Michael Gower
Simplifying the New WCAG 2.1 Guidelines
Recommendations for new accessibility guidelines were released on January 30, 2018 by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). In this new draft version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), none of the current 2.0 Success Criteria have been altered. Instead, 17 additional criteria have been recommended for 2.1. This article is intended to help […]
Revised Section 508 Standards Now in Effect
In the United States, the Revised Section 508 Standards went into effect on January 18, 2018, a year after the U.S. Access Board published the final rule of the updated Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Standards and Guidelines. The Revised 508 Standards, and the accompanying updates to Section 255 of the Communications Act, have transformed […]
Looking to the Future in Celebration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities
When I began working in the accessibility field, I relied on interaction, empathy and observation to help identify the challenges of users with disabilities. There were two things that really made the job fascinating: the constant opportunity for technical innovation, and the ongoing, invigorating phenomenon of witnessing users benefit directly from my interventions. Now, 18 […]
Impact of New Accessibility Standards on Authoring Tools
There are new provisions in the 2017 revised U.S. Section 508 standards, as well as European requirements, that are creating additional focus on the accessibility of authoring tools. We wanted to provide guidance for anyone seeking to understand how the new standards define authoring tools, and requirements for helping ensure accessibility. What is an Authoring Tool? […]
IBM Updates Accessibility Checklists in Preparation for Section 508 Refresh
Last week, accessibility took a step forward. The refresh of the Section 508 Standards for Electronic and Information Technology passed another hurdle on its long journey to being updated for the first time since its release in December 2000. The Section 508 Amendment to the US Rehabilitation Act of 1973 mandates that all information and communication […]