Non-Discriminatory Web Design
At the moment we are experiencing a sort of revolution in web design. This
is the "Barrier-Free Design" movement and means that designers are increasingly
conforming to the World Wide Web Consortium (WWW3)
conventions in order to produce web sites that can be reliably reproduced
by all browsers including those used by the blind.
accessibility Guidelines
The World Wide Web Consortium has compiled a list of 77 points which promote
accessibilty. These recommendations are divided into three priority levels.
The Guidelines can be viewed here:
::
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/full-checklist.html (Original Version
in English )
::
http://www.w3c.de/Trans/WAI/webinhalt.html#Guidelines (German Translation)
The Challenge for Web Designers
Some browsers, particularly those used by the blind have considerable problems
in reading websites that use frames and tables for layout purposes.
Where previously frames and tables within tables were used to create a clear
design, the use of frames is now avoided and tables are used for their original
purpose, the presentation of data. The challenge for web designers is to create
an aesthetic design and attractive pages without these features.
separation of Content and Layout
There is a fundamental separation of content from Layout. Layout and style
elements are defined in style sheets (CSS) which has the consequence that
the content pages are smaller and load more quickly. Further this separation
enables changes to be made to the design without altering the actual content
pages.
An excellent example of this phenomena can be found on the following site:
http://www.csszengarden.com
For further information about the German movement towards greater web accessibility
can be found here (http://www.einfach-fuer-alle.de)
, an "Aktion Mensch" initiative.