Newsletter 7

19 September, 2011

In this issue

  1. Accessibility improvements to Google Apps
  2. Accessibility for Designers
  3. Victorian Government adopts WCAG 2.0
  4. Stat of the week

Accessibility improvements to Google Apps

Google has announced a range of accessibility improvements to Google Calendar, Google Docs and Google Sites.

The improvements add new keyboard shortcuts and better screen reader support for blind users. The full announcement is available here:
http://googleappsupdates.blogspot.com/2011/09/accessibility-improvements-to-google.html

The improvements may be an attempt by Google to respond to several complaints in the United States about the use of Google Apps in educational institutions.

On March 15, 2011, the US National Federation of the Blind issued a complaint against New York University and Northwestern over the inaccessibility of Google Apps

Accessibility for Designers

WebAIM has released a set of tips for designers when considering web accessibility.

The list includes:

  • Plan Heading Structure Early
  • Consider Reading Order
  • Provide Good Contrast
  • Use True Text Whenever Possible
  • Watch the Use of CAPS
  • Use Adequate Font Size
  • Remember Line Length
  • Make Sure Links are Recognizable
  • Design Link Focus Indicators
  • Design a "Skip to Main Content" Link
  • Ensure Link Text Makes Sense on Its Own
  • Use Animation, Video, and Audio Carefully
  • Don't Rely on Color Alone
  • Design Accessible Form Controls

Victorian Government adopts WCAG 2.0

The Victorian Government has adopted WCAG 2.0 as its web accessibility standard.

Borrowing from the Federal Government's National Transition Strategy, all Victorian Government web sites are to be WCAG 2.0 Level A compliant by December 31, 2012 and WCAG 2.0 Level AA compliant by December 31, 2014.

The National Transition Strategy (NTS) was developed by the Australian Government Information Office (AGIMO) in 2010 and outlines a roadmap for achieving web site accessibility compliance.

Stat of the week

  • 38,000 unique visitors access the Student Portal each week.

Previous Issues

Previous issues of the Web Accessibility Newsletter are available here.

Contact Andrew Normand, Web Accessibility Program Leader
Email: anormand@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: +61 3 9035 4867