User-Lab to host web accessibility training event
Birmingham Institute of Art and Design’s User-Lab will host a Web Accessibility Training event Web accessibility training 3
London, UK (PRWEB) April 21, 2004 -- On 19th May 2004, Birmingham Institute
of Art and Design’s User-Lab http://www.biad.uce.ac.uk/research/userlabSite/user.html will
host a Web Accessibility Training event.
User-Lab is the leading
user-centred design centre in The West Midlands. The lab hosts events and
training aimed at digital media managers, designers and developers. User-Lab is
providing Web Accessibility Training in conjunction with the Royal National
Institute of the Blind (RNIB) http://www.rnib.org.uk/ and ECOTEC Research & Consulting
http://www.ecotec.com. The
training will be of particular interest to health, local authorities, education
and other public sector organisations.
The training event will feature a
session outlining practical techniques to improve accessibility based on the
RNIB’s Campaign for Good Web Design and the Web Accessibility Initiative’s (WAI)
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) http://www.w3.org/WAI/. The WAI was established in 1997 by the
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to pursue and promote the accessibility of the
Web through technology, guidelines and research.
The event will also
discuss the recent (14/04/04) Disability Rights Commission report( http://tinyurl.com/38ac8 )
highlighting 80% of public websites fail minimum standards for disabled web
access.
In October 2001 the government amended the Disabilities
Discrimination Act (DDA) http://www.disability.gov.uk/dda/ to oblige all service
providers to take reasonable steps to change any practice which makes it
‘impossible or unreasonably difficult’ for disabled persons to make use of a
service provided via the Web. This legislation affects private and public sector
alike. In education, the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001
(SENDA) http://www.ukcle.ac.uk/directions/issue4/senda.html has been
introduced to include educational establishments that were previously exempt
from the DDA.
In March the Disability Rights Commission http://www.drc-gb.org announced a
formal Investigation in Web accessibility.
‘One thousand websites will be
investigated for their ability to be accessed by Britain’s 8.5 million disabled
people in the Disability Rights Commission’s (DRC) first Formal Investigation,
it was announced today’.
‘The investigation will break new ground in its
breadth and depth. 1,000 web sites spanning the public and private sectors will
be tested for basic compliance with recognised industry accessibility
standards.
In addition, 50 disabled people will be involved in in-depth
testing of a representative sample of these sites for practical usability. This
work will help clarify the relationship between a site’s compliance with
standards and its practical usability for disabled people’.
The training
will provide tangible benefits for delegates:
- Learn about Web
accessibility
- Develop skills and practical techniques to help make Web
sites accessible
- Discover how to implement accessibility guidelines
appropriately and effectively
- Evaluate sites’ compliance with accessibility
guidelines using tools provided in a delegate pack
- Understand the
limitations of accessibility guidelines
- Gain expert feedback on delegates’
Web sites in terms of accessibility and usability
- Share experiences and
best practice with other delegates and trainers
Feedback from web
accessibility training 2
Relevance to your work
78%
Acquisition of new knowledge
66%
Usefulness of information 75%
Expectations
met
66%
‘In practical terms, it will change the way
I code pages’
‘The friendliness and approachability of all those
involved was noted and I am grateful for that’
Web Accessibility
Training costs £200.00 including VAT. Book early to avoid disappointment.
Contact John Knight on 0121 331 7870 or visit
http://www.uce.ac.uk/web2/releases/3440.html
About
User-Lab:
http://www.biad.uce.ac.uk/research/userlabSite/user.html
User-Lab
is a non-profit making organisation based at Birmingham Institute of Art and
Design http://www.biad.uce.ac.uk/. The lab is part of the Institute’s
Research Department and is staffed by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in
digital media design, human-computer interaction, psychology and software
engineering.
The lab comprises three purpose built testing and design
labs that are equipped with the latest technology for conducting behavioural,
physiological and psychological research.
The lab has two related
functions: to carry out research into the digital experience and, based on the
results of this work, to develop an innovative commercial service.
In
the two years since its inception, the lab has been involved in a number of
collaborative projects with RDAs, FEs, charities and the public and private
sector. The outcomes of these projects range from assisting start up businesses
to training, as well as the lab’s core business of user-centred design
services.
ECOTEC Research & Consulting Ltd. http://www.ecotec.com is a major
international research and consulting company, providing research, consulting
and communications services to the public and private sectors. One of ECOTEC’s
core strengths lies in its capacity to combine high quality Web design and
development with a detailed understanding of the contemporary public policy
environment. ECOTEC offers its clients a full range of Web services including
design and development, usability, accessibility and needs analysis, maintenance
and hosting, scoping and feasibility studies, and evaluation and advice. Recent
clients have included several Directorates General of the European Commission,
Regional Development Agencies, Regional Assemblies, Voluntary Sector
Associations and Local Authorities.
Elemental PR:
Tim Gibbon, Account
Director, Elemental PR
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/4/prweb119753.htm