Even Grounds, Developers' Corner

The Secret of Making PDF Documents Section 508 Compliant Much Faster

Tom — Fri, 21 May 2010 13:15:51 +0000

Have you spent hours after hours browsing the structure of your PDF document just to ensure that it is Section 508 compliant?

Did you ever get frustrated because it took you to patch it up longer than writing the original document?

You can save yourself some major time and headache when you get the legwork done in the source document.

Making Table Based Forms Accessible

Tom — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:07:28 +0000

You have designed a table which contains many fillable forms, edit fields, or checkboxes. This table is pretty huge, and you want to make sure that it is accessible. You don't need to spend hours on labeling each field, especially if the table is not automatically generated.

Does WCAG 2.0 Allow CAPTCHA?

Tom — Fri, 07 May 2010 14:50:50 +0000

Last time we checked if CAPTCHA is Section 508 compliant. Now let's see what WCAG says about it.

Is CAPTCHA Section 508 compliant?

Tom — Sun, 02 May 2010 03:27:00 +0000

CAPTCHA is as Section 508 compliant as you make it to be. It can certainly be done. In this post we will review those Section 508 standards which are relevant when creating a CAPTCHA solution. At this point, we will only concentrate on the current Section 508 standards, not on the proposed recommendations, as they may change before they legally become effective.

Is JavaScript Accessible?

Tom — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 13:41:28 +0000

Throughout my accessibility consulting practice, developers have often asked me if they are allowed to use JavaScript in their web applications, because they have heard that it is not accessible.

The good news is, you can use JavaScript, as long as you make it accessible.

Using Abbreviations on A Web Page

Tom — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 00:30:50 +0000

In countless situations we use abbreviations, some are more, some are less obvious or commonly understood.

When it comes to the internet, it is a good idea to provide the full meaning of an abbreviation. But in reality, it is not that clear cut. I will provide a couple of ideas on when and how to provide the full phrases.

Creating A Skip Navigation Link In WordPress

Tom — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:40:10 +0000

Skip navigation is an important feature for accessibility. Skip navigation allows screen reader users and persons with motor disabilities to go directly to the main content, without pressing the arrow or tab keys multiple times.

Using WordPress, you can easily do this in your pages. Below are the steps on how to create a skip navigation in WordPress.

Section 508 validators

Tom — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 04:07:11 +0000

A Section 508 validator is a software application that can help you determine if your web pages meet the Section 508 standards. These are tools useful in ensuring that your website is accessible to persons with disabilities.

It is important to note that although these validators are readily available via the Internet, they may not be what you specifically need. It is a good idea to try them out first before including them in your accessibility procedures.

Also, remember that Section 508 validators do not entirely solve your accessibility problems. They can nonetheless let you find the issues much faster. Manual testing is still required to ensure your site’s accessibility.

Making Accessible Web Pages Using Dreamweaver

Tom — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:13:21 +0000

Adobe Dreamweaver is one of the most popular web authoring tools in the market. Among its many functionalities, this software offers features for enhancing the accessibility of your site. Not only are these features easy to do, but they could also help a lot in making it easier for persons with disabilities to use your site.

Please keep in mind that the following techniques are only some of the examples of ways to improve the accessibility of your site through Dreamweaver. As you develop your site using this software, you may find other functions and methods useful to accessibility.

Furthermore, these accessibility procedures apply to Dreamweaver CS4. They also apply to older versions such as Dreamweaver CS3, although certain modifications may exist.

Providing Understandable Text Content for All

Tom — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:29:18 +0000

We all want each of our visitors to understand what we are trying to convey in our text content. Regardless of the reading and comprehension skills of our visitors, they should all be able to easily read through our text content, enjoy it, and understand its message.

To do this, we can employ a set of methods that can improve the understandability of text in our website.

Alternative Text For Images

Tom — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:00:51 +0000

Images play a crucial role in increasing traffic and helping visitors understand your site's content. Therefore, everyone should understand the meaning of your images, regardless of whether or not they can see the pictures. And the best way to do this is by providing alt texts for the images in your site.

Using Access Keys

Tom — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:57:27 +0000

Access keys refer to keys which, if activated, would take you to a link, a button, a specific part of a page, or a new page.

For example, if a web page contains an access key of Alt+H for the “Help” section, pressing Alt+H would load the “Help” section of the site. In some browsers, pressing the access key will only take you to the location of the link, button, or section of the page.

Here, we will provide the codes for making access keys and will talk about their benefits and the issues associated with them.

Alternatives to CAPTCHA

Tom — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:27:07 +0000

Earlier we have discussed CAPTCHA, or Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart, refers to a verification scheme used by sites to ensure that web content is accessed only by persons. In this article I would like to provide more examples and concerns for the different CAPTCHA alternatives.

CAPTCHA has gained much popularity for its apparent effectiveness and ease of implementation. But a valid concern has started to grow among Internet users regarding the use of CAPTCHA in websites. Many people, especially those with disabilities, find it difficult and sometimes impossible to pass this verification method.

Creating A Skip Navigation Link in Drupal

Tom — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:47:07 +0000

After we have created a skip navigation for your site, I would like to talk about skip navigation in Drupal.

Here, we will discuss Drupal versions up to Drupal 6, because there may be some changes in Drupal 7. We will be talking about Drupal 7 later this year.

The problem is that many web developers want to have a skip navigation on their site, but most of the Drupal themes don’t have such a feature.

There are, however, many themes which are accessible, or can be made accessible with little adjustments. But there is a way to create a skip navigation link in all themes.

Using Skip Navigation Links

Tom — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:04:25 +0000

Skip navigation refers to a link in a web page that lets users go directly to the main content of the page. Here, we will take a look at the factors concerning skip navigation and how to do it properly in your pages.

Also, you might find it useful:

Using Headings

Tom — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:45:40 +0000

People are always keen on organized websites. When pieces of information in your pages are clearly and properly divided, people will generally like your site. This results to more traffic from visitors, both old and new.

There are quite a number of ways for you to make your site more organized. And one of the best options for you is to use headings. As you may know, the heading tag consists of an “h” followed by the numerical value of the heading level, either 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6.

Accessible Retweet Button

Tom — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 15:28:14 +0000

Just recently, I came across a retweet Button that I really like. It’s called TweetMeme. I like this because it is one of those third-party components that can still maintain the accessibility of your site.

Oftentimes, when you create a totally accessible site, and you want to incorporate a third-party component, plug-in, or widget, and that component is not accessible, then all of a sudden, you have defeated the purpose of working hard to make your site accessible.

Why Validate Your Pages?

Tom — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:13:30 +0000

We all want our site to be at its best. That’s why we spend days and even months in trying to figure out the most visually appealing design for our web pages.

But apart from layout and design, the correctness of your pages’ codes is another key factor to consider. So to ensure that the codes you put in your pages are all correct, you need to dedicate a part of your time for page validation.

Defining The Language of Your Web Page

Tom — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 03:38:24 +0000

When you create a web page, it is not enough to write in a particular language. It is also important to programmatically define the language you are using.

Accessible Tables

Tom — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:10:09 +0000

Tables are one of the most common elements you would see in websites. If you need to display information in rows and columns, creating a table is your first and oftentimes only option. Fortunately, making a table is generally easy: you just enter the data, and indicate which are the rows and which are the columns.

But despite of the simplicity of this element, tables play a crucial role in helping users understand the contents of a web page. Persons with disabilities are no exception to this fact. It is therefore important for you to know how to make tables accessible for all types of users.

Here, I will show you how to create accessible tables.