The Best Of The Internets

Windows 10 upgrade considerations for screen reader and magnifier users

The recommendation of IE over Edge may seem strange, but there’s a reason: Microsoft is changing APIs from MSAA (Microsoft Active Accessibility) to UIA (UI Automation) and it’s a work in progress. Consequently, the Microsoft Edge browser is not as accessible as the team would like it to be… yet. But, as Jacob Rossi covered in response to Steve Faulkner, it’s coming and the end result will be far better for folks who rely on assistive technology.

The Value of Content

This is a great post from Andy Beaumont regarding the sad state of affairs when it comes to content vs. conversions on the web. I look forward to the talk!

Why is so much of the internet still inaccessible to disabled people?

The internet represents one of our greatest post-ADA social failings, as a communications medium that had the potential to build accessibility into its very backbone, but didn’t. As the web becomes even more of a way of life in the next 25 years, the disability community will likely have to continue to fight for basic online accommodations, a telling testimony to their status in society.

Amen.

The ADA at 25: Disability rights and diversity

This is a beautiful piece from Microsoft’s General Counsel on the importance of considering special needs within the umbrella of diversity. I particularly loved this bit:

At its core the ADA is not about the dimensions of doorways, but the individuals who can now pass through them.

A vision for the ADA that focuses on people helps enfranchise so many who have been excluded for so long. It also enriches and opens our institutions to the very best and brightest talent our country has to offer. That is the power of diversity and why diversity efforts should include disability.