Without argument, one of the most important things to consider when creating a website is that it be accessible to everyone who wants to view it. Does your website play nice with screen readers? Can a user override your style sheet with a more accessible one and still see everything your website has to offer? Would another Web developer be embarrassed if they saw your code? If your website is standards-compliant, you could more confidently answer these questions.

The article lists 10 ways to improve the accessibility of your XHTML website by making it standards-compliant. They include:

1. Specify the correct DOCTYPE
2. Define The Namespace And Default Language
3. Supply Proper Meta Tags
4. Use Accessible Navigation
5. Properly Escape JavaScript
6. Properly Escape HTML Entities
7. Use Only Lowercase Tags And Attributes
8. Label All Form Input Elements
9. Supply Alternative Content For Images
10. Use The "id" And "class" CSS Attributes Correctly

You can read the entire article 10 Ways To Make Your Site Accessible Using Web Standards

I’ve written about Accessify.com in the past and when I paid the site a visit today, I discovered it had had a face lift. Accessify provides a collection of accessibility tools and goodies just for you which include:

• Skip Navigation Builder – Skip navigation links are very useful for keyboard-only users. This may be people who are completely blind and using a screen reader, but can also be used by people with poor vision or mobility problems.
• jQuery Function Builder – Confused by jQuery syntax? Never sure when/where to place your parentheses, curly brackets and so-on? Use this tool to quickly build up a collection of functions that will be called when the page has loaded/is ready.
• List-O-Matic – Generate CSS-styled navigation menus based on list items.
• The new accessibility screencasts section, demonstrating accessible techniques in action (as well as video examples of how to use some of this site’s tools).
• Quick Page Accessibility Test – a favelet-based page check tool.
• Accessible Table Builder – Create an accessible table using scope, header and id attributes using a wizard to guide you through the process.
• Accessible Form Builder – Quickly create a form with CSS or table layout, including all label elements simply by typing a list of fields that you need.
• Pop-up Window Generator – Create pop-up windows that are accessible and search engine-friendly.
• Form Element Generator – Lets you easily build individual form elements that are accessible (requires JavaScript to work).

So pop on over for a visit and give the various tools a try. I just finished playing with the List-O-Matic Menu Builder which allows both horizontal and vertical menus.

You can read Digital Magazine’s Review of the book here:
http://www.digital-web.com/articles/access_by_design/

And one from Web Reference here:
http://www.webreference.com/reviews/access_by_design/

And you can access the full html version of Access by Design from Universal Usability.

After reading parts of their material and the methods they suggest using, I shudder to think of how many genealogists will buy the book and follow their advice for designing a website.

I echo Tina’s closing statement:

“. . . .the owners of this book and site sent the email to the wrong two people who feel strongly about valid and accessible code. (My good friend Pat Geary also received this email). Hence this post from two irate web designers.”

They offer a free download of the first chapter of the book which includes the following:

Appendix F: Website Authoring Applications

This appendix presents detailed information on the two website authoring applications we recommend, Microsoft Word and Microsoft Publisher, and how to use them to create a genealogy website. A website authoring application creates the HTML files of the website. Also, the website authoring application should be capable of producing, in a straight-forward project, the genealogy book from the genealogy website. “The Book” as it is called in this guide is the traditional product of genealogy research and the dream of many genealogists.

“. . . . the two website authoring applications we recommend, Microsoft Word and Microsoft Publisher, and how to use them to create a genealogy website.” I have to admit, I did not get much beyond this. If you were going to build a house, you would select the proper tools for that job. If you were going to bake a cake, you would select the proper tools for that job. Microsoft Word is a word processor and a perfect tool for writing letters, books, etc. Items that are going to be PRINTED to paper. Micrsoft Publisher is a desktop publishing program and the tool to use for all kinds of publications destined for print. While both of these programs have the capabilities of saving pages in html format are they they best programs for creating a website? Absolutely not!

Both create bloated code, both create code that will not validate. Additional articles on using MS Word as a Web Publisher:

• Webpages are NOT Created Equal by Pat Asher
• Using Word as a Web Publisher
• Scientific Study?
• Choosing a Web Page Editor

I have both installed on my computer. I use both programs BUT NOT for creating websites. There are many web editors you can choose for building your website. I list some of them on the right sidebar at Resources for Website Design.

So when you are ready to design your website, choose the best tool for the job, just as you would when building a house or baking a cake.

UPDATE: As of yesterday, Feb 22, 2008, I received two more unwanted e-mails offering a discounted price off of  “their book.”

This is a comprehensive guide which covers every aspect of creating a genealogy website. Why do you need a genealogy website? All genealogy research in the future will involve the use of the internet. This means all genealogists should stake out their claim to their little corner of the internet ASAP. Now’s the time to start your own genealogy website. This book will show you that creating a genealogy website is no harder than creating any complex document such as a senior thesis, big term paper or a large report.

My opinion on this has not changed. Pick the best tool for the job. Microsoft Word and/or Publisher are meant to be used for print documents. While both programs have the capabilities to save as a html page, neither of these is the tool you should be using to create your web pages.

“AccessColor tests the color contrast and color brightness between the foreground and background of all elements in the DOM to make sure that the contrast is high enough for people with visual impairments.” Read more

To conform with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, foreground and background color combinations should provide sufficient contrast when viewed by someone with low vision or colour blindness, or when viewed on a black and white screen.

Two types of error messages may appear in the report:

• Warnings appear when either colour contrast or color difference fail for an element’s foreground and background colors.
• Errors appear when both color contrast and color difference fail.

Step 1 – Run your site through the Color Accessibility Checker. You will receive a report that looks something like this:

Step 2 – Highlight the foreground color and go to http://slayeroffice.com/tools/color_palette/ Copy the foreground color to the Base Color | Click OK

Step 3 – Take a darker color and replace the color that produces the error with the darker color. I use search and replace to find all instances of the color. You may have to do this a couple of times to get a good enough contrast that will “pass the test.” NOTE: If you are using a dark background color, you may find you will need to change it rather than the foreground color.

Step 4 – I go through each of the colors that produces an error until the site passes the test . The AccessColor results show that for this page, both color difference and color brightness meet the recommended standard .

NOTE: Please note that the tool works the best with valid HTML pages. You can validate your page at http://validator.w3.org/