iheni :: making the web worldwide

The Web Standards Project (WaSP) has been busy at work hatching the InterACT curriculum, a framework for teaching standards based web design and development intended for schools, universities and business.

Education is core to getting the web to pull it’s socks up and become more of an inclusive, cross browser, cross platform, cross device place. By creating a curriculum and web craft degree backed by both industry and educators, the Open Web Education Alliance (OWEA) hopes to help produce the graduates that employers need to build slick, usable, accessible and profitable websites.

Up to this point all the work in OWEA and WaSP InterAct has been voluntary contributed to by some of the best web designers and developers out there today. To get this initiative really off the ground however we need to put in some serious hours and to do that OWEA needs funding. (Disclaimer: I’m hoping to be the one to put in the serious hours).

This is where you come in

We’re applying for a grant from the Shuttleworth Foundation and would love to show them how well backed this initiative is by our community. So, if you care about a sustainable web then take two minutes to show your support by signing up to  The Open Web Education Alliance project funding bid. We need comments, contributors and votes!

Buy the book

WaSP InterAct have just brought out Interact with Web Standards: A Holistic Approach to Web Design - over 500 pages of hotness by Erin Anderson, Virginia DeBolt, Derek Featherstone, Lars Gunther, Denise R. Jacobs, Leslie Jensen-Inman, Chris Mills, Christopher Schmitt, Glenda Sims, Aarron Walter. Well worth a read for anyone learning or teaching web design.

While you’re at it you may also want to get Introducing HTML 5 by Bruce Lawson and Remy Sharp. It’s out in July so it’ll be a nice little surprise when it drops through the letter box in a months time.

Tags: education, open web, OWEA, webstandards

These are the smart, sassy woman who were my collective backbone over the last year. They’ve inspired me, supported me, educated me and most importantly laughed at me. If it hadn’t been for them I would have lost perspective on the odd occasion and probably hidden under a rock, instead, they rock.

In no particular order:

• Antonia Hyde – web designer, movie maker and one of the few precious people who can shed some light on how to build websites for people with learning disabilities.
• Kath Moonan – fiesty, creative, performer who champions inclusion in both her professional and private life focused on user testing with people with disabilities.
• Lisa Herrod – My partner in crime running the Web Standards Group International Liaison Group, specialist in web design and inclusion for people who are deaf and hard of hearing. Has a wardrobe to die for.
• Sally Cain -  fellow Mum and colleague from years back who focuses on software accessibility and when it overlaps on the web.

I reckon this Fab Four pretty much have it sewn up between them. Thanks ladies x

Tags: Ada Lovelace, inspiration

The CSUN Tweetup returns for a second year thanks the organisation and sponsorship of The Paciello Group, Opera, WebAIM, Infoaxia, Adobe, Blackberry, EMC, CA and Deque Systems. Details about where, when and how to sign up are on the CSUN Tweetup website.

I’ve got my hands full this year so wont be able to make it however the organisers are live webcasting for all of us stuck at home. You can also tune in over Twitter tracking comments using the hash tag #CSUN10. Jennison Mark Asuncion will also be twittering the entire conference under @a11yconf.

There’s a stella line-up of speakers giving 5 minute lightening talks.

• @mollydotcom – Opera
• @dennisl – Accessible Twitter
• @musingvirtual – GimpGirl
• @mattmay – Adobe
• @stevefaulkner – The Paciello Group
• @wendyabc – UW/DO-IT
• @accessklink – Google

Time differences around the world:

• Beijing – Thursday 25th 09:00
• London – Thursday 25th 01:00 (ouch!)
• Paris – Thursday 25th 02:00
• New Delhi – Thursday  25th 06:30
• New York – Wednesday 24th 21:00
• Sydney – Thursday 25th 12:00
• Tokyo – Thursday 25th 10:00
• Check your time

And for everyone at CSUN have a good one, wish I was there!

BECTA, a UK government agency focusing on the use of technology throughout learning, recently invited me to contribute and article on mobile accessibility.

While demand for the mobile web is growing, mobile web content is yet to mature, with many problems of usability and accessibility that are reminiscent of desktop web content ten years ago. Added to this are the specific problems associated with mobile browsing such as size of screen display (viewport), handset capability context (being outside, in noisy places, differing light, time restricted), and technology support (lack of JavaScript, Flash, CSS cascading stylesheets and so on).

Grab a copy of the article in one of the following formats (sorry, no HTML):

• Word (new window)
• PDF (new window)
• ODT (new window)

Read this article in Belarussian translated by Patricia Clausnitzer

Tags: accessibility, browser, iPhone, mobile, opera, standards

Hot on the heels of his run away success HTML5 it is a changin’ our man in Japan, Daniel-San (@ourmaninjapan) has penned, transcribed and captioned (no less) a thoughtful rendition of Inaccessible the the tune of Nat King Cole’s Unforgettable.

Daniel-san very sweetly dedicated to this to me (thank you!) which I’d like to in turn dedicate to Jack Pickard who passed away over the weekend. He was a great advocate for accessibility, a voice of reason on Accessify Forum not to mention a thoughtful story teller, family man and Newcastle FC supporter. Ian Cuddy has written a tribute to Jack.  You’ll be missed.

Tags: captions, remembering, video