Access
Access Compliant Development
"It is extremely evident that a lot of time and effort has been invested into making this site accessible, and it achieves a very high standard of accessibility."
Executive Summary, See it Right Accessible Website Audit, May 2004 for: www.acvo-services.co.uk, developed by Emote - awarded See it Right Logo, May 2004
Without compromise Emote endeavours to develop media rich, dynamic web sites which are fully access compliant. A good example of our work in this area is www.collide-arts.co.uk.
On an ongoing basis Emote invests time and resources into refining its skillbase for access compliant development. Too many developers - if they consider it at all - approach accessible development in a formulaic way. Adhering to a 'set of rules' with no real understanding of why can have bizarre consequences for users of assistive technologies. Emote strives to understand not just what should be done but why it should be done. Emote is currently working with Craftspace Touring to establish a group of users of assistive technologies to test the ongoing development of Craftspace's website. We hope that once established this test group will become an ongoing feature of our development process.
Confident of the high standards of our work we encourage our clients to submit their sites for an accessibility audit with the RNIB - 'See it Right' initiative. Successfully audited sites are entitled to display the RNIB - 'See it Right' logo. Letting your clients know that you are aware of your obligations to offer accessible services and that you care enough to do something about it.
The internet is a constantly changing environment. To maintain our position at the forefront of access compliant development Emote maintains links with a number of key organisations researching and promoting accessible development:
Associated organisations:
- RNIB 'See it Right' - Accessible Website Consultancy
- Digital Media Access Group (DMAG) - Based in the Department of Applied Computing at the University of Dundee, a world-renowned centre of excellence for research into communication systems for disabled and elderly people. DMAG works with a broadbased group of users of assistive technologies to offer user based accessibility and usability audits.
- Making Connections Unit - The Making Connections Unit, set up by Jim Byrne and David Donald in 1996, has been a pioneer in the area of Internet accessibility. It is based in Glasgow Caledonian University and has provided web accessibility consultancy and services to national and local government, as well as the voluntary sector, not for profit and private sector.
Accessible websites by Emote
- 2004 www.collide-arts.co.uk
- 2004 www.avco-services.co.uk
- 2004 www.thebondcompany.net
- 2004 www.emote.co.uk
Emote's own company website, our test bed for accessible development.
Checking for Access
There are a number of free online utilities designed to assist the varifying process.
To check for access compliance view sites in a text only browser such as lynx: www.delorie.com/web/lynxview.html or turn off images and stylesheets in your own brower's preferences. You can then experience for yourself how the site 'flattens' to its basic information structure as would be the case with the majority of text based assistive technologies.
