Web Access Centre Blog

PDFs get a rough press when it comes to accessibility and understandably so as most PDFs on the web today are not accessible. I thought I’d turn the spotlight on the much maligned thorn in many a web site owners side, and look at some of the reasons why PDFs are inaccessible. What follows is a list of some of reasons behind why PDFs suck that are not about the technology itself but how we (the web designer, the content author, the content commissioner, the manager, the policy maker) use it and what we can do to start changing PDFs on the web.

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We’ve been commissioning banner ads to place on other websites recently so I thought I’d share some of the guidelines we work to in-house when commissioning accessible advertising. It’s hard enough to know at the best of times how to deal with content on your site but when it comes to advertising, especially third party, what Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) apply and what should we be doing to make advertising accessible?

This article builds on Tips for creating accessible banner ads so if you’re looking for answers then read on. Continue Reading »

Firefox 3 has now been officially launched!

This is an exciting time in the browser area as support for the Web Accessibility Initiative - Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) suite gathers pace in the next generation of browsers. Browsers with support, partial support and planned support for WAI-ARIA include Internet Explorer 8, Firefox 3, Opera and Web Kit based browsers including Apple’s Safari.

We’ve got a series of articles planned for the blog that explore WAI-ARIA in more detail - watch this space for the first of those coming soon!

Firefox 3 will also be attempting to set a Guinness World Record for the most software downloads in 24 hours. Visit the Spread Firefox - Download Day 2008 site for more details on how to join in! By my reckoning, the download deadline for the UK will be 19:16 this evening so there are still a few hours left. You can read about the new features and visit the FAQ section on the site to get more information about Firefox 3.

You may want to check the compatibility of any Firefox add-ons that you currently have installed before upgrading. The best place to do this is at the official Firefox Add-ons website.

Further Reading:

• WAI-ARIA Support in Internet Explorer 8
• WAI-ARIA Support in Opera
• WAI-ARIA Support in Web Kit
• WAI-ARIA posts on The Paciello Group Blog

We’re very excited to release a beta version of our Surf Right Toolbar. The Surf Right Toolbar is designed to make adjusting certain options within Internet Explorer quicker and easier, using either the mouse or keyboard. Developed by RNIB and the Web Accessibility Tools Consortium (WAT-C) the Accessibility Toolbar is a free download and currently in beta version. We’d love to hear what you think of it and any ideas for additions that you’d like to see by emailing us at webaccess@rnib.org.uk.

Download the Surf Right Toolbar (Beta)

Who the toolbar is for

The Surf Right Toolbar is really for anyone who wants to adjust the way they view content on the web to make it easier to read. This could include people with mild disabilities, the elderly, people with reading problems, cognitive problems, using dial-up, photosensitivity and so on.

Toolbar features

Most of the functions that the Surf Right Toolbar offer are available via the Internet options tab in the browser however many people don’t always know that they exist or how to find them. What we wanted to do was group these into a toolbar giving easy access.

• JavaScript On/Off button: this allows people to enable and disable JavaScript for security reasons or to stop a page updating content automatically.
• Styles: this buttons switches off styles so the visual formatting off a webpage disappears and looks much simpler.
• Images On / Off button: switching images off may be useful if you are using a screen reader or screen magnifier or if you are using a slow internet connection. Removing animated images also protects people with epilepsy or photosensitivity from seizures.
• Flash On / Off button: people may wish to turn Flash movies and animations off if they find them distracting whilst trying to read the text content of a page
• Text resize options: smallest, small, medium, large and largest options are available.
• Custom styles: nine different style sheet are available for people to try out and choose from.
• Options: allow people to configure general options for Internet Explorer including setting the home page and adjusting font and colour preferences. This screen also allows people to set your security and connection options.

Benefits

The toolbar is designed to make people’s surfing experience easier and give them more control over web content. Specific benefits include:

• Large clickable buttons: give clear information as to if they are “On” or “Off” as they have green ticks for “On” and red crosses for “Off”.
• Keyboard short cuts: are available for all options in the toolbar
• Keyboard accessibility: all options can be accessed either using a mouse, pointing device or by keyboard only.
• Saved preferences: once options have been set these remain for all pages you look at and not just the page you are currently on.
• Cross purpose: the toolbar can help anyone when accessing the web and is not restricted to people with sight loss.

Download

Download the Surf Right Toolbar (Beta) from the RNIB site.

Feedback and future development

The Surf Right Toolbar is still a work in progress or “beta” version. As such, we’re interested in receiving feedback on it including any bugs you may find during use. Please email any feedback you have to webaccess@rnib.org.uk with the subject “RNIB Accessibility Toolbar - Feedback”.

Help and resources

Full instructions on how to use the toolbar, install and uninstall it are available on the Surf Right Toolbar help pages. If you’re looking for more information on how to browse the web then the following may be useful:

• Using the Internet: RNIB advice on browsing the web, access technologies and customising browser settings.
• BBC My Web My Way: explains the many ways you can change your browser, computer, keyboard and mouse settings to make the web more accessible for you.
• Ability Net: is a national charity helping disabled adults and children use computers and the internet by adapting and adjusting their technology.

PDF’s are something that we all struggle to make accessible and can be problematic. While Adobe have done great work adding in features to support us making accessible PDF’s there is still a huge amount out there that are not accessible either because they are legacy PDF’s or an organisation’s processes do not support the creation of accessible PDF.

To help you in your efforts to make your PDF’s accessible, a requirement of WCAG, we are launching two new services:

• PDF assessments: we can check your PDF for accessibility in line with WCAG 1.0 and with a screen reader. Results will be delivered in a report together with suggested amendments. This is a great way to get practical advice on fixing not just the PDF we assess but PDF’s in general - lessons learnt can then be rolled out throughout other PDF’s in the site.
• PDF fixing: We can take existing PDF’s, identify any accessibility issues and fix them for you. This is great for if you have important content such as annual reports.

Costs and timescales will vary according to the size and complexity of the PDF but we will endeavour to do what we can to fit with you. If you’re interested in booking one of the above services drop us an email at webaccess@rnib.org.uk, attaching the PDF(s) you need testing or fixing together with your timescales. We’ll then get back to you with a proposal and schedule the work.

The Web Access Team have had a busy year expanding and I’m please to introduce our new Consultant Marco Ranon. Marco comes from a strong accessibility testing background with experience building accessibility testing tools as well as consulting.

We’re all really looking forward to working with Marco and hope you get a chance to meet him soon. Read more about Marco and the rest of the team in our About us pages.

Then look no further. We’re running two half day courses Thursday June 26th on Transitioning your website from WCAG 1.0 to WCAG 2.0 and Hidden Barriers to accessibility.

Transitioning from WCAG 1.0 to WCAG 2.0 - With WCAG 2.0 nearing completion now is the perfect time to get ahead of the game and get started. This practical course is your WCAG 2.0 starter kit and looks at the new guidelines, what’s changed, what’s new, supporting resources and tools as well as implementation advice. The course aims to enable and inform web managers, designers and developers, who have been working with WCAG 1.0 on how to start using WCAG 2.0.

Hidden Barriers to accessibility - While guidelines are designed to do just that, guide, developing accessible websites is about understanding your user and their needs. This technical course is designed to enable website designers, developers and programmers to identify and cure some common, but less obvious accessibility problems on their web sites such as TITLE text, hidden text, same page links and placeholder text (to name a few).

These courses go beyond standard accessibility advice and look into the knottier aspects of accessibility so you can walk away with some practical and implementable solutions for your web sites.

Find out more and sign up.