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How do you change the world?

One website at a time, that is how. A global first My company, Access by Design, created the world’s first fully-accessible, mobile and tablet-friendly website in February 2011. My TEDx Talk is now on the TEDx Channel! I have been speaking publicly about website accessibility for disabled people for the last 15 years and, two months ago, I had the privilege of speaking at TEDx Lukely Brook, on the Isle of Wight.It was simply wonderful to be able... read more »

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What is involved with a website accessibility audit? (Part 5)

Putting it all together Now I have my raw materials. The automated matrices, the manual checks, 3 live audits and a whole bunch of notes! This is when I have to put it all together and turn it into a full audit. The most time-consuming part, of course, is reviewing the videos and editing them. I only take out content that is not relevant to the audit itself, otherwise, everything goes there. Cataloguing the key highlights I... read more »

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What is involved with a website accessibility audit? (Part 4)

This is where my amazing website accessibility team join in! I do not care what anybody says, you cannot truly know whether your website is accessible for disabled people or not unless you have had disabled people do a live audit of your website! I know this sounds unbelievably obvious but apparently not to many people! A dose of reality I thought I knew about website accessibility for disabled people, this is what I have been involved... read more »

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What is involved with a website accessibility audit? (Part 3)

You can plug a car into a diagnostics machine but it will not tell you if you have a nail in your tyre! My last two articles in this series have been about automated checking. With the correct software, you can undertake a comprehensive audit of a website’s accessibility. 30% of the way there! Well, 30% of it anyway.Yup, that’s right. 30%. So, you can be presented with a glowing bill of health for your website’s accessibility... read more »

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What is involved with a website accessibility audit? (Part 2 - continued)

It is not just one tick! In my previous article, I explained the common misconception that designers often think that the WCAG AA Guidelines are all that need to be met to make a website accessible and how passing the single-A guidelines are also mandatory because otherwise, you will not pass at AA level.So, your website passes A and AA and you proudly put that into your accessibility statement. That is a great thing, of... read more »

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What is involved with a website accessibility audit? (Part 2)

What is an automated matrix? In this article, I wish to clear up the most common misconception when it comes to website accessibility, about automated matrices.What is an automated matrix? In principle, that is easy to explain. It is software that runs a series of automated tests on your website and tells you whether you pass or fail each one. The standards for website accessibility are broken down into 3 levels, known as WCAG A,... read more »

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What is involved with a website accessibility audit? (Part 1)

  The second most-often question I am asked is what actually does having a website accessibility audit involve? FYI, the most often question I get asked is what does website accessibility for disabled people actually mean? I always point them to my recent TEDxTalk for that one! In case you are interested in watching it, the details are in the comment.In a sentence, a website accessibility audit involves assessing your website in terms of how... read more »

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I love assistive technology!

Dodgy knees I have dodgy knees. Very dodgy, sadly. I have flat feet and did not start to wear corrective insoles until I was in my late 30s. This meant that my weight went through my knees unevenly and wore away the cartilage, meaning there is almost none on the insides. Grade 4 Osteoarthritis, bone on bone. Ouch. How do I manage them? As I am now over 50, I can get a partial knee replacement on... read more »

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Surely all websites are accessible for disabled people?

A level-playing field One of the most brilliant aspects of the Web is the idea of a level playing field. Having a physical disability can often can make everyday tasks like going shopping more difficult, although it is often the environment itself that is the biggest problem. However, the Web is seen as the great leveller, now everyone can access goods and services equally, as long as they have internet access, right? Or is it? I wish!... read more »

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Why microwave/oven is right but wrong and microwave / oven is wrong but right!

Do not ask me why but it never seemed to look right, when there is not a space on either side of a slash.To me, microwave/oven just does not look correct so I always put spaces in, ie. microwave / ovenGrammarly, of course, always gently reminds me to take the spaces out and of course I always reluctantly do.However, never again will I do... read more »

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