Overview of content related to 'accessibility'

'Does He Take Sugar?': The Risks of Standardising Easy-to-read Language

lisrw — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 15:18:25 +0000

Brian Kelly, Dominik Lukeš and Alistair McNaught highlight the risks of attempting to standardise easy-to-read language for online resources.

The idea that if we could only improve how we communicate, there would be less misunderstanding among people is as old as the hills. Historically, this notion has been expressed through things like school reform, spelling reform, publication of communication manuals, etc. The most radical expression of the desire for better understanding is the invention of a whole new artificial language with the intention of providing a universal language for humanity.

Towards a Pragmatic Framework for Accessible E-Learning

editor — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 23:00:00 +0000

Lawrie Phipps, Neil Witt and Brian Kelly while recognising the importance of accessibility in e-learning resources, query the universal applicability of the Web Accessibility Initiative's guidelines and describe a pragmatic framework which provides a broader context for their use.

From Well Meaning Guideline to Stealth Standard

Access to learning for all students is a value that is hard to dispute for anyone working in the education sector. Within the areas of education that are concerned with supporting disabled students, it has almost become dogma that in order to provide this 'universal access' we must have standards in design that can accommodate all (disabled) learner needs. This view is supported by legislation:

Web Focus: The WWW 2005 Conference

editor — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 23:00:00 +0000

Brian Kelly provides his impressions including reports of areas of doubt and uncertainty - but also of an exciting new development.

About the WWW 2005 Conference

The WWW 2005 Conference was held in the Nippon Conference Centre in Chiba, Japan over 10-14 May 2005. This conference is the main event for the Web research community and provides an opportunity for researchers to present papers on research into developments in the Web infrastructure. In addition to its role for the research community, the conference also attracts delegates who are active in leading edge work in more mainstream areas.

Web Focus: The Web on Your TV

editor — Thu, 29 Jul 2004 23:00:00 +0000

Brian Kelly takes a look at a digital TV box which provides Web and email access in your living room.

The potential for use of television for accessing Web resources has been suggested for a number of years without having any significant impact. However the growth in use of digital TV technologies may provide another opportunity for accessing Web and other networked resources from the comfort of your living room.

This article introduces the Netgem i-Player digital TV player and describes the implications for Web developers if such devices grow in popularity.

Web Focus: WWW 2003 Trip Report

editor — Tue, 29 Jul 2003 23:00:00 +0000

Brian Kelly writes on the recent WWW 2003 conference and outlines some of the latest Web developments.

WWW 2003 was the 12th in the series of international World Wide Web conferences organised by the IW3C2 (the International World Wide Web Conference Committee). The international WWW conferences provide an opportunity for the Web research community to describe their research activities. Other tracks at the conference cover areas such as cultural resources, e-learning, accessibility, etc. In addition W3C (the World Wide Web Consortium) gives a series of presentations which describe many of the new Web standards being developed.

Web Focus: Interfaces to Web Testing Tools

editor — Wed, 15 Jan 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Brian Kelly looks at interfaces to Web testing tools, and in particular at Bookmarklets - simple extensions to browsers which enhance functionality.

In the last issue of Ariadne the Web Focus column encouraged Web developers to "get serious about HTML standards" [1]. The article advocated use of XHTML and highlighted the importance of documents complying with standards.

Many authors of Web resources would agree with this in principle, but find it difficult to implement in practice: use of validation tools seem to require launching a new application or going to a new location in a Web browser and copying and pasting a URL. This can be time-consuming and so is often not carried out.

Web Focus: Let's Get Serious about HTML Standards

editor — Wed, 09 Oct 2002 23:00:00 +0000

Brian Kelly encourages authors to treat compliance with HTML standards seriously.

If you talk to long-established Web authors or those responsible for managing large Web sites or developing Web applications intended for widespread use in a heterogeneous environment you are likely to find that the need for compliance with Web standards is well-understood.

Web Watch: An Accessibility Analysis of UK University Entry Points

editor — Wed, 09 Oct 2002 23:00:00 +0000

Brian Kelly reports on the accessibility of entry points of UK University Web sites.

The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (SENDA) came into effect on 1 ^st September 2002. The Act removes the previous exemption of education from the Disability Discrimination Act (1995), ensuring that discrimination against disabled students will be unlawful. Institutions will incur additional responsibilities in 2003, with the final sections of legislation coming into effect in 2005 [1].

Web Focus: Report On The Sixth Institutional Web Management Workshop

editor — Sun, 07 Jul 2002 23:00:00 +0000

Brian Kelly with a report on the Sixth Institutional International Web Management Workshop held this year at the University of Strathclyde.

The Institutional Web Management Workshop series is the main event organised by UK Web Focus. The workshop series began with a two-day event at King's College London in June 1997. The event has been repeated every year since then and, after the first event, was extended to a three-day format.

Web Watch: Carrying Out Your Own Web Watch Survey

editor — Tue, 02 Oct 2001 23:00:00 +0000

Brian Kelly describes how you can carry out your own WebWatch benchmarking survey across your own community.

In 1997 UKOLN received funding for a project known as WebWatch [1] . The aim of the WebWatch project was to develop and use automated robot software to analyse Web sites across a number of public sector communities. After the project funding finished UKOLN continued to provide WebWatch surveys across communities such as UK Higher Education Web sites.

Web Watch: WebWatching eLib Project Web Sites

editor — Wed, 10 Jan 2001 00:00:00 +0000

Brian Kelly is WebWatching the eLib Project Sites.

This issue of Ariadne has the theme of eLib Projects. It is therefore timely for the regular WebWatch column to survey eLib project Web sites.

The aim of the survey is to use a number of Web-based tools to provide information on the entry points for eLib project Web sites and the Web sites themselves. The findings may be of interest to the eLib projects themselves and users of eLib projects. Perhaps more importantly, the findings may be of interest to new JISC-funded programmes.

Web Focus: Using the Web to Promote Your Web Site

editor — Tue, 21 Dec 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Brian Kelly expalins how to promote your web site.

Many readers of this article will be involved in setting up new web sites, possibly for European or nationally-funded projects, for internal, institutional projects or perhaps for community projects. As the size of the web grows there is an increasing awareness of the need to be pro-active in promoting web sites - we can no longer simply sit back and expect visitors to arrive at our new site. This article describes a variety of approaches which can be taken to the promotion of a web site.

Web Focus: Report on "Institutional Web Management Next Steps" Workshop

editor — Wed, 22 Sep 1999 23:00:00 +0000

Brian Kelly reports on the latest "Institutional Web Management Workshop," this year called: "The Next Steps."

The "Institutional Web Management: The Next Steps" workshop took place at Goldsmiths College, London on 7-9 September 1999. This was the third annual event for institutional web managers which has been organised by UK Web Focus. The first workshop was held over 2 day (16/17 July 1997) at Kings College London. As described in the workshop report published in Ariadne [1] the event attracted a total of 95 participants. The workshop provided a valuable opportunity for web editors to meet their peers at other institutions and compare experiences.

Web Focus: Report on the WWW 8 Conference

editor — Mon, 21 Jun 1999 23:00:00 +0000

Brian Kelly discusses WWW8 in Toronto, which took place in May 1999.

The Eighth World Wide Web Conference (WWW8) was on a smaller scale than in the past few years. The numbers of delegates seemed to be down, and there was no accompanying exhibition. The conference appeared to be refocussing on the web research community, with delegates from commercial companies more likely to be software developers than marketing types. This refocussing also seemed to be reflected in the conference papers, which, as a number of people commented, seemed to be of a higher quality this year.

Web Watch: 404s, What's Missing?

editor — Mon, 21 Jun 1999 23:00:00 +0000

Brian Kelly discusses 404 'not found' messages, and why you don't always get the same one.

What are the ten most visited pages on your website? Your main entry point, no doubt. And possibly your search page, a site map or other navigational aids. A greeting from your Vice Chancellor may be a popular page - or is it more likely to be a Student's Union Society page, or a personal home page?

Web Focus: Extending Your Browser

editor — Fri, 19 Mar 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Brian Kelly on techniques for extending the capabilities of your browser.

The WebWatch project [1], which was based at UKOLN, involved the development and use of a variety of tools to analyse web resources and web servers. During the early development of the software, individual summaries (particularly of outliers in the statistical data) were often required in order to check that the software was working correctly. Initially summaries were obtained using simple Unix scripts. For example the urlget script displayed the HTTP headers for a resource as illustrated below:

Web Focus: The Role of the Web Editor

editor — Sat, 19 Dec 1998 00:00:00 +0000

Brian Kelly asks, does 'web editor' mean Unix guru or an HTML coder?

Web Focus: Institutional Web Management

editor — Fri, 18 Sep 1998 23:00:00 +0000

Brian Kelly reports on the Netskills Institutional Web Management Workshop held in Newcastle.

Web Focus Corner: Running an Institutional Web Service

editor — Thu, 18 Sep 1997 23:00:00 +0000

Brian Kelly reports on a workshop on running an institutional web service.