k.mcmanus@gre.ac.uk 2015
.
.
Usability and Accessibility are two intimately related aspects of web site design. Usability is largely the application of common sense to the enhancement of the user experience. Accessibility is the rather more serious consideration of whether the web site is available to all users, especially to people with disabilities who may require the use of assitive technologies.
"The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect."
Tim Berners-Lee
W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide Web
This is not simply good practice it is a matter of law. In the UK the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and in the USA Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act 1998 are being used to persuade organisations to take steps to create accessible web sites.
Usability and Accessibility in Web Site Design (powerpoint 125k)
Web Design (powerpoint 646k)
Responsive and Adaptive Design
Websites That Work! - a Web Accessibility Initiative film produced by W3C Web Accessibility Initiative in association with the Royal National Institute for the Blind, the Sensory Disabilities Unit at the University of Hertfordshire and Pacifica Films. This short film is available on VHS from the library or you can download this low resolution Quicktime version (667M so it may be an idea to burn it to a CD in the lab)). Sorry but this does require CMS authentication. Or try this Flash version.
.
.