Consolidating everything a government agency or other entity needs to know about Section 508 compliance and contracting for accessible results was a good idea. Hopefully the net result will be more accessible public websites here in the States.
Dispatches From The Internets
Combining Section508.gov and BuyAccessible.gov
Will your toaster become WCAG compliant?
This is a really interesting look at the Internet of Things from the perspective of accessibility and how web standards may fit into it all.
While the applicability of WCAG 2.0 would need a high degree of interpretation to apply to a light bulb, web accessibility standards certainly apply to the browsers and apps that we use to centrally control it all. As this space continues to evolve, it’s vital that developers ensure that whatever devices control these products, accessibility is at the heart of them.
NTH-TEST
If you have problems understanding how nth-* selectors work in CSS, this visualizer may help you out.
The Trouble With Preprocessing Based on Future Specs
Lots of gold in this post from Chris Coyier. I agree with a lot of what he’s saying, but this passage really resonated with me:
[T]here are concepts that I think belong in an abstraction of a language and not the language itself. Variables could be an example here again. Preprocessor variables and native variables could co-exist and be useful in their own ways. If native CSS could do everything ever dreamed up in a preprocessor, it would be slow, complicated, and likely wouldn’t have seen the success that CSS has had as a language.
I could not agree more.
Note: I no longer use “native” in this context, but it remains in quoted material.
Page bloat update: The average web page is more than 2 MB in size
Not terribly surprising, but distressing nonetheless.
Wearable First—Rethinking Accessible Design
An interesting look at the evolution of UI design and where it might be heading.
We are all disabled, or soon could be: Redefining inclusive user experience on the web [PDF]
What an amazing talk! I wish I could have seen it delivered in person.
My thanks to Denis for quoting my a11yQC keynote too :-)
Keyboard Shortcuts of Microsoft Edge Browser
In case you’re curious.
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.
6000 government websites to be made accessible for the differently-abled
India appears to be getting serious about web accessibility. Reading the article, however, the title is a bit misleading: 6,000 sites would be affected, but only half will be made accessible (following WCAG 2) in the next year. Still, it’s a start.