The IIA Net Visionary Awards 2008 will be held on Thursday 30th October in the Great Hall, Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin. This is a gala, black tie evening. You can find more details about voting here.

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The event was hosted by Yahoo! at Yahoo!’s Mission College Campus, Santa Clara, California.

The purpose of the event was to present the new technology with real world applications that begin to show what POWDER can do.

POWDER and us

POWDER (The Protocol for Web Description Resources) is a new technology from the W3C that bridges the gap between the traditional Web and the Semantic Web. It’s simple, easy to use and can fit into existing publishing work flows with minimal development effort.

To the end user POWDER delivers more of what you asked for and less of what you don’t want, allows you to judge the trustworthiness of information found on the Web and brings the best of the Web to your browser.

For Publisher’s, POWDER is an easy and inexpensive way to describe lots of things at once (such as everything on a Web site). Is open to authentication so that others know they can trust your data and opens up your data to the Semantic Web.

For Service Provider’s, POWDER supports real-time content personalization, makes discovering relevant & trustworthy content easier and identifies online resources that meet criteria that are not solely based on popularity.

The Agenda

• Welcome, Anne Toth, Yahoo!
• Introduction to POWDER. Phil Archer, Family Online Safety Institute, POWDER Working Group Chair
• The Semantic View, Jeremy Carroll, Top Quadrant
• The QUATRO Project — Authenticated, Machine Readable Trustmarks, Kostas Chandrinos, i-sieve Technologies
• POWDER in your Browser, Phillip Grønvold, Opera Software.
• A commercial view of POWDER, Paul Walsh, Segala
• Tying in with other standards, Matt Womer, W3C
• Comments and discussion from the floor

It’s still early hours in San Franciso so I’ve not had the opportunity to speak with Paul and find out how the event went. But, Paul did manage to drip feed the rest of us via Twitter.

Phil Archer, FOSI, CTO is up first. Talking about POWDER.

I’ve just presented technology that a 10 year old would get. Next guy up is talking about what’s under it - way too technical. But he’s good.

Matt Womer from W3C is up. I like matt.

Opera is now up. But I’m not permitted to tell you what they’re doing.

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What is it? It is an on-line directory which will provide information on access to 100 venues across Dublin City, for people with disabilities.  The service is designed to assist anyone who would like to know more about access to venues and service providers in Dublin.

It is all part of Dublin City Councils initiative in making services universally accessible by 2015.  To find out more read (Issue 2 Volume 1) of Access Matters in English or in Irish

Access Matters is a Dublin City Council publication that keeps you informed of the progress.

You can download your invitation to the launch on the Dublin City Council Web site. I’ll be there so if you pop along be sure to say Hello

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• db/front-end development
• Java workflow
• XML on document level
• JavaScript

Our client, a traditional publishing business, who are looking to shift from document based system into a JAVA/XML based system.

The position is a temp contract and based in London. If you fancy a change in location (unless you live in London already) then please get in touch with me adrian@segala.com

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The article is a great promotion piece for accessibility, we have received a few enquiries today just because of it. Thanks Marie.

I have pasted the full article below but you can always read it on the Irish Independent Web site.

If someone told you that your shop or business property was so badly designed that 10pc of your customers had great difficulty finding your products or services, would you consider a better layout or just watch them leave in frustration?

Nowadays, your website is just as much a port of call for the average customer as your physical premises. If you have not considered accessibility as part of its design, then you are excluding the 8.3pc of the Irish population with a disability of some kind, be it physical, visual or cognitive.

Simply put, this amounts to an estimated €3.3bn in spending power that is out of your reach.

The spending power of the 10 million-plus disabled community in the UK was estimated to have been worth £50bn sterling in 2005.

Having a website that is accessibility compliant is not only about opening up your business to those with disabilities, it can also add value to your business, says Paul Walsh, founder and CEO of Segala.

Segala helps website owners understand the commercial benefits of adopting accessibility best practices.

One website that uses the services of Segala is O2.com, which was completely re-designed to comply with accessibility guidelines laid out by the Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C), an organisation under the directorship of founder of the web, Tim Berners-Lee.

The benefits are undeniable, says Walsh. When O2 decided to change the colour scheme of part of its site, because it had adhered to W3C standards, this involved changing one simple piece of code in what could otherwise have been an arduous task.

Because many companies are not fully accessibility compliant, Walsh says they tend to shy away completely, fearing an entire tearing down and rebuilding of their website.

“You don’t have to change your entire website overnight. It’s about making ongoing changes, letting the user know you are aware of accessibility and doing something about it.”

The major problem is the misconception surrounding accessibility. Many believe it will be exorbitantly expensive to build this into their site, while others assume it will render their website ugly or leave it with less functionality.

Some businesses are even afraid it will affect revenue by discouraging banner or Flash advertising, and this is simply not the case, says Brendan Spillane, co-founder of Dublin-based accessible design firm Ilikecake.net.

“Irish businesses and government organisations are doing better than they used to.

“With any government tenders placed on the eTenders website, it is very rare to see one that does not specify accessibility and to the correct level, which is more important,” says Spillane.

Vivienne Trulock, co-founder of Ilikecake.net, carried out research on the level of accessibility among Irish websites and tested 152 different websites — all tested three years previously — to check their progress.

“There is an improvement in the level of knowledge that guidelines for accessibility exist, but not the same amount of improvement in the actual level of change,” says Spillane.

It is also interesting to note that structuring a website to work with the navigation software used by the visually impaired or blind makes that site easier to be listed and found on Google, Walsh says.

“Somebody once said that Google is the web’s most important blind man. If we make content accessible to people with disabilities, whereby a complete text alternative is made available in the background, then the search engine can read it and rank it accordingly.”

Spillane says his own firm’s website is proof of the pudding because it comes up as No 1 in its category when searched for on Google.

The internet should be the perfect enabler for those with disabilities, says Walsh. “When a blind person enters a supermarket for the first time, they have no way of knowing what kind of chocolate biscuits, for example, are on the shelf.

“But when they enter a website for the first time, there is the opportunity to have this information at their fingertips.”

© Silicon Republic Ltd 2008

All content copyright 2008, Silicon Republic Ltd — all rights reserved

Email: editorial@siliconrepublic.com

© Silicon Republic Ltd 2008

- Marie Boran

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Right up to my leaving cert I had to struggle. The front row was for swots, one I was not. So I opted for the back row. Class mates thought I was mad - it appeared as if I always ignoring teachers’ requests and roll call. I was able to keep up and with a gentle nudge from a mate (Darren Woodings), I’d know when the teacher had called my name.

When teachers turned to write on the board, that was a whole different ball game, almost a black out. I could no longer make out what they were saying, as I couldn’t see them speak and I’d loose a huge chunk of the lesson. I got into a bit of trouble from time to time, with a few close calls of flying objects to get my attention. To quote one school report “Very smart, but in a world of his own”. I got by and it wasn’t until my final PTA did my mother break her silence about me being half deaf. That was my fault, I told her if anyone found out I’d get picked on and I’d never go back. The penny dropped with the teachers and one apologised for not picking up on it.

It’s now 2008, we have the Web and all the benefits it brings to people with special needs. A lot of people think accessibility is about helping the blind, but its not, there is more to it.

Below is an extract from a recent enquiry we received

I am deaf and I am heavy internet user. I am interested to apply for online MBA programs from either IE Business School or Thunderbird Business School. The challenge I am facing nowadays is that these schools are not compliance either with ADA or DDA given the fact that at least 20% to 50% of the learning method is based on live online participation and streaming videos. They do not come with Closed Captioned or with English subtitles. And thats provide an obstacles for me to learn.

What answer should we provide?

I suggested that he contacts each school and ask if they have anything in place to support his needs. We know they do not provide closed caption or English subtitles but maybe (and this would not be to difficult to implement) the school provides a hosted chat room to convey a live text transcript of the audio and live online participation. This would benefit not only deaf students but also users whose PCs don’t support audio, or those who are not in a noisy environment.

Another option as seen on TV (News) would be to provide a translator to do sign language. Signing for such is likely to be very tiring and they couldn’t support all online participation, but they could convey the really important stuff.

The school could also provide a post video download of each session and test transcripts. Although this is not the same as live participation - it would benefit not just users with special needs but also any student who may have missed a session.

If you have had a similar experience or know of an alternative school for a course supporting users with special needs, please leave a comment or email me directly.

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Dear WAI Interest Group Participants,

We are interested in collecting experiences, stories, and perspectives
on people with disabilities using the Web via mobile devices. For
example: What are use cases of accessing the Web via a mobile device
that are particularly useful for a person with a disability? What are
unique issues accessing the Web via mobile device (versus desktop or
laptop) for people with disabilities?

We are also interested in similar information about Web access via
mobile device by “seniors”, older users who may have Web accessibility
needs related to aging. Are there cases when accessing the Web via a
mobile device is particularly useful for older users, or they have
unique issues using the Web via a mobile device?

Please note that we are limiting the scope of this query to *specific
accessibility issues using the Web*, and *not* more general hardware
issues, non-Web functionality, etc.

You can send your feedback to me, the WAI interest list or you can send them
to wai@w3.org.

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“Training in Design for All: Innovative Experiences”.

This conference is an opportunity to exchange information regarding new training experiences and advances on the concept of Design for All. Specific sessions on users` experiences, good practices, programmes and polices related with training developed in Europe have been included in the conference programme. Speakers are professionals working in the industry, universities, gubernmental and European institutions - European Commission and the Council of Europe.

Conference details are available on the EDeAN website http://url.ie/f9h

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The first draft of the application design was only intended to support Web accessibility (WCAG) but we decided to keep going simply from the reaction of folks we told about the application. The result is you will be able to label Web sites to make claims about compliance to WCAG, MobileOk and Section 508.

It does not stop there. The application can also create content labels for Web Sites that use a Creative Commons license and we’ll be adding more standards and codes of conduct as they come down stream.

I spent the day on the phone to our partners, touching base to say Hi and that they can expect and update shortly. If I haven’t called you yet, don’t worry, I will. Feel free to get in touch anytime.

I was delighted to hear partners still being so positive towards Accessibility. We all know the many reason and benefits of why a Web site should be accessible and comply with Web Standards. We need to push it so that brand/product owners also understand those benefits.

We will be sending out an update very soon.

We currently have more than 50 partners across at least 10 countries and looking to scale this when we raise funding. To find out more about the programme and sign up to the Accessibility Partner Programme visit here.

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Its not uncommon for projects to land on our desk after the build is delivered.  We will conduct the accessibility audit and work directly with the developers to ensure all issues we identify are addressed.  However, this is the time when changes cost more.

Accessibility should be considered as early as the design stage.  Discussions should take place regarding layout and navigation and flow of an application before the build stages. Its a lot easier to over come issues while the project is still on paper.

From a developers stand point, they should be instructed on how to build, and what technologies to use instead of delivering an application that relies heavily on javascript.

The more effort made to put emphasis on accessibility equals the better chances of getting it right first time.  Even if that means you are the only person in the room who asks the question.

Build accessibility into your project, don’t try ad bolt it on.

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To avail of it you simply execute some keyboard commands to open the WebAnywhere home page and away you go.

WebAnywhere is a web-based screen reader. It requires no special software to be installed on the client machine and, therefore, enables blind people to access the web from any computer they happen to have access to that has a sound card.

Since this is a Web based application chances are it will support mobile phones but we’ll have to wait until its released to test that.

Below is a video demonstration of someone using WebAnywhere to check their email, project deadline and the bus time table.

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I’m not going to sit here, preach and list various disabilities. Instead, I’ll continue to post more videos to continue to demonstrate how people access the Web. For all you know, one of your Web sites is someone else’s favourite.

While picking my daughter up from school today the parents were told the school is setting up a Web site. Obviously this trigged an interest from me, I asked if it would be accessible.

One mother looked and me and asked what I meant, so to dumb it down and sum it up quickly I said “If a Web site is built correctly, anyone should be able to access the information upon it, including blind people”. Her jaw dropped. I didn’t want to single out blind people, but I knew she understood.

Give a man a fish and he will eat for one day.
Teach a man to fish and he will eat for life

Its not as simple as give a blind person a screen reader and they can access all information on the Web. The software is designed to work best with complaint Web sites, so for all the little pains you might feel having to use the correct mark up and structure if you stop and think about it, those little efforts are seriously improving someone else’s virtual experience, which in some case can be better than real life.

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I’ve heard people say “the Web is my lively-hood”. But, for some, reliance on the Web is much more than that. Some people believe accessibility is about giving Deaf/Blind people access to information on their Web site.

In the video below you’ll get a better understanding for how some use the Web. You’ll see a woman who runs the house hold, ordering groceries, managing the bank balance, paying all the bills and in her spare time, helping her hubby. She also finds the time to keep in touch with friends. She plays a pivot role in the house hold.

Marie has Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) a.k.a Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and credits the computer for saving her life. Marie uses SwitchXS to access her computer, KeyStrokes for word prediction and Proloquo for communication.

This is just one of many examples of how some people access the Web, more to come.

Marie uses SwitchXS to access her computer, KeyStrokes for word prediction and Proloquo for communication.

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“Bloom in the Park is the largest and most spectacular gardening event in Ireland, hosted by Bord Bia. Its a competition of sorts where gardeners can get creative as they like.”

The Bloom in the Park Web site should get a Golden Razzie. The site is one big image thats probably been run through a Dreamweaver chopping shop. Everything is an image right down to the text.

The competition is all about “getting creative” and obviously the organisers like things that look nice. (Note to organisers not everyone who uses the Web can see.)

I’ve seen a lot of bad sites and most could be put down to lack of knowledge and experience. In such cases the developers usually demonstrate that they did their home work and with a little research they did their best to make their Web site as accessible as they new best.

Chances are the developer marked up headings incorrectly, hard coded a few spacer gifs and forgot to provide alt text for images, but they gave it their best shot. With a little encouragement these developers can only get better and they do.

Part of the problem with accessibility is understanding, some people just cant think outside the box while others are not paid to think outside of the box. I’d love to know what their excuse is. It was the same last year.

This Web site clearly demonstrates the wool being pulled over the clients eyes, but is that good enough excuse, surely in this day and age they could manage to pull of a Single A compliant Web site?

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I was happy NOT having to make a trip into town but instead headed to the new motor tax office which is housed in the Ballymun Civic Centre, sweet.

The old rules still apply, you must complete a renewal form and take your place in the queue. My ticket number was 106, the ticket being served was 46… bit of a wait a head of me I was thinking, bugger!

I decided to take a stroll within the Civic Centre. To my delight there was a nice little coffee shop (deadly) serving really good lattes. You can sit and chill, enjoy a coffee without having to worry about missing your place in the queue as there is a display showing which number is being served next, in fact the only thing missing was a wifi connection.

My number was coming up, to my surprise I was there no time at all. On heading back to the queue I decided to look up, the interior layout is very like the AOL CC2 building in Virgina, Dulles. When I turned my head I saw the best form of recycling of car parts ever!!

Sorry the quality isn’t the best, took this picture with my Nokia 6300. It would make a good guessing game to figure out which cars these belong to

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Just playing a little virtual online on-the-volley to keep afloat, promote and help extend the reach of a message that came in this evening from Hugh O’Neil (Irl-Dean).

Next week Nov 8th the Irish Design for All e-Accessibility Network is hosting an interactive user centric exhibition around the greatest design challenge of our day: how to make a design usable to everyone, including people with disabilities.

Last years event was a huge success, so to find out more information about the 2007 event and its fantastic location you’ll have to check out the following:

Irish Design For All week 2008

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MOK is a claim that anyone can make if their Web site conforms to a defined subset of MWBPs. It comes in 2 flavors, Basic and Professional.

MOK Basic is a series of machine determinable tests and demonstrates that a Web site owner has made reasonable steps to create a mobile friendly user experience.

MOK Pro covers the best practices which are not necessarily machine testable. These are not yet available for public review.

W3C Candidate Recommendation means that the Mobile Web Inititiative (MWI) Working Group is happy with the document as it stands and is publishing it with the goal of getting real world implementation experience.

The MWI Working group has a task force who is charged with delivering a tool for checking MOK Basic conformance. This tool is currently in alpha and can be found here. Try it out yourself and see if your Web site is MOK compliant.

In my next post I’ll commentate on the test cases for the MobileOK Professional Trustmark which I’m heavily involved with. Making conformance claims to both levels of MobileOK will come in the form of a Content Label (AKA POWDER to the W3C).

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Anyway, Peter (second left in photo) and his team are constantly demonstrating their creativity and in what was a fascinating story over a cup of tea, Peter walked/talked me through the history and design of a five acre private estate and gardens of North County Dublin (Formerly known as Brackdenston Demesne) for which they have won the award.

The Donegan Landscaping team have finally completed what is a piece of Irish history, the estates is 350 years in the making and was previously owned by The Burnell Family [16th Century]. Looks like Peter got into a bit of trouble but you can find out more on Peters blog.

Again, Peter congrats to you and your team and best of luck in South Africa.

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One of my best childhood friends Dairmuid Kelly whom I haven’t seen in over 20 years but managed to track me down via the web and Google is running in the FOXTEL Lap Challenge!

On Tuesday, 23 Oct 2007 Dermy will be running to raise money for the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, and as you know raising sponsorship can be difficult, so I ask that you take a minute to sponsor Dermy in this effort.

The Murdoch Childrens Research Institute conducts essential research into childhood illness, and helps sick kids both in Australia and around the world.

You can support this work by either making a donation, or by sponsoring each lap that Dermy completes in Forrest Place, Perth on Tuesday, 23 Oct 2007.

He is expecting to run 30 laps and the very best of luck to him and his team mates.

You can sponsor this effort, and the work of the MCRI, here or make a donation here and with your credit card. Once Dermy has completed the challenge, you’ll receive an email detailing the number of laps he ran, and the amount of your sponsorship.

Please support Dermys goal and the goal of the MCRI to work together for healthier kids and a healthier future.

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