Accessibility Tools

[kalidust]

Here's some links to some accessibility tools

http://www.508compliant.com/tools.htm

http://www.nils.org.au/ais/web/resources/toolbar/#download

[polarmate]

See what your web site looks like for the different types of color blindness:
http://www.vischeck.com/vischeck/vischeckURL.php

[Steve Sardell]

Great idea adding these resources. Accessibility is an often overlooked part of SEO

[kalidust]

Various accessibility tools

http://www.accessify.com/tools-and-wizards/default.asp

[kalidust]

Page Screamer
http://www.hallogram.com/pagescreamer/


Browse tips by physical disability

http://diveintoaccessibility.org/by_disability.html


Various Accessibility Info

http://www.websitetips.com/accessibility/




I had these links posted elsewhere in the forum and wanted to get them all in one thread.


Anyone interested in downloading a free trial version of the screen reader JAWS can from

http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_downloads/jaws_form.asp



IBM has developed the aDesigner is a disability simulator that helps Web designers ensure that their pages are accessible and usable by the visually impaired.

The java-based program looks at color contrast, alt tag text, as well as the usual 508 or WCAG settings.

It only works on Win2000 or WinXP, and requires J2SE Java Run-time Environment 1.4.1 or higher and IE6.

It gives a grade for accessibility (A+, A, C+, etc) and has a graph to show which accessibility issues are strong and which are weak.


Main site http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/tech/adesigner

FAQ http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/aw.nsf/FAQs/adesigner

[ihelpyou]

Good show Karen and Manisha! Keep it up all. :)

[kalidust]

Thanks Doug. I'm glad that I can contribute something here, cuz I definitely can't contribute anything yet regarding SEO.

:cheers:

[ihelpyou]

Oh no, you would be surprised how much you have learned in a short-term just from reading. I know you have just looking at your posts. :)

[Darren]

I'm currently using the MX 2004 software, does anybody know of any usefull extensions that I can use to aid the accessibility of future builds?

[MarkH]

Originally posted by ihelpyou
Good show Karen and Manisha! Keep it up all. :)


Very usefull info.

Cheers.

[kalidust]

Originally posted by Darren
I'm currently using the MX 2004 software, does anybody know of any usefull extensions that I can use to aid the accessibility of future builds?

Darren, there are some DW extensions for accessibility. I'll look for them and post them here later :)

[Darren]

I really appreciate all the help that you are giving me with the accessibility situation, Hopefully I will be able to return the favour sometime.

[kalidust]

There's several DW extensions here

http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/exchange/index.cfm#loc=en_us&view=sn120&viewName=Dreamweaver%20Exchange&authorid=0&page=0&scrollPos=0&subcatid=0&snid=sn120&itemnumber=-1&extid=0&catid=30&avm=1


You can also turn on Accessibility in DW by going to Preferences >> Accessibility and then checking the attributes you want.


Also on building accessilble forms with DW

http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/accessibility/mx/dw/forms.html

[kalidust]

Accessible Website Menu

http://www.udm4.com/

[kalidust]

UsableNet

http://www.usablenet.com/


Accessibility Valet

http://valet.webthing.com/view=Asis/access/url.html


STEP508, the Simple Tool for Error Prioritization for Section 508 compliance

http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=content&id=155

Color Schemer

http://www.pixy.cz/apps/barvy/index-en.html

[Darren]

These will come in handy!

Do you ever sleep? I registered the last post at 4:10am this morning!

I've only just got in to work @ 8:30am and this was waiting for me. How far ahead are you in the US?:cheers:

[Daminc]

LA is 8 hours behind us in the UK:

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

[Darren]

The Simmo

[Daminc]

Mornin' Simmo, wish you well for the future :D

[Darren]

I will still be contactable, I will send you my new contact details closer to the time.;)

[kalidust]

Originally posted by Daminc
LA is 8 hours behind us in the UK:

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

LA = Los Angeles is 8 hours behind the UK

LA = Louisiana is 6 hours behind the UK

I'm in Louisiana :)



Darren, I do sleep -- sometimes ;)

[Daminc]

How come 'Los Angeles' and 'Louisiana' have the same abbreviation 'LA'?

[Darren]

I'm glad to hear that you do get some sleep!
Me on the other hand got to sleep @ 1am & then back working on the the old laptop @ 4.
Trying to discover ways to get flash more accessible! :o:

[kalidust]

Originally posted by Daminc
How come 'Los Angeles' and 'Louisiana' have the same abbreviation 'LA'?

I don't know. I believe the two letter state abbreviations came about for the Post Office in the 60's or early 70's. I'm sure that LA was already being used for Los Angeles, so it seems that something else would have been used for Louisiana, i.e. LO.

P.S. for those who aren't familiar with the US, Louisiana is the state that New Orleans is in, and we are to the east of Texas.

[Darren]

Hows Sherlock doing??

Send me a link on my personal email 2 it.:D

[kalidust]

How To Create Accessible PDFs

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/access_booklet.html


Wave Accessibility Tool

http://wave.webaim.org/index.jsp

[mayapple]

Checked out pagescreamer. It costs about 3000 dollars. I'm an individual, not part of a corporation. It seems to me these accessibility tools are for the wealthy and the hell with us who can't afford to spend that kind of money.
What about those of us on a budget?
mayapple
DisABILITY Info
http://mayapple.ms11.net//index.htm

[Darren]

As a developer, I'm trying to keep up to date with all the latest technologies but when you think that youv'e found some software that would be quite benefical, it turns out that it's so bloody expensive that it's impractical to purchase such an expensive piece of kit, that you have no option to get a pirate copy and crack the code! :eek: :eek:

[kalidust]

NaviSite Europe Hosts WiderWeb
July 19, 2004 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- UK-based provider of managed application, infrastructure and messaging services, NaviSite Europe (navisite-europe.com), announced on Friday that it has formed a new partnership with Moore Innovations to host WiderWeb, a new service dedicated to creating Web pages that are accessible to disabled users.


more at

http://thewhir.com/marketwatch/eur071904.cfm

[WebSavvy]

I just found a HUGE tool list for the Web Accessibility Initiative (http://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/existingtools.html). :thumb:

There are quite a few of these I will be looking into. Karen, thanks so much for bringing the attention to this area of development, as it has surely been needed. :)

[kalidust]

Thanks for adding to the list Deb :)