Accessible Websites (Constructing): Section 508 and Beyond [Paperback]

But accessibility is not just about following standards and adding ALT tags. Everybody has the right to information on the Web, regardless of disability, location, language, or any other factor. This "access for all" viewpoint requires a different approach than the last-minute band-aid accessibility we've seen in the past. This book shows you how to integrate accessibility into your design process to improve your bottom line. As Vint Cerf said recently, "The Internet is for Everybody."

This book is a team effort, written by a cast of eight experts, including Bob Regan of Macromedia. Regan, Senior Product Manager for Accessibility, talks about the new accessibility features of Flash MX, which was just released recently. Each author addresses topics in their areas of expertise. Glasshaus has got the formula down now, hire a bunch of experts, and crank out a book in record time.

Everything from legal issues, assistive technology, accessible content, navigation, and data input to testing for Section 508 compliance are covered in this 415 page book. The authors rate Web development tools for compliance with the W3C's ATAG guidelines on a star system. While Dreamweaver MX, Frontpage, Golive, and BBEdit have improved, they still have a ways to go.

The authors show you how to separate content from presentation with CSS, and test your code for standards and accessibility compliance. You'll learn how to assess and repair accessibility problems on your site with free evaluation and fix-up tools. Finally, the book closes with an in-depth chapter on US Web accessibility law.

With many sites overlooking the simple ALT in images, it's no question that many need educating on this important topic. Statistics shows that 15 to 30 percent of the population has a need for accessibility features on Web sites. Happily, people live longer and aging brings seeing and hearing challenges. Furthermore, seniors are responsible for over 25 percent of online purchases, neglecting this group can be costly to the company that abandons them. The number shoots up to 40 percent when including people over the age of 40.

CEOs, CIOs, C-level whatevers, managers, designers, programmers, and anyone else who has a hand in a Web site will benefit from the book. Not only does it cover the how, but also the whats and whys by saying, "This is why we should do this and this is how to do it." Upper level management benefit from information on the Web accessibility laws, guidelines, reasons for creating accessible sites, and the accessibility organization strategy. If an executive wants to reach far and wide, then she can get that by reading and applying the knowledge found in the book. One unique chapter explains how to structure an organization to handle and support accessibility issues, a rarely addressed topic in the world of Web accessibility. The Internet has opened the gates for businesses to go global and there's information about the laws from countries other than the US.

Designers and programmers get the tools and resources for creating, evaluating, and validating pages for accessibility compliance. Useful is a comparison and report card on Web design software explaining how each program meets or fails to meet in producing accessible code and features. The book echoes the latest cry in the world of Web design in encouraging designers to separate content from presentation.

Having an accessible Web site doesn't mean boring looking pages with nothing but text. Quite the contrary, the authors encourage creating well-design sites while keeping accessibility in mind.

As one who has written articles on Web design, the book offers insight into techniques that I hadn't encountered. With multiple authors, readers are assured they're hearing from the experts on each chapter topic. One notable expert is Bob Regan of Macromedia who discusses the tools and techniques of using Flash MX to make a site accessible. Any site that wants to be successful and reach the greatest number of people will invest in creating an accessible site. This well-rounded book covers it all from laws to code to help ensure the site does it right.