STC Usability SIG Newsletter
Usability Interface

Links and Article Abstracts

Web Sites about Assistive Technology
By Thomas Sola
A survey of the usability community identified the following Web sites about assistive technology:

• www.utoronto.ca/atrc/reference/tech/techgloss.html
• www.trace.wisc.edu/
• www.disabilityresources.org
• www.icdri.org
• www.508-info.com/508_listserv.htm
• www.diveintoaccessibility.org/

Books on Accesibility
By Chauncey Wilson

• Clark, J. (2003). Building accessible web sites. Indianapolis, IN: New Riders.
• King, T. W. (1999). Assistive technologies: Essential human factors. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
• Paciello, M. G. (2000). Web accessibility for people with disabilities. Lawrence, Kansas: CMP Books.
• Preiser, W. F. E. & Ostroff, E. (Ed.). (2001). Universal design handbook. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
  

Adobe Acrobat and PDF Accessibility
By Kathy Bine, Washington D.C. Chapter
I do a lot of work with Adobe Acrobat for the U.S. Federal government, so I'm always interested in Section 508 and PDF. Here's a reference from the Planet PDF folks. Duff Johnson seems a little confused on a couple points; e.g., accessibility is a usability issue. Usability does not mean only accessibility, but in general Johnson seems on track.

• The following resources for Adobe Acrobat and PDF Accessibility are very interesting.
• Duff Johnson, CEO of Document Solutions, Inc, offers this three-part analysis of the current state of accessibility for Adobe Acrobat and PDF. Johnson compares Adobe's 'Tagged PDF' approach with Acrobat 5 to his concept of Accessibility for the Masses
• Duff Johnson: Strategies for PDF Accessibility
• Duff Johnson interviews Bryan Guignard on "PDF Forms and Accessibility"
• Adobe Acrobat and PDF Accessibility

The W3C WAI policy Web site describes the law in different states, including California, which is limited in scope. For other countries, see www.w3.org/WAI/Policy/.

Making Documentation Accessible
By Lori Gillen, Boston Chapter
Making documentation accessible to the disabled was the subject of this article in the March/April 2003 issue of the online Boston Broadside. See www.stc-boston.org/broadside/03_2003/v60_no4_kinsella.shtml.

Experiencing the Web as a Blind User
By Gail Lippincott, Lone Star Chapter
Did you ever wonder what a blind user experiences when receiving information from an accessible Web site with a screen reader? Ever wonder what happens when the Web site is inaccessible? To have this experience first-hand, check out this dramatic online sample site: www.humanfactors.com/downloads/chocolateaudio.asp

UPA Members Advise Air Travelers About Usability
When Sky Radio and Forbes wanted information on usability for their new "ROI Report," they turned to members of the Usability Professionals' Association (UPA). Two interviews on the value of usability to business are featured in the February edition of the American Airlines inflight audio program.
Bill Killam, President of User-Centered Design, and Aaron Marcus, Founder and President of AM+A, both felt that this was an opportunity to spread the word about usability and to make the case for the services of their own companies. According to Marcus, "I thought making a statement on an airline inflight audio program would be a good opportunity to go directly nation-wide and world-wide to air travelling business leaders and managers. My hope was that listeners might benefit from understanding more about usability issues of user-interface design." Killam added that the professionalism of the Sky Radio staff in producing the interviews also made the experience "a lot of fun.
Sky Radio web site -www.skyradionet.com/americanbiz.html