Alan Officer : Web Services, Tuition & Support : www.alanofficer.co.uk

Approvals

I have verified this site design relative to the current W3C standards for coding, as shown in the side panels.

All new website projects will be undertaken to meet these standards as far as possible. AAA Bobby compliance is very stringent, and two lower quality levels are available (A and AA).

I test each site for compatibility with all current major browsers: Internet Explorer 6, Firefox 1.5, plus less rigorous testing with Netscape, Mozilla and Opera. I also test with Lynx 2.8 text browser and Natural Voice Reader.

Accessibility is built in using a variety of state of the art techniques:

• Page organization uses a consistent structure
• Text links are provided even if there are pictorial links
• Link text makes sense when read out of context
• Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are used for all layout
• The site layout still makes sense with styles switched off
• Distinctive colour contrast between text and background
• Where colour is used in navigational elements, there are alternative means of navigation provided
• Images & links are compatible with screen readers
• Frames are avoided completely
• Where scripts are used, they are not essential for site access
• Tables are used correctly, with sensible line-by-line reading

By separating the presentation style of documents from the content of documents, CSS2 simplifies Web authoring and site maintenance.

Sites which do not conform to these standards will not be properly supported by future browser versions. Safeguard the future of your online identity!

I test through a variety of browsers including text only and natural speech readers, in addition to verifying the site design relative to the W3C and WebXACT (formerly Bobby) standards.

Incidentally, you may be used to links to external websites opening a new browser window, but this design practice has been discredited for some time. If you wish to view the linked page in a new window you can - either use a tabbed browser like Firefox or Avant, or right click the link in Internet Explorer and select "Open in new window".

Go back to the Web Design page.

This Web Site's Rating

The entire site meets the highest Bobby standard for accessibility. This is the critical approval needed to prove your web site can be used by the widest possible range of people accessing the internet.

The entire site conforms to XHTML 1.0 Strict documents, which is currently the state of the art coding standard.

The entire site conforms to CSS2 - a style sheet language that allows authors and users to attach style (e.g., fonts, spacing, and aural cues) to structured documents (e.g., HTML documents and XML applications).

The entire site was tested with the Lynx text only web browser to verify usability. Also tested with Natural Voice speech reader to verify usability. These tests are important to ensure that the web site makes sense when viewed without any pictures or when translated to speech (e.g. for people who are visually impaired).

Accessibility

Web accessibility means access to the web by everyone, regardless of disability - hence web sites and applications that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with.

Use of the web is spreading rapidly into all areas of society; millions of people have disabilities that affect access to the web.

An accessible web means unprecedented access to information for people with disabilities: visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities can all affect access.

It also reduces your exposure to litigation by those who may feel they have been discriminated against if they are unable to interact with your online channel.