Accessibility is a key aspect of high-quality websites. Accessibility is about real people using and creating the Web. We'll demo how accessibility makes your website available and more usable to people with disabilities; to people using mobile phones, PDAs, and other such devices; to people with low bandwidth connections (which is more of a problem than many are aware of in the U.S. and throughout the world); to seniors, an increasingly important demographic; and others. There's been a lot of attention lately on the more complicated aspects of accessibility, but if you're missing the basics that's not going to help you. This session runs through the easy things and the most important things you can do now to get your project up to speed on accessibility. You'll get code and design examples, and see/hear how assistive technologies and mobile devices handle them. We'll look at why accessibility is vital, and how accessible sites are more effective for all — including those developing your website and those using it. Come with your pen or keyboard poised for a fast-paced run through of the basics, along with shortcuts for getting more examples and guidance. (If you'd like Shawn to review your site and use it for demos during the session, send email to shawn@w3.org with subject: SXSW - site for demos!)
http://2008.sxsw.com/interactive/programming/panels_schedule/?action=show&id=IAP060358
