Services

Accessibility + Web Standards

Web standards and accessibility are closely related key features of any professional and performing website. Focussing on one usually does, and should, involve the other. If you would like your online presence to reap the many benefits of accessibility and standards-compliance, a solid approach to their combined implementation and testing is important.

Are you building progressively enhanced websites and applications using (X)HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, or considering moving forward with the likes of HTML5 or WAI-ARIA? Are you producing PDFs? Whatever your situation, if you have questions about how to use any of these in the most accessible manner, I can help.

Design & Development Guidance

It is always easier and less costly to incorporate accessibility during the design and development stages of a web project. Waiting until the end to address accessibility inevitably leads to having to change things that you considered already finished. Depending on the issues identified, this can involve significant work and costs, much of which could have been avoided.

I am available to speak with your design and development teams in the early stages of, and at regular intervals throughout, your project. I will advise on those aspects of your site or application that raise potential accessibility issues, and offer ways to accomplish what you have planned in the most accessible manner.

I can also introduce your teams to some of the best practices in accessible web design and development that go a long way to ensuring your site’s accessibility. Once such practices are learned and built into your process, they don’t need to be learned again, and become part of your organisation’s toolkit. This way you will continue to build more accessible sites and applications, and reduce the time, energy and costs you spend addressing accessibility in the future.

Assessments & Solutions

Whether your site is still in development or is already live, I can provide thorough assessments of its accessibility. My approach combines manual and tool-based testing to measure the degree to which your site:

  • conforms with international standards (W3C) and/or government technical requirements (NZ Government Web Standards, version 2.0);
  • meets recognized accessibility guidelines (WCAG 1.0 and 2.0);
  • is usable by persons with sensory, motor, and cognitive impairments;
  • supports various assistive technologies like screen readers; and,
  • is compatible across different platforms and browsers.

My site audits can be customised to suit your needs, but typically result in a report identifying your web pages’ or applications’ adherence to accessibility guidelines, web standards, and best practices relevant to your operations and audience. I take care to always include detailed and easy-to-understand technical solutions and advice where applicable. Since available development time and resources always need to be considered, any issues identified are prioritised so that you can address them in order of severity and work required, allowing you to tackle the most important accessibility improvements first and get the biggest effect for your efforts.

But web accessibility involves more than just checking items off a list, especially where newer or more complex layouts and interfaces are concerned. Understanding how different types of users and technologies will interact with your page, and finding practical solutions that leverage recent web techniques while offering an accessible user experience is something I can help with.

Consulting, Presenting, and Training

If your team, whether it comprises managers, designers, developers, or a combination, is seeking to learn about accessibility and web standards, I can provide both small and large group oriented presentations that address your specific requirements.

If you are not sure why accessibility is important, are wondering how you can improve the markup you create, want to ensure your site’s accessibility, or need more detailed instruction on how to implement current web technologies in a standards-based and accessible manner, I can speak to these topics in an engaging and convincing manner and also offer hands-on, practical advice and training.

If you are interested in learning more about my approach to web accessibility, how I might be able to help, or would simply like to discuss your accessibility-related concerns, please contact me.