“The power of the web is in it’s Universality. Access by everyone, regardless of disability is an essential element”

Tim Berbers-Lee – founder of the World-Wide-Web

From the simple beginnings, the web has grown tremendously. In order to stand out in this sea of information, designers started to add gradients, drop-shadows, a few rounded corners and some stepped out of the box to push the boundaries of technology to provide rich media experiences online. This creative direction has often had little thought for disabled users resulting in many inaccessible sites.

This is complicated by the large number of users who have different needs, who are not and should not be considered disabled. Browsing, shopping, finding entertainment on the web are no longer just for the younger generation. The appearance of terms like “Silver Surfers” and “Hacker-gran” demonstrates that the 50+ age demographics have arrived on the net.

In an effort to encourage equality, many countries have started to introduce legislation requiring companies to be accessible in all areas including their online presents. It is no longer acceptable to discard a users’ use of the Internet as a means of communication with a company, by insisting they use an alternative such as the telephone.

Accessibility in the online world has come a long way over the last few years. For websites to continue to offer rich media content which is at the same time as accessible as possible, more and more Flash developers are starting to create content that is accessible to users of different abilities.

To assist Flash Developers with accessibility a one day workshop is being offered by Niqui Merret, a Flash Developer and Accessibility expert. The workshop covers such topics as Flash content interacting with screen-readers, audio and screen-readers, colour and font considerations, controlling the motion, captioning videos and optmising keyboard interactions. It will also cover testing and assistive technologies available to disabled users.

Email: train.nosp@m.ing@niqui.nosp@m.merret.com