Accessible Web Applications and the Implications of Technology in the Years Ahead
By Greco, David; Braille Monitor,Publication Date: October 2002
Transcript of presentation made at the 2002 convention of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) describing two innovations for improving website accessibility: a software product for helping website publishers create accessible sites, and a web accessibility certification program. Developed by two former Stanford University students in collaboration with inventor Ray Kurzweil, the software product, InFocus, finds graphical images on a website and guides the publisher in the creation of a description that is useful to a blind person. This means one that is the right length, has the information value equivalent to that contained in the image itself, and provides the ability to skip around the description easily if desired. InFocus also addresses accessibility issues for people with disabilities such as motor-skill impairments, cognitive disorders, and hearing problems. InFocus operates much like a spell checker, looking for accessibility errors and, where possible, proposing to fix them. A free report rating a website’s accessibility is offered at http://www.ssbtechnologies.com/AskAlice. The NFB also announced the launching of its Nonvisual Web Accessibility Certification Program, which entails having blind screen-reader users employed by the NFB test a website that was previously audited by an authorized Web Accessibility Consultant to determine if it passes test criteria defined by the NFB.
Assistive Products Discussed: INFOCUS SUITE
Published by: National Federation of the Blind (Website:http://www.nfb.org)
Link to text: http://www.nfb.org/Images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm02/bm0210,Bm021003.htm
