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.
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 
