Earlier today, there was a thread on
Plurk earlier today, discussing web pages that featured lists of Web 2.0 applications. There are a number of them, some on Web 2.0 apps in general, some on specific areas, like Social 2.0. One of the pages that was noted in the thread was
Go2Web20.net, self-termed as
the complete Web 2.0 sites directory. It has the standard Flash(y) display of acres of scrollable logos that can be clicked for a further description of the Web 2.0 application.
I digress for a moment (read: rant). I looked at the first several entries (in alpha sort order) and found at least one typographical or spelling error in all but one of the entries. If you want your web site to really rock, take a few extra seconds and re-read what you type (or cut/paste) and correct it. We now return to our regularly scheduled entry.
The first thing I noticed about this web site was that there was no other way to review the list of hundreds of web sites that the creators have collected other than through the Flash interface. You could narrow the list by keyword and search it, but you were still left to poking your way with your mouse. What happens if you don't use a mouse and prefer keyboard shortcuts? More importantly, what if you cannot use a mouse or ever see the Flash application? Let me explain...
Editor's note: apologies in advance if I do not use the currently politically correct terminology for the ability differences described from here forward. In our ever-changing use of language, I may have missed a bulletin.
During my career in IT, I had the great fortune of working with a number of programmers and designers who had problems with vision, hearing, and motor functions. I was always amazed at how they adapted to a wide range of barriers that the world has placed into their path. Back in the early days of computing, programming required the
three P's: pencil, paper (
coding forms), and
punchcard. Quite a challenge for a blind or quadriplegic programmer.
When we moved to more modern technology with terminals and, eventually, PC-based workstations, the challenge was still there, but the solutions were at least possible. One of the first was from Maryland Computer Systems (see some old articles
via Google) that could
read the screen and use a voice synthesizer to communicate to the blind user. The voice had a very monotone male characteristic, too, as if it came from a Class Z robot movie. The user could, however, adjust the rate at which the words were spoken. An adept user could get to a level of listening at several times the normal rate. Remember, in most cases, it was a string of characters, not words. Say the programmer was working in
360 Assembler - the load address instruction with a label,
P100X001 LA R1,=A(JG00012), would come out as
P ONE ZERO ZERO ZERO X ZERO ZERO ONE SPACE L A SPACE SPACE SPACE SPACE etc. Additionally, keystrokes were read back, as well as positioning using cursor keys. This hardware attachment (yes, hardware) which cost in the thousands of dollars worked quite well on standard 80 x 24 (characters by lines) screens. Then came Windows...
With Windows, came such devices as the mouse, trackball, and expanded keyboards. The Maryland Talker could not handle much more that text and keyboards. The first product that I came in contact with was from a firm called Henter-Joyce, now
Freedom Scientific. One of the founders, Ted Henter, learned to program after he lost his own vision in an auto accident. The company developed a product that eventually became known as
Jaws for Windows. Our blind programmers found it to be a wonderful product embodying the company's slogan,
empowering independence. It truly brought them to the technology level of their sighted peers. To experience what a screen reader sounds like, try this
demonstration at WebAIM. Ironically, it uses Flash.
There are also adaptive technologies for those with limited or no motor function. We have all seen and heard Stephen Hawking. The most common product that we used was Dragon Dictate (now called
Dragon Speaking Naturally) which can be used to not only type, but control a mouse using only your voice.
So, now that I have digressed through a bit of my history of assisting my programmers, what does this have to do with Web 2.0? It all has to do with accessibility. Web 2.0, actually most of the
glitz in our world today, connected or not, is designed for the fastest, the slickest, the sexiest effect, something that will catch your eye or please your ears or fit in your palm. What if you can't see or hear or hold something?
According to the
American Federation for the Blind, there are approximately 10 million in the US who are considered visually impaired (people who cannot see at all as well as those who have difficulty seeing with eyeglasses or contact lenses), 1.3 million who are legally blind. According to
Gallaudet University, 9 to 22 persons out of every thousand have a severe hearing impairment or are deaf. Persons with motor impairments can be due to physical injury to or diseases that affect the muscular or nervous systems.
Although I am not
different-abled in these areas (I do wear glasses and my hearing stinks), I could be tomorrow or in the future. That is why we have the guidance of laws like the
Americans with Disabilities Act for not only things like handicapped parking spaces, but also for web site design. We have aids like the
ATRC Web Accessibility Checker to see where our web pages fail and how we can improve them.
Funny, I often wonder why provide a full text RSS feed. Simple, it is pretty much 100% readable by a screen reader. I also think I will be taking some time over the coming weeks adding accessibility features through the web site. Stay tuned for details.
