Best content in Web Accessibility

3. Easy conversion of existing Flex or HTML applications. It’s the same basic runtime. In the case of HTML, AIR apps rely on WebKit, the core component in Apple’s Safari web browser.
...

Cancel
7. Rich design and multimedia. This is Flash, so ideal for highly customized UIs, animation, sound and video. Adobe is proving the point by creating a media player built with AIR. Existing Flash developers can easily use their skills to build AIR applications.
...

Cancel
4. Proprietary technology. AIR applications depend on Adobe’s runtime.
...

Cancel
...3 more annotations...
6. No model for commercial components. It is not clear to me how a component vendor could sell an AIR component while protecting it from unlicensed deployment. This may limit the availability of 3rd party components, with a corresponding impact on productivity.
...

Cancel
7. Schizophrenic development model. AIR supports either Flex development, or HTML applications which run in WebKit. The ugly side of this flexibility is that there are two SDKs, even two JavaScript virtual machines with different capabilities and characteristics. While it is nice to have a way to render HTML, I am not convinced that the web application model is worth it, given the complications it causes. After all, web applications run perfectly well in the browser.
...

Cancel
Lack of UI standards may lead to annoying inconsistencies between AIR applications. We are used to this on the Web; now it is coming to the desktop as well.
...

Cancel

2More

BBC Internet Blog - 0 views

www.bbc.co.uk/...free_range_widgets.html adobe air accessibility online help

shared by Sandra Earl on 12 Oct 10 - Cached

We considered a few approaches, but decided to grow our new widget out of Adobe Flex and Adobe AIR. This is firstly because these tools met our requirements to work cross-platform and deliver the desktop experience we wanted, and also because they linked up with in-house skills in the team which manages them, making them simpler to manage.
...

Cancel
BBC Future Media & Technology's pilot widget application BBC LiveUpdate uses the Adobe AIR runtime, which is dependent on users downloading and installing a plugin to their desktop, but which unfortunately does not currently support screenreaders (or other software which relies on the Microsoft Active Accessibility layer for assistive technologies). We're working with Adobe to make tools built with AIR more accessible than current products wherever possible and are committed to delivering accessible services. As this is a beta product, there are also other limitations in how much we have been able to establish accessibility support in the following areas:Colour contrast cannot be alteredText size cannot be alteredLacks consistent alt textLacks Title attributesIs not entirely tabbable.
...

Cancel

19More

Designing for Dyslexics: Part 3 of 3 - Accessites.org - 0 views

accessites.org/...ning-for-dyslexics-part-3-of-3 accessibility cognitive learning disabilities dyslexia

shared by Sandra Earl on 12 Oct 10 - Cached

Shorter line lengths and narrower text columns make reading easier.
...

Cancel
Consider setting a percentage width for text areas and set the margins to “0 auto” via CSS. The page side margins will then increase proportionately on wider screens.
...

Cancel
Most browsers have a default line-height of around 1em. This normally results in closely packed lines of text. Increasing the line-height to around 1.3em immediately makes longer lines of text easier to read. Likewise, ensure that paragraphs are visibly separated. Don’t be afraid of white space. Use it to enhance readability.
...

Cancel
...16 more annotations...
percentages or ems.
...

Cancel
If possible, use a sans-serif font. The decorative “hooks” on the main strokes of serif letters may create additional problems for dyslexic users.
...

Cancel
If you have to use a corporate serif font, consider reducing the letter-spacing slightly so that the letters within a word lie closer together but increasing the word-spacing to create a slightly larger distance between individual words.
...

Cancel
uneven word spacing disrupts that pattern recognition.
...

Cancel
Unjustified text, although less attractive at first glance. is far easier to read.
...

Cancel
When italic fonts are used on a web page, the individual letters can have a slightly jagged line compared to a non-italic font. This “pixelation,” coupled with their “lean to the left” makes them hard for a dyslexic person to read. The effect is compounded if the text is also small.
...

Cancel
Use italics sparingly and consider bold text for important words. They’ll be far easier to read.
...

Cancel
Photographs, charts and icons can convey a great deal of information regarding the topic of a page. Graphics can break the page up into smaller chunks. They can also provide visual memory aids and support comprehension for dyslexics.
...

Cancel
Dyslexics often have poor organisational skills. Lists can help them by organising information into small, logical chunks.
...

Cancel
Dyslexics tend to have poor information processing skills. So it is relatively easy to overload them by literally providing too much information on one page.
...

Cancel
Within a page, use headings to sub-divide the page logically and visually. Adding coloured heading backgrounds or borders will act as further support.
...

Cancel
Consider breaking complex pages down into two or three smaller pages.
...

Cancel
Keep site navigation simple and logical. Make sure that the Home page is easily reachable from any part of the site. Try not to “hide” this important link in a logo.
...

Cancel
break long sentences down into two or more shorter sentences
...

Cancel
Many designers do not realise that some screen reader users can see perfectly well. It is not uncommon for dyslexics to use screen readers to support their reading. This may create problems where text has been positioned off screen.
...

Cancel
If you do make use of off screen positioning, try to do so sympathetically. Consider the viewpoint of those who can both hear the screen reader and see the page. Ask yourself if you’re potentially creating confusion.
...

Cancel

10More

Designing for Dyslexics: Part 2 of 3 - Accessites.org - 0 views

accessites.org/...ning-for-dyslexics-part-2-of-3 accessibility cognitive learning disabilities dyslexia

shared by Sandra Earl on 12 Oct 10 - Cached

“Ensure that foreground and background color combinations provide sufficient contrast when viewed by someone having color deficits or when viewed on a black and white screen.”
...

Cancel
Scoptic Sensitivity Syndrome
...

Cancel
can make high contrast text difficult to read because the words seem to constantly move on the page.
...

Cancel
...7 more annotations...
anecdotal evidence suggests that, as soon as you reduce the colour contrast, the reading difficulties suffered by dyslexics are alleviated, to some degree, across the board.
...

Cancel
Contrasts that comply with the thresholds can, and do, create very real problems for dyslexics.
...

Cancel
t has been my experience that just about every issue within accessible web design is about balance. Skew any one factor too much in favour of a particular user group and you risk disadvantaging another group with opposing needs.
...

Cancel
What I am suggesting is that, if a colour theme is chosen that conforms to, or exceeds, the W3C colour difference threshold, an alternative, low contrast style sheet should be provided as standard.
...

Cancel
I then suggested that “disability” be defined as an “inability to pursue an activity because of a medically determinable physical or mental impairment.”
...

Cancel
suggest that adhering to the Hewlett-Packard colour difference threshold would represent a more balanced approach to the issue of colour contrast. To that end,
...

Cancel
I’ve developed an alternative color contrast analyser for people to try.
...

Cancel

13More

Designing for Dyslexics: Part 1 of 3 - Accessites.org - 0 views

accessites.org/...ning-for-dyslexics-part-1-of-3 accessibility cognitive learning disabilities dyslexia FUSION09

shared by Sandra Earl on 12 Oct 10 - Cached

The specific needs of dyslexics tend to be overshadowed by the more widely understood needs of the visually impaired. Unfortunately, design decisions that benefit the latter group tend create problems for the former. This is never more evident than in so-called “accessible” text only pages with their emphasis on high contrast and complete lack of images and colour.
...

Cancel
What is Dyslexia?
...

Cancel
The word “dyslexia” can be broken down into two parts: “Dys” meaning poor and “lexia” meaning language. Thus dyslexics have difficulties with words. Current theories suggest that
...

Cancel
...10 more annotations...
it is not a visual problem but a word decoding, or recognition deficit.
...

Cancel
Our ability to recognise words is thought to be based upon two slightly different “memory skills” — phonetic memory and lexical memory. Dyslexics may have a good phonetic memory — as evidenced by their tendency to spell many words phonetically — but a very poor lexical memory.
...

Cancel
No two dyslexics demonstrate their disorder in the same manner. It can affect boys and girls equally, across all socioeconomic classes worldwide.
...

Cancel
“A combination of abilities and difficulties that affect the learning process in one or more of reading, spelling and writing.
...

Cancel
Accompanying weaknesses may be identified in areas of speed of processing, short-term memory, sequencing and organisation, auditory and/or visual perception, spoken language and motor skills. It is particularly related to mastering and using written language, which may include alphabetic, numeric and musical notation.”
...

Cancel
the more complex the written language is, the greater the likely percentage of people who will have difficulty reading it.
...

Cancel
As many as 1 in 10 people in the UK are dyslexic.
...

Cancel
Worldwide, it is likely that the number of dyslexics is likely to be equal to, if not significantly larger than, the number of visually impaired people.
...

Cancel
poor short-term memory and organisational skills will mean that site navigation and page organisation become more important.
...

Cancel
high contrast text difficult or impossible to read. The phrases I’ve heard most often are “the text keeps moving” or “the words seem to dance on the page.”
...

Cancel