Wouldn’t it be nice if there weren’t any barriers? If anyone, at any time, in any circumstance, could get the information they need when they need it, in the form or format they need it in?
That’s what accessibility is about. According to the latest statistics, one in five people has a disability of some sort, whether it’s permanent or temporary, acute or chronic, acquired or congenital. The problem, of course, is that many items, both physical and virtual, are created for the 80% without disabilities. This is changing as countries enact new laws and as people realize that barriers don’t need to be there. But changes take time. For example, curb cuts are now mandatory in many countries, but they’ve only been required legally for a relatively short period.
Curb cuts are the most common example of what’s known as “universal design.” Even though they were originally designed to make it easier for people in wheelchairs to cross the street, curb cuts are used by everyone with a wheeled device: parents pushing strollers, cyclists, skaters, delivery people with hand trucks, and travelers with wheeled luggage. They are also convenient for people with crutches and canes and those with bad knees and hips—anyone who has trouble stepping up and down.
As Kel Smith explains, universal design “describes any broad-spectrum approach bringing value to all users, including and not limited to people who have disabilities.” In other words, everyone benefits from universal design principles. Kel explains the seven principles of universal design, talks about both physical and online design issues, and discusses the differences between usability and accessibility.
However, universal design can’t always be considered, especially when we’re talking about games. Mark Barlet and Steve Spohn of AbleGamers explain why games cannot always be accessible to everyone. For example, a game that is optimized for the blind will, by necessity, not be available to the deaf. Mark and Steve present a new approach to accessible games, talk about what developers can do to make games available to the widest audience, and show examples of accessible and enjoyable games.
While Mark and Steve talk about captioning for games, Karen Mardahl covers video. Karen, who is the co-manager of the STC AccessAbility SIG, includes step-by-step instructions with screenshots, making it possible for everyone to create captioned videos. As Karen says, “Captions make your video inclusive.” Captions apply not only to the deaf, but also to those who can’t use headphones and those who need to keep their environment quiet.
For those who use Microsoft Word, Cliff Tyllick shows you how to create accessible documents. Not only does he provide an overview to accessibility, but he also includes a discussion on usability and accessibility. Cliff covers styles and why they matter (even to the character level) and talks about Word’s Document Map feature, which enables you to see the structure of your document and navigate quickly to any heading. If you don’t use Word, you can still use Cliff’s principles to create accessible documentation.
You can keep up with the latest accessibility news by searching Twitter for the #a11y hashtag, which is the “short name” for accessibility. (The “11” stands for the 11 omitted letters between the “a” and the “y.”) For more information about accessibility, visit the Web Accessibility Initiative website (www.w3.org/standards/webdesign/accessibility). If you’re attending the 2011 STC Summit in Sacramento, be sure to check out the sessions on Usability and Accessibility (www.softconference.com/stc/slist.asp?C=3859#TID13020).
—Char James-Tanny
