WebProNews

Google Centralizes Accessibility Efforts

Google announced the launch of a new accessibility site for the company late on Friday. The site serves as a central location where users of Google products can find information about the company's efforts on the accessibility front. The site includes links to official blog posts that discuss the topic and a place to leave feedback. The site also contains accessibility resources for Google products like:

Facebook Works with the Blind on Accessibility

Have you ever tried to imagine what it would be like to use Facebook as a blind person? If not, try to do so. It's not the easiest thing in the world is it? Well, Facebook has been working with the American Foundation for the Blind to make it easier. A couple years ago, the AFB approached Facebook about making the social network more accessible to the blind and visually impaired.

Accessibility Information Webmasters Can Use

Web Accessibility organization WebAIM has posted results from an interesting survey on the use of screen readers. Webmasters should pay attention to this, as accessibility is an important part of your online presence, but is often ignored or overlooked. Just ask Target, who settled an accessibility lawsuit last year for $6 million.

eCommerce Gets a Wake Up Call

All the way back in 2006, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that Target could be sued over their site not being accessible to the blind. Now over half way through 2008, Target has reached a settlement with regards to the class action lawsuit that ensued.

YouTube Now Allowing For Captions

Here are a few quick observations: not everyone speaks the same language.  Not everyone has perfect hearing.  And some people like to goof off at work without alerting the rest of the office.  To address all these issues, YouTube has introduced a new captioning feature.

Google Research Scientist Stresses Accessibility

At some point, you may find yourself spending hours agonizing over a site's color scheme and fonts.  This is fine, but a post from Google's T.V. Raman should remind everyone of the more basic need for accessibility.

Google Scholar Put To The Test

Companies always claim to be leading in this or pioneering in that.  Google Scholar is less boastful, but still says it “provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature.”  And so Marilyn Christianson, a librarian at Auburn University, put that assertion to the test.

Google Book Search Gets Text Layer

Google Book Search has, up until now, provided images of text; these were fine for reading, but not so great for anything else.  So the service is taking a step forward and offering true “text layers” of many of its out-of-copyright books.

Links, Accessibility & Endings

This is a running around the room post. Some may call it a recap or roundup. I call it a “brain dump” or Kim’s blog torture. Take your pick.

SEW Live - Accessibility Good For Profits, Karma

The Web is the future, and the Web should be everybody’s future, regardless of age or disability.  This was, in part, the message of James Golden, who spoke this afternoon at the SEW Live event in Ohio.