Scottish UPA event: Web Accessibility Primer on WCAG 2.0 and Including Users with Disabilities, 23 May

At our May event we are pleased to welcome speakers from the W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), who will introduce us to several new resources to help make your Web site accessible. The buzz for 2006 is WAI’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0; and in the UK, also PAS 78. You’ll learn how WCAG 2.0 fits in the big picture, and get a jump start on using WCAG 2.0 effectively. They’ll also talk about including people with disabilities throughout a human- or user-centered design process (UCD). Julie Howell from the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) will overview PAS 78, including the role of guidelines and users. Join us to understand the strengths of combining guidelines, user involvement, and evaluation tools to efficiently develop effective accessibility solutions.

The presentation will cover:

  • W3C WAI intro & new WAI resources
  • Components & WCAG 2.0
  • Including users with disabilities throughout UCD
  • PAS 78 and including disabled users as test participants
  • Discussion panel, questions and answers

This session, featuring some of the leaders of the web accessibility movement from around the globe, will be a unique opportunity to hear the latest on the revision of the WCAG, the de-facto standard for web accessibility, as well as guidance on meeting the recent PAS 78 guidance, so please book early to ensure your place at this informative event. We will also be joined by attendees of the WWW2006 conference which is being held in Edinburgh that week Its a great chance to meet leaders in accessibility and network. The Scottish Usability Professionals Association (SUPA) will be providing a buffet, beer, wine & refreshments.

About the speakers

Judy Brewer is Director of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) International Program Office. Judy is W3C’s chief liaison on accessibility policy and standardisation internationally, promoting awareness and implementation of Web accessibility, and ensuring effective dialog among industry, the disability community, accessibility researchers, and government on the development of consensus-based accessibility solutions.

Julie Howell is the Digital Policy Development Manager for the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB). She is a well known promoter of web accessibility, working with policy makers, software developers, business sectors and the Government to ensure that digital information, products and services are usable by disabled people. She is the Technical Author of Publicly Available Specification 78 (PAS 78): Guide to Good Practice in Commissioning Accessible Websites (published by BSI in March 2006). In 2005/6 Julie received the New Media Age ‘Greatest Individual Contribution to New Media Award’. Julie’s spare time is dedicated to improving the quality of life of people with multiple sclerosis and she runs an award-winning online community of people with MS, Jooly’s Joint.

Shadi Abou-Zahra is a Web Accessibility Specialist for Europe with the W3C WAI. His responsibilities include editing and developing resources for the WAI Education and Outreach Working Group; serving as a representative for W3C/WAI in Europe to help coordinate with disability organizations, standards bodies, policy makers, accessibility research organizations, and other stakeholders; and chairing the WAI Evaluation and Repair Tools Working Group which develops techniques to evaluate and repair Web content for accessibility.

Shawn Henry is the Outreach Coordinator with W3C WAI. With the WAI Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG), Shawn helps coordinate the WAI Interest Group (WAI IG), and works with the WAI Steering Council. Prior to joining W3C, Shawn worked as a consultant with international standards bodies, research centers, government agencies, non-profit organizations, education providers, and Fortune 500 companies to develop and implement strategies to optimize design for usability and accessibility.

Time:

6.30pm

Venue:

Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian, Apex House, 99 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh, EH12 5HD

Directions to venue.

See the Scottish UPA events page for booking details.

Filed under: Accessibility
Posted by Patrick H. Lauke on Friday, May 12, 2006

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