Blog
Test your website with The Tab Key!
How to quickly check if a website is accessible When I use the word "website accessibility", I mean "website accessibility for disabled people".I have been talking about website accessibility for disabled people since 2006, it has always been a passion of mine and always will be. The guidance to help website designers create websites meet the needs of disabled people have been around since, wait for it, 1999 and yet, most web designers have not... read more »
Aren’t all websites accessible for disabled people?
It is easy to know if a building is likely to be accessible for someone in a wheelchair.For example:At the entrance, there is a gentle ramp as well as a set of steps The doors to get in open automatically as you approach Inside, you see a flight of stairs to the next floor but you also see a liftThis inclusive approach is so commonplace with new buildings that you can almost take... read more »
What are the benefits of having an accessible website?
What does website accessibility mean? The benefits of having an accessible website are almost too many to mention! However, firstly, let me explain that when I use the term “website accessibility”, I am talking about website accessibility for disabled people. In the same way that someone who is disabled might use a wheelchair to help them with their mobility, someone who is blind might use a screen-reader and a keyboard to help them, or someone... read more »
Why is it important that disabled people audit your website?
This may seem to be a completely obvious question but, sadly, not everyone who carries out a website accessibility audit uses disabled people to test the website as part of the process. A story from the 1980s It reminds me of a story I was told about British Rail, many years ago. They had built a new type of railway carriage that, for the first time, was wide enough for a wheelchair user to get through.... read more »
Why accessibility plugins are a bad idea
I am passionate about website accessibility for disabled people. I have the privilege of knowing many other people who feel the same. We are all trying, in our own way, to do what we can to promote the cause and change minds.Nobody wants to have a website that is inaccessible for disabled people, however over 97% of the Home Pages of 1 million websites tested last year, had detectable accessibility failures. It is a... read more »
Clive interviewed on Vectis Radio
The day before my TEDx Talk, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Ian Mac, the owner of the wonderful radio station, Vectis Radio.Vectis are a community-based radio station with a focus on helping teenagers with a variety of challenges. I knew as soon as I met Ian that I was in the company of someone who shared my passion for inclusivity and equality.I was so happy to give this interview because it... read more »
You can see but you cannot touch. What do you do?
Iona is one of my fab website accessibility testers. She used to photograph some of the world’s biggest rock stars and her work regularly appeared in magazines like Kerrang. A boxing injury sustained 5 years ago, unfortunately, left her without the use of one hand and severe pain when using her other hand. As she now has to rely on one hand for all manual tasks, it puts extra wear and tear on it... read more »
So what is wrong with dropdown menus?
The benefits of using a dropdown menuDropdown menus are a convenient way of keeping your website clean and uncluttered. They are easy to use and require very little skill to operate. What on earth could be wrong with them?Well, let us take an audit I did recently for a travel company and see.Mede is blind and uses a screen-reader and a keyboard. She is booking her journey.There are drop-down menus for the number of... read more »
Accessibility is not just about wheelchairs!
I saw a feature on the BBC local news this morning about pavement parking. Cars parked on pavements mean that people pushing prams, people using mobility scooters and people in wheelchairs have to use the road instead, which is obviously far more dangerous.In London a new law has been introduced, making payment parking an offence and I am sure that we will see this rolled out across the rest of the country in due... read more »
Making a travel booking is easy unless you are blind!
A live test Last week I was doing an audit for a travel company. I have my amazing team of live testers, I give them a series of tasks to do on the website and we record the results.Mede is a Masters Degree student and is blind. She uses a screen-reader and a keyboard. She had the task of booking a journey on a specific day, returning on another day and paying for it.A screen... read more »