Activity 2B

C&I 335

Summer 1998

David Barber

Danville Community Consolidated School District 118

Danville, Illinois

Bobby Results

Bobby found the following problems with my ePortfolio web page.

  1. The graphics on the page did not have text descriptions.
    The solution to this issue is to assign a text label to all graphics.
  2. The background is a texture GIF and will not load properly and it may make the page unreadable.
    The solution is to remove the background or link to a text only version.
  3. HTML tables are often unreadable by some screen readers.
    The solution is to remove the table or link to a text only version.
  4. The page did not have a text only link.
    The solution is to create a text only version.


I fixed a few of the problems on the page with graphics and pictures. I added text descriptions to all graphics. I did not remove the background or table. I placed a text only link on this page that loads first.

 

Alternative page design strategies

The main theme to page designs is keep it simple.

Things to consider for web pages that are friendly to people with disabilities are:

  1. Make a text only site.

  2. Do not use frames.

  3. Do not use tables.

  4. Avoid using graphics for navigation or assign text labels to the graphics.

  5. Test pages using Lynx or Bobby.

  6. Do not use graphics as background.

  7. Use background colors and text colors that contrast.

  8. Use Tom to convert graphical pages to text only pages. Tom is a web accessibility development tool. It was developed at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois. Tom is a software program that will convert graphical web pages in to text-only pages, or hybrid text and graphics web pages.

  9. Avoid the use of blue on yellow or yellow on blue.

  10. Avoid the use of red on green or green on yellow.

  11. Other web resources for web accessibility issues:

  • pwWebSpeak - This is a web browser designed to work with speech-output devices. The software converts web based information in to an audio signal for the hearing impaired. Supports Windows 95 only.

  • Apple's Accessibility Home Page - This site has links to new adaptive technologies for Apple computers. Especially useful is the link to software specific to adaptive technology.

  • Microsoft's Accessibility Home Page - This is Microsoft's accessibly and disabilities web site. This site provides information on accessibility products for use with Microsoft software. You can download Microsoft Active accessibility software version 1.1.(MSAA). MSAA is software that gives Windows operating system the ability to be connected to input devices that enhance access capabilities.

  • Trace Center shareware - This is a shareware/freeware site of adaptive technology software. Software is available for Macintosh, DOS, Windows 3.1, and Windows 95 operating systems.

  • Trace Center Version 8 Guidelines - This is site has excellent guidelines and examples of designing web pages for the disabled.

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    Back to eportfolio

    dbarber@ncsa,uiuc,edu.
    Revised: June 25, 1998.