Universal Access and Web Design: What You Should Know about Flash
If a picture is worth a thousand words – a Macromedia Flash presentation
is probably worth volumes. Flash technology, in a general sense, may be one
of the most widely available technologies used on the web. For developers,
the ability to program one multimedia presentation that can be viewed the same
on nearly all computers makes the technology very appealing. However, for individuals
with disabilities, Flash can introduce unique accessibility problems. Click
here for more information on multimedia accessibility.
I’m Just Looking: Browser Usage, Operating Systems and Screen Resolution
Trends
Different viewing habits are changing the way we use our web browsers. As
the Internet provides more multimedia content and users begin to view more
video content on their computers, expect larger monitors with larger screen
resolutions and the use of a greater amount of different colors. Too accommodate
people; we need to know what they are using. Click here to learn more about what people are using for their Internet viewing needs.
Do you need help knowing how to solve an accommodation question?
Email Rehabilitation Engineer Michael Fiore.
Guidelines for Creating Accessible Media
The National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM)
serves as the research and development arm for WGBH’s Media Access Group.
One of the main concentrations of NCAM is
the continued enhancement of accessibility to media for people with disabilities.
In order to boost their mission, they have recently published a series of guidelines
that provide systematic solutions for making a variety of electronic media
accessible to users with sensory disabilities. This publication offers a collection
of various guidelines ranging from the creation of image access points for
people with visual impairments, to providing access to scientific and mathematical
expressions for all users with disabilities. To view all guidelines, please visit NCAM’s website..
One Minute Challenge - Test your ADA knowledge:
Three True or False Questions about the ADA and
Hearing Impairments.
Title I of the ADA covers
employment by private employers with 15 or more employees and state and local
government employers of the same size. Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act
provides the same protections for federal employees and applicants for federal
employment. Click here to take the test – relax,
we can’t see your answers.
Click here to sign up for a free online newsletter available
on tax incentives updates, disability diversity initiatives, and assistive
technology.
Hearing loss is a common problem in modern society due
to the combined effects of noise, aging, disease, and heredity. Hearing
is a complex sense involving both the sensitivity of the ear as well
as the ability to understand speech. For information and statistics about
hearing loss, click here for a summary prepared by National Institute of Deafness and Communication Disorders.
MS Word - 34 K
What do these icons mean about web standards and accessibility?
Eliot Spindel, accessible web designer explains – click here to learn more about web standards and accessibility.
Audio Webmail
Now all mail.com Beta users can opt to have emails read aloud in 11 languages
using the Audio Webmail option. By integrating advanced speech synthesis
technology directly within the webmail client, the contents of email messages
are read aloud.
At the click of a button, users can generate ‘podmail’; that is
converting an entire email message to an audio file for easy transferability
to personal devices such as portable media players. mail.com is the first web-based
email provider to offer such a service.
Apart from the current 11 languages, including UK and US English, German,
Italian, French, Japanese, Spanish, Danish, Swedish, Portuguese, and Dutch,
Audio Webmail would be adding additional languages in the future. This service
works directly from the web browser without requiring any downloads or software
installs, making it compatible with any computer.
The partnership between Outblaze, the global hosted email provider, and ReadSpeaker,
the leader in speech-enabling the Web, resulted in the development of the Audio
Webmail feature.
"Audio Webmail is appealing because it allows users to have email read
to them while focusing on something else. Additionally, the convenient 'podmail'
capability allows you to catch up on the day's emails while exercising, commuting,
or doing any other activity that requires you to be away from your computer," says
Jo-Anne Timothy, spokesperson for mail.com.
Janet Fiore, CEO of
The Sierra Group, is a national authority on disability policy and practices
for business.
We’re all familiar with the often cited statistic of 54 Million
Americans with Disabilities, but do we know ‘who’ is included
in this group?
In a recent interview with the Philadelphia Business Journal regarding Best
Practices in Employment, it became apparent to me that the journalist,
like many folks that I meet, was not familiar with the broad list of impairments
that constitute a disability. While there are several definitions of disability,
the 54 Million Americans statistic that so many of us cite is based on a
variety of functional limits. Perhaps the most important source of data on
this number comes from an August 1997 Household Economics Study Report (P70-61)
for the Department of Commerce that uses Survey of Income and Program Participation
(SIPP)
data - that speaks to Americans with disabilities of all ages. While this
data speaks to folks who are not necessarily ‘in the job market’ the
definitions are relevant in clarifying the extent and types of disabilities
that we may encounter in the workforce. The extensive information collected
in SIPP makes
it possible to relate disability status to a range of variables including
income, employment, health insurance coverage, and the receipt of program
benefits. Click
here to view more about the Economic Study that created the ‘the 54
Million number’ in its entirety.
Janet Fiore, CEO of
The Sierra Group is a ‘Monster’ Disability Expert.
In
the decade and a half since the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed,
life has improved for many of this country’s 54 million disabled citizens.
But the landmark legislation can be seen as “both a tool and a sword.” That’s
the view of Janet Fiore, CEO of Sierra Group www.thesierragroup.com,
a consulting firm specializing in workers with disabilities.
Click
here to view the entire article by Dan Woog on "Disability Update 2007".
Lighting as an Accommodation
As you grow older, less light reaches the back of your eyes. Your pupils get
smaller as you age, and the lens inside your eye becomes thicker, absorbing
more light. The lens also scatters more light as you age, adding a “luminous
veil” over images on your retina. This reduces the contrast and sharpness
of objects and the vividness of colors. Reds begin to look like pinks, for
example. You might have an even harder time seeing differences in blue colors,
because your eye’s lens absorbs more blue light. Good lighting can make
the difference between seeing and not seeing for some. The Lighting Research
Center (LRC)
at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has developed guidelines for lighting for
older adults.
Click
here or the image above to view The Lighting Way Guidelines.
In this country, companies come and go at the drop of a hat.
With the ever-increasing speed of today’s marketplace, made ever
quicker by constant technological innovations, a business must continually
think ahead of the curve. I will discuss a few practical actions that business
leaders can employ such that their organization remains competitive in
our country’s fast-paced economy. Click here to view the rest of
Seth's Point of View article
When business is booming it can bring with it great things, increased
revenue, bigger profits, and hopefully a hefty bonus and a nice salary
increase. But with the good comes an increase in volume, additional responsibilities
and a ton of email. In most cases, when a business is growing it is usually
pretty common to increase the headcount in the areas that are most affected,
but sometimes the company's bottom line can change that thinking. Remember
the company is worried about margins not whether you are leaving with the
cleaning crew. So if you are in a battle where adding to your staff is
a problem here are some suggestions to help you slay the management dragon.
Click here to view the
entire Office Edge Article.
