usability

“Even if a website is highly usable
and provides very useful
information presented in a logical
arrangement, this may fail to
impress a user whose first
impression of the site was
negative.”
Dr. Gitte Lindgaard
Carleton University

Visual design is an
important aspect of web
accessibility!!1!

Reduce barriers to entry
Which door is the men’s room?

Reduce barriers to entry

Reduce barriers to entry

... but more cues are not
always better

Advanced technologies and interactions

User-centric applications

Standards Compliance

Community and Social Networking

User-generated content

Mashups

Mashups

Mashups

Mashups

Mashups

Wikimapia

Wikimapia

Tagging of content

Content Aggregation

Content Aggregation

Content Aggregation

Social Media

Accessible Twitter
http://accessibletwitter.com/

CAPTCHA

CAPTCHA
Completely Automated Public Turing
test to Confuse the Hell out of your Audience

Optimizing Tweets for
Accessibility
Use @replies, #hashtags, and dm’s
• @username replies to that user - though others
can still see it.
• #hashtag provides a searchable keyword (e.g.,
#csun09)
• dm username sends a direct message

Optimizing Tweets for
Accessibility
Provide context
Jared Smith is presenting at Power Up
vs.
@jared_w_smith is presenting at Missouri Power
Up Conference - http://at.mo.gov/powerup/
#powerup09
Provide context to @replies for those
that follow only you.

Optimizing Tweets for
Accessibility
Use full URLs... unless you can’t
http://webaim.org vs. http://is.gd/nRoE

Optimizing Tweets for
Accessibility
Be careful with abbreviations and language
fwiw, I srsly <3 this kewl a11y pres. oktnxbai.
This is unintelligible in a screen reader

There is no one way to
use Twitter or any other
social network.
Find your own voice.

Glenda Watson Hyatt
doitmyselfblog.com
@GlendaWH

Web 2.0

• Content (preferably not crappy content)
• Standards (semantic markup)
Text
• Users
• Something to ‘glue’ it all
together

AJAX
“Asynchronous Javascript + XML”
Jesse James Garrett
February 2005

AJAX
• HTML
• JavaScript
• CSS
• XML
• DOM
• XMLHTTPRequest

Solutions
http://www.flickr.com/photos/leadsoup/374510671/

Web 2.0 Accessibility
... it’s not rocket surgery!

Web 2.0 Accessibility

What is “Accessible”?
To Whom?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pixelcore/32826662/

Content and Structure
HTML

Presentation
Styles

Behavior
AJAX

Technology should enhance content
AJAX
Styles
HTML
CONTENT CONTENT

Progressive Enhancement
AJAX
Styles
HTML

NOT Progressive Enhancement!

Progressive Enhancement
Hijax
• Plan for AJAX from the start.
• Implement AJAX at the end.

AJAX
Styles
HTML
Graceful Degradation

Ungraceful Degradation?

Progressive Enhancement
AJAX
AJAX
Accessibility Styles
HTML

Search Engines are blind

Where do we go from here?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/csb13/184057163/

Web 2.0 = Accessibility 2.0?

Questions?
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Jared Smith
@jared_w_smith