• In this article the <> around the mark up has been removed so it does not get applied to the text.

Although, with more designers adopting Web 2.0 principles, the idea that a document structure only has one main heading h1 has ‘sunk in’ (with a co-sponsoring dramatic drop in designers using h1 purely to change the text size) h2 elements are still used, even on the most accessible of pages, as general and multiple mark-up to indicate not a second heading but  any subheadings on the page or to simply make a title bigger. A webpage with several divided areas might have several h2 elements as a title.

Quite simply, this is a basic misunderstanding between the structural mark-up and semantics. A second heading (mark-up) is the second heading of the document content e.g:

h1 A New Look at Web Accessibility /h1
h2 How correct use of mark-up aids understanding of content. /h2

• Remind yourself of  why Web 2.0 is important by watching the video below:

[youtube]6gmP4nk0EOE[/youtube]

Instead Most designers are using h2 as general ”secondary” heading e.g.

h1 This Look at Common Web Design /h1

h2 The Use of Html/h2
p Some writing on html /p
h2 The Advantages of PHP /h2
p Some Writing on php /p
h2 Accessibility and the use of Headings /h2
p Some writing on this subject/p

If it is used multiply on a page an h2 becomes simply a secondary heading or a subheading – all equal. This confuses the user whose browser of assistive technology uses mark-up to aid document comprehension. These elements become irrelevant and the user is unable to gain any indication or item priority or document structure or navigation from their use. It is also confusing for the designer. If the all h2 are equal, where and why do we use h3 or h4..?

To keep a document structure clean and its visual design separate use h2 only if it really is a second heading. For lots of secondary headings (i.e separate titles to areas) use other methods mainly, CSS colour, size or capitalisation and hidden navigational aids or (where accurate and appropriate) the title=”" tag.

A well-worded, textual title or CSS hidden navigational element used to identify page areas and navigation can be invaluable to everyone from those using screen-readers or even those using mobile phone that have a non-standard mobile browser.

Web accessibility is no longer just for ‘disabled websites’.  If you have a website, you MUST try and adhere to basic web accessibility guidelines and web standards* . The ‘disabled pound’ is worth £80 billion – your business simply cannot afford to discriminate online – even if you were not aware you were!

We can audit your website for you.

• Access – By Design accessibility audits are quality assured by trained, certified professionals.
• Access – By Design are proud to belong to The Guild of Accessible Web Designers and follow their code(s) of conduct.
• Access audits follow stringent worldwide accessibility guidelines and international web standards, many of which have been in place for over eight years .
• Audits do use some automated testing but manual checks are ALWAYS carried out by an real person as auditor.
• Audits are either carried out by or secondarily checked by a REAL disabled person  who either uses assistive technologies to view the website or who have a disability that significantly affects their use of computers and browsing the internet

We offer two kinds of audit:

• The Overview Audit.

This audit is often all a small to medium website needs to significantly improve the access on their website.  The audit is usually up to 500 words which outlines the major areas with accessibility issues and also your accessibility strengths.  Unlike most audits we also look at your website capability to perform on the newest technologies such as PDAs, mobile phones and HD TV. These Overview Audits are created for you to pass on to your web designer or implement yourself.  We do not make any changes to your website for you. Please advise us whether the improvements will be carried out by a trained web practitioner or a talented amateur web designer so that the wording of the audit can be delivered appropriately.

• Access – by Design Full Audit.

This is a full investigation of your website with a complete check across all three main accessibility priority areas with practical and realistic advice on how issues can be fixed or accessible alternatives provided . Unlike most audits we also look at your website capability to perform on the newest technologies such as PDAs, mobile phones and HD TV. We do not make any changes to your website for you but we are explicit (even to code line number) as to where the issue is and accessible web techniques to use instead. Please advise us whether the improvements will be carried out by a trained web practitioner or a talented amateur web designer so that the wording of the audit can be delivered appropriately.

*These are NOT the same thing and do not ensure accessibility or web compliance in their own right.

• How do we give you CONTROL?

By being innovators of what are called ‘Dynamic ‘websites. Forget HTML and tables!

• What does that mean?

We design you a great contemporary website. Then, because it is ‘Dynamic’ we can train YOU how to run it yourself with NO web design or prior technical knowledge needed and NO need for software or courses – only an internet connection.

• Why does that help my business?

Managing your website helps you beat the “credit crunch” by removing large website maintenance fees.

NO more waiting for busy designers to update your site at extra cost.

ADD new pages and images to your site as quickly as sending an email.

Jump into easy E-Commerce – fast and secure!

Link up to your Facebook page or Ebay shop and see how quickly your company grows.

• Why are we called ACCESS – by design? Isn’t all web design the same?

Sadly not all web design is GOOD design – no matter how pretty it may look. Whist looking for a way to make websites disability-friendly, we realised that accessible design helped EVERYONE. Now we are industry leaders!

Dynamic web design techniques allow our websites to work on anything:- PCs, Apple Macs, laptops, netbooks, mobile phones, iphones, Blackberrys and PDAs, all the way up to HD TVs!

• Why does it matter that my website works on all those things?

Our websites also work with all of the popular browsers because you don’t know what people will be using to look at your website. Believe us, if it doesn’t work for them, they won’t be back in the future! We work to global web standards and are top-level ‘disability friendly’ too!

• What about Google and other search engines?

We have fantastic search engine results for our clients, our unique dynamic SEO techniques mean that all of your pages are working for you round the clock to bring in traffic to your website. ALL our clients score over 80% in an international, independent SEO ranking.

• Won’t all this make my website slow?

If we hosted our websites the way most web design companies do, yes.  Your website would be slow because your website would be sharing the server with hundreds (if not thousands) of other websites.  Access – by Design is different. We invested in  our  own dedicated server, which is actually in Maidenhead, sitting right on the ‘electronic backbone ‘of the country for super-fast connection speed and response time. We only host for our clients and we don’t share with anyone! Think of it like taking a toll road –   you pay a little  to be on it but you get  the ability to go as fast as you like and you get to jump the traffic jams too.

Because we own our server, you also get a phenomenal amount of information about your site visitors’ statistics, tracking everyone who visits your website – even down to what they typed into the search engine that led them to you. Our servers are monitored  by real people, 24 hours a day and we get hourly reports  here in the Chichester office to check speed, security and status. Your website is also backed up every day, every week and every month so you have the added security that your information is in safe hands.

• Doesn’t all this mean Access – by Design sites are expensive?

We promise you will be amazed at how reasonable our quotes are and also how much you get for your money. We don’t ‘do’ hidden charges. By removing maintenance fees and ongoing costs most companies find they save hundreds of pounds a year by switching to Access – by Design.  Our hosting fee  is a little bit higher than some (think of the toll road example above) but when you see what benefit hosting on a dedicated server brings, you’ll wish you had made the change years ago.

• What about ethical buying?

We are please to say we don’t cut our costs or your quality by outsourcing our coding to Eastern Europe or Asia. We strongly advise businesses to avoid design houses who do. At Access-by Design you have your own personal designer whom you can phone, email and meet in person at our office.

We will work with you to create a contemporary, flexible website that presents you to the world wide web in your best light! Talk to us today on 01243 766399.

Access by Design – proud to do things differently!

However, we have identified one of the most common problems that can make a real difference to your websites accessibility – that is how you create links (hyperlinks) with your website text. This is mainly an accessibility issue but it does also help people that are less confident with using the internet – statistically that is older users.

The key thing to remember is this:

Please make sure that the link makes sense – even in isolation/ out of context.

For example, when you create a link most people use the following technique:

• Please see HERE for more information

1. This is incorrect as the world “here” does not make sense in isolation.  It says here but Where IS here? WHAT is here?
2. Please try to create links where the WHOLE link makes sense e.g.

• Please see here for more information about this subject
• Or
• Follow this link for more information about what I am talking about  in this  section

This method makes it easier for;

• hesitate users to IDENTIFY the link;
• helps people using trackerballs or less precise mouse alternatives to SELECT a link;
• makes sense for people using speech readers to READ links in isolation (often using a different “voice” than the main text.)

Remember a little accessibility goes a LONG way in getting your website noticed…

What Is RSS? RSS Explained
RSS Primer: One Page Quick Introduction to RSS

What is RSS?

RSS (Rich Site Summary) is a format for delivering regularly changing web content. Many news-related sites, weblogs and other online publishers syndicate their content as an RSS Feed to whoever wants it.

Why RSS? Benefits and Reasons for using RSS

RSS solves a problem for people who regularly use the web. It allows you to easily stay informed by retrieving the latest content from the sites you are interested in. You save time by not needing to visit each site individually. You ensure your privacy, by not needing to join each site’s email newsletter. The number of sites offering RSS feeds is growing rapidly and includes big names like Yahoo News.

What do I need to do to read an RSS Feed?

RSS Feed Readers and News Aggregators.
Feed Reader or News Aggregator software allow you to grab the RSS feeds from various sites and display them for you to read and use.

A variety of RSS Readers are available for different platforms. Some popular feed readers include Amphetadesk (Windows, Linux, Mac), FeedReader (Windows), and NewsGator (Windows – integrates with Outlook). There are also a number of web-based feed readers available. My Yahoo, Bloglines, and Google Reader are popular web-based feed readers.

Once you have your Feed Reader, it is a matter of finding sites that syndicate content and adding their RSS feed to the list of feeds your Feed Reader checks. Many sites display a small icon with the acronyms RSS, XML, or RDF to let you know a feed is available.

WhatIsRSS.com now has a blog …

We  want to keep this resource brief and to the point, but we realise there is a lot more that can be communicated about using RSS. Our RSS Blog was launched 26 July 2007 to extend and complement the information provided here. If you are interested in learning more about RSS go there now and subscribe! It will be updated over time with information on using RSS and will feature tools to help you use RSS in new and better ways.
RSS Links: More information on RSS
RSS Info Comprehensive Overview and Links
Syndic8 – Directory of RSS Feeds
What is RSS, and Why Should You Care?
XML.com: What is RSS?
Introduction to RSS – WebReference.com
RSS Blog Our very own weblog on RSS
Sites with RSS Feeds More RSS Examples. Sites with RSS feeds linking to WhatIsRSS.com

www.WhatIsRSS.com
The quickest way to educate your site visitors about RSS = link to this page.
Email me with feedback and suggestions for improvement. I want www.WhatIsRSS.com to be clear, concise, accurate and targeted to the majority of web users.

Beyond the confusion, website accessibility means that the whole website content can be accessed by all visitors via the technology they are using. Primarily this indicates assistive technologies (e.g. speech readers, screen magnifiers and mouse-less computers etc). The myth is that web accessibility is only for disabled people. Web accessibility includes all people and web technologies – even “non-disabled” technologies such as ‘alternative’ internet browsers, mobile phones, TV internet, high resolution screens and low-speed connections. Accessible design simply means your website will reach the widest possible number of people.

Surprisingly, a few checks can be all that is needed for a small website to pass the basic requirements;

• The key to accessibility is testing. Ask your designer (or do it yourself!) to test that your website works on all platforms, screen resolutions and with assistive technologies. (NB: There is a misunderstanding that validation to “WC3 Web Standards” equals accessibility. It doesn’t.)
• Remove tiles or “noisy” backgrounds on pages.
• Use contrasting colours (e.g. light background equal dark text, dark background equal light text)
• Do not use framesets or tables for layout.
• Do not use images that contain more than 10 words of text information
• Remove flashing images.
• It’s tempting to add “text only” versions to an inaccessible website. Although this seems a “quick fix” it still does not guarantee accessibility and is largely seen by the disabled community as tokenistic. Demand the best for your company – integral accessible design.

If you have any further questions about your websites accessibility or would like a no obligation, FREE accessibility audit please email us at info@access-bydesign.com or see our accessibility pages on our website for help and links to resources.

Jess Loseby

For CoC