We have recently added WAI ARIA landmark roles to accessible.ie, to improve navigation for visitors using assistive technologies. The diagram below shows how the sections of the page are divided into logical chunks. (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘accessibility’
WAI ARIA
Monday, November 2nd, 2009Governments using Google Maps
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009In an earlier post, we discussed some of the wonderful ways communities are harnessing Google Maps, and now we will look at how governments use them. Government Google maps tend to be official, formal, controlled, and with a fixed budget. This has a somewhat homogenizing effect on the maps governments produce; they tend to have predictable features and reliable, if limited content.
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Blogging and Accessibility
Monday, November 19th, 2007Election ‘07 was heralded as the first “online election”. For the first time, Irish politicians attempted to connect with voters through various online resources, from Bebo pages to election campaign videos on YouTube. One of the most pervasive features of the various online campaigns was the politician’s blog. All the major parties were represented in the blogosphere, from the top down. Party leaders had their say on Rock The Vote, where the musings of Bertie, Enda, Pat et al could be read. (more…)
Pop-up Windows [Part 2]
Wednesday, March 14th, 2007Pop-up Window Usability
Thanks to browser improvements we can browse the web again without being bothered by all those pop-up windows. But what about those occasions when we want pop-ups? Good blockers are designed in such a way that they should allow pop-up windows that we have explicitly requested; such as a straightforward link that simply opens in a new window. However, things are not always as simple as this. To open the web version of AOL’s instant messenger pop-up application, the user must click on a link (which should be enough to let the browser know that the pop-up is solicited), but the window is blocked. (more…)
Streaming Video - Still a no go area?
Tuesday, November 7th, 2006In recent months, the issue of streaming video has been at the forefront of the web community’s conscience. This is due to the huge growth of sites like YouTube, which Google recently acquired for $1.65 billion, and the new phenomenon of clip-sharing and disposable video. YouTube recently rose to notoriety in Ireland when footage of a girl being attacked in Ballymun was posted on the site. The clip was subsequently removed when the victim’s father made an appeal on the Joe Duffy radio show. (more…)
Why web standards can be good for business too
Monday, July 31st, 2006The advantages of the web standards approach are well documented both here on accessible.ie, and elsewhere. However, these discussions normally focus on the advantages the approach brings to the end user. There are also many benefits for the business or individual responsible for the site. (more…)