Scott Jehl - @scottjehl - Rich UI Design: An Access-Oriented Approach

Download the Presentation from the Filament Group website

• Should test pages on screen readers
  • Jaws is most popular, 40 min trial available
  • NVDA is open-source
• All or nothing is a bad approach to accessibility
• Consider Universal Access in all stage of development
• Instead of asking for browser, run tests to determine browser's capabilities. Available at filimentgroup
• If browser fails tests, serve "basic" version with "Safe CSS"
  • No floats
  • No dark text on light backgrounds
  • No background images
  • No positioning
• If browser passes test:
  • Add class "enhanced" to html element
  • Dynamically load CSS and JavaScript
  • Cookie the results
  • Provide link to low-bandwidth version (which will change cookie and remove enhanced class)
• If building widgets not included in jqueryui themeroller:
  • Replicate behavior before you extend
  • Proxy back to native control
  • Follow conventions and user expectations
  • Consider the mouse optional
  • Use WAI-ARIA