Site Resources
I'd like to thank Mel Pedley of Accessites and the members of Accessify Forums for their feedback on the latest updates of the web accessibility guide. Also additional information has come from Mike Cherim of Green-Beast, Joe Dolson of Accessible Web Design, and Jared Smith of WebAIM.org in the past.
Web Accessibility: Web Standards and Regulatory Complacence was the main resource used for the original version of Accessible Design. This book provides more than enough information for anyone to learn how to create a business web site. Since the book is geared more toward the creation of business sites than general personal sites, there was almost an overabundance of information. At the same time, the information offered was easy to read and understand.
Thatcher, J., Burks, M. R., Heilmann, C., Henry, S. L., Kirkpatrick, A., Lauke, P. H. et al. (2006). Web accessibility: Web standards and regulatory compliance. New York: Friends of ED.
ppk on JavaScript was the secondary resource for the site. The JavaScript section of Accessible Design was the most difficult one to create, due to my lack of knowledge of JavaScript and the mistaken belief it wasn't any good for accessibility and usability. However, this book explains clearly how important JavaScript can be and how to use it wisely, without being inaccessible and/or unusable. This book touches on several key issues with using JavaScript responsibly in the creation of any web site, not just specifically regarding accessibility.
Koch, P-P. (2006). ppk on javascript. Berkeley: New Riders.
WebAIM is an example of a good accessibility how-to site that is constantly updated. I used much of the information here to supplement information from the Web Accessibility book. Although the book lacked visual examples, WebAIM had many; and these were used as models for the visual examples on Accessible Design.
Another resource in the creation of Accessible Design was W3C's site on how people with disabilities use the Web. As the page has not been updated since 2005, some of the information may be out of date; however, it is still a decent place to start.
Several other sites provided additional examples on the various sites of Accessible Design. Most of these sites only cover a single element of web accessibility; however they are still important tools. These sites include the following:
- The Web Accessibility Initiative provides all the guidelines and standards mentioned in Accessible Design. The site is useful if you want to look up various guidelines and standards. However, because it is written in legal and/or technical jargon, it doesn't seem to be intended for the average user, who may not be well versed in technical language and information.
- CSS Zen Garden Resources Guide is an excellent site for further CSS layout examples. This is great place to find different layouts that can be tested and used. However, because it is not a tutorial site, you must have a good understanding of how CSS works.
- Effective Color Contrast explains how users with color blindness may have trouble with ineffective color contrast on a web site. This site is useful as a quick reference for color issues that could arise; however, there are no coding examples given in the site, so it doesn't help with selecting good colors.
- The Color Contrast Check is set up to allow designers to check different color combinations; it also provides the html code for each color. This is the probably the best way to check different background and foreground color combinations before using them on a Web site.