(Made with Yahoo! Avatars) If you're reading this post, there are some things we already know about you: you're a savvy Internet user, very likely a Yahoo! Directory peruser, and a connoisseur of fine blogs. However, there are many things we don't know about you, such as whether you can walk, use your hands, or even see to read this. Today is World Usability Day, and although this year’s theme, Transportation, is mostly concerned with getting one’s person from physical point A to B, we here at Yahoo! want to make sure folks can get around online, from virtual place to place with pleasure and ease. That, however, isn't as simple as it may sound. Just take a peek at "Best Practices" codes for companies or schools -- their thoroughness and complexity can make you dizzy. Fortunately, there's a wonderful resource for Yahoos to make web accessibility requirements more, well, usable. The Yahoo! Accessibility Lab opened earlier this year, and provides a cozy nook where Yahoo! employees can get a first-hand feel for the technology that's available for the disabled, borrow books, or bounce ideas off the knowledgeable staff. From them, I learned that people like Robert Florio can play video games or even paint, despite being paralyzed, and that small changes can make enormous differences. For instance, Yahoo! Messenger users can now create avatars with wheelchairs or crutches. This expansion of avatar options seems especially cool to me. I've read about people using the Internet to shed their disabilities, such as in the game "Second Life." While that site's struggled with some accessibility issues of its own, it's an example of a place where people can present themselves as whatever alter egos they desire. It’s just as important, however, to give people the tools to express who they really are, and to be certain that those are tools that everyone can use. Suggested Sites... World Usability Day - official site, with articles and event info. Web Accessibility Standards - twelve basic rules from the HTML Writers Guild. WebAIM - online community for those seeking products, services, and information.

Directory categories: Web Design and Accessibility, Disability Directories, Avatars, Virtual Worlds, Assistive Technology

Archived under: Computers, Disability, Internet, Issues and Causes, Technology, Yahoo!

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