Derek Featherstone – Real World Accessibility For Real World People
A presentation given at Web Directions North, Vancouver Canada, January 30 2008.
Session description
When we follow the principles of web standards, we write valid HTML and CSS, unobtrusive JavaScript and follow WCAG and other accessibility guidelines. This simple act goes a long way to creating an accessible web site, application or service. At the same time, many sites that don’t utilize all that is good and wholesome about web standards perform surprisingly well when they are used by people with disabilities.
How can we get the best of both worlds to create standards-based solutions that are highly usable for real people (including those with disabilities) in the real world?
In this session, we’ll dissect several examples from real sites and apps to learn about accessibility problems that arise from design and development decisions and what we can do to create a more accessible user experience for all people, regardless of their ability.
About Derek Featherstone
Derek Featherstone is a well known instructor, speaker and developer with expertise in web accessibility consulting.
Derek delivers technical training that is engaging, informative and immediately applicable. A high-quality instructor, he draws on his background as a former high school teacher plus seven years running his web development and accessibility consultancy Further Ahead.
His experience includes hands-on development, web accessibility consulting and training. He advises many government agencies, educational institutions and private sector companies, providing them with expert accessibility testing and review, and recommendations for improving the accessibility of their websites to all people.
As a member of The Web Standards Project, Derek serves on two task forces: Accessibility/Assistive Devices and DOM Scripting. He is a dedicated advocate for standards that ensure simple, affordable access to web technologies for all.
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