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==Side effect benefits== | ==Side effect benefits== | ||
As new systems are implemented, organizations should be aware of the unexpected positive benefits. We're going to examine this with the | As new systems are implemented, organizations should be aware of the unexpected positive benefits. We're going to examine this with the “'''cut curb principle''''.” | ||
As many are aware, navigating the world as a person with disabilities often results in frustration or complete denial to everyday services. Resolving these problems one step at a time yields unexpected benefits. When a curb is cut for wheelchairs, blind people can use sidewalks more easily. Navigation is also made easier for those with baby strollers, bicycles and inattentive walkers. The same is true of ramps and elevators - making a change for disabled persons improves the situation for everyone. This leads to a shift in thinking towards [[wp:universal design]] - the idea that instead of treating accessible design as a necessary afterthought, it is instead a way to lead overall design. | As many are aware, navigating the world as a person with disabilities often results in frustration or complete denial to everyday services. Resolving these problems one step at a time yields unexpected benefits. When a curb is cut for wheelchairs, blind people can use sidewalks more easily. Navigation is also made easier for those with baby strollers, bicycles and inattentive walkers. The same is true of ramps and elevators - making a change for disabled persons improves the situation for everyone. This leads to a shift in thinking towards [[wp:universal design]] - the idea that instead of treating accessible design as a necessary afterthought, it is instead a way to lead overall design. | ||
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Using technology, this is enabled by the fact that most information is stored in one way or another in text format. Email is text, Web pages are generally text. The low level format of Web pages is HTML, which accommodates accessible features. Suddenly, individuals with mobility or vision problems (estimated to be 700 million people around the world, or one in seven Canadians) are on an equal footing with everyone else - they're tremendously enabled. | Using technology, this is enabled by the fact that most information is stored in one way or another in text format. Email is text, Web pages are generally text. The low level format of Web pages is HTML, which accommodates accessible features. Suddenly, individuals with mobility or vision problems (estimated to be 700 million people around the world, or one in seven Canadians) are on an equal footing with everyone else - they're tremendously enabled. | ||
Consider a well implemented Web page. | Consider a well implemented Web page. Behind the scenes, the page separates presentation from content. Headings are used to indicate sections. A person with vision disabilities, whether it's very common colour blindness, contrast problems, or acute focus problems, can use a variety of techniques to access this information. They can change the font size in their browser, they can replace colours. They can use a screen reader, which reads the document using text to speech, treats headings as a table of contents, and allows the individual to easily scan the page rather than forcing them to read it top to bottom. This carries over to everyone - someone with a large screen or a small screen, like the increasingly popular mobile browsers, can reasonably access well designed content. The work that goes into producing this page usually leads to easier information re-use and presentation flexibility. | ||
This is not true for poorly designed content. Individuals have few ways to alter content. Screen readers may have to read long passages of "content" that describes useless elements - the presentation, rather than the content. Mobile browsers and older computers | This is not true for poorly designed content. Individuals have few ways to alter content. Screen readers may have to read long passages of "content" that describes useless elements - the presentation, rather than the content. Mobile browsers and older computers may not be able to access the content at all. | ||
There are no mysteries involved why this happens. People like "Flashier" web sites, and web design firms will often hire designers to create "sexy" first impressions, meanwhile using outdated approaches to low level design. | There are no mysteries involved in why this happens. People like "Flashier" web sites, and web design firms will often hire designers to create "sexy" first impressions, meanwhile using outdated approaches to low level design. It's important to look past first impressions to make sure your site works well for everyone, and is future friendly. [http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/ WCAG] is an international standard for accessible web page design. | ||
[http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/ WCAG] is an international standard for accessible web page design. | |||
==Side effect risks== | ==Side effect risks== | ||