Accessibility Overload
Whatever it is that the "Cynthia Says" website actually says, it is in a language that I don't comprehend. The site may be a valuable tool for professional website developers, but a quick scan of my research results found me floundering. I gazed with blurred vision at a long list of indecipherable accessibility errors. Is there an accessibility icon that says "help me, I'm drowning." The site failed my laymans accessibility standards by not adequately or conveniently transcribing technical words, acronyms, and abbreviations into common language.
I visited several links in the Web Access Centre Blog in search of further clarification regarding technical jargon, but was again assailed by terminology requiring a cyber thesaurus. Pressure in my cranium signaled the stirrings of a brain explosion (a not uncommon occurrence), and so I bid farewell to Cynthia in search of a safe haven.
WAVE detected no accessibility errors for the page previously found wanting by Cynthia. Obviously the set of criteria for my page in both sites was different, but without time or inclination to pursue a simultaneous degree in cyber jargon, I will probably never understand what the criteria were. I headed to the kitchen feeling in need of a stiff drink, but instead had a glass of water, ruffled the cats head, and returned to the desk.
Although the WAVE report detected no accessibility errors, it informed me,..."you must still check your page to make sure it is actually accessible." Talk about passing the buck! To the credit of WAVE, the icons key and corresponding list of errors, alerts, and features explained in common language was a breath of fresh air in an increasingly claustrophobic domain. It is certainly heart warming to see hieroglyphics making a comeback. In search of a site that could actually check my site (and not tell me to do it myself) I decided to call in the big guns, the ATRC Web Accessibility Checker.
I clicked on the link to the ATRC and lo and behold, I got a WebApp: Error 500 cannot open connection. The entire ATRC Web Accessibility site was inaccessible! I tried alternative avenues and search engines but still found no access to the accessibility site. Now, I don't mind playing computer games, but I hate it when the computer plays with my head.
I gradually calmed down enough to consider my options. 1: Forget the web, build a donkey cart, and begin the organic garden, or 2: Soldier on and hope to gain access to accessibility. Being a determined and resolute guy I soldiered on and located more testing sites, including one called Juicy Studio.
This time my page passed the test with no warnings or errors found, and no further instruction to do the test myself. Having passed the test, I left the room with head held high, lofty goal attained.
I visited several links in the Web Access Centre Blog in search of further clarification regarding technical jargon, but was again assailed by terminology requiring a cyber thesaurus. Pressure in my cranium signaled the stirrings of a brain explosion (a not uncommon occurrence), and so I bid farewell to Cynthia in search of a safe haven.
WAVE detected no accessibility errors for the page previously found wanting by Cynthia. Obviously the set of criteria for my page in both sites was different, but without time or inclination to pursue a simultaneous degree in cyber jargon, I will probably never understand what the criteria were. I headed to the kitchen feeling in need of a stiff drink, but instead had a glass of water, ruffled the cats head, and returned to the desk.
Although the WAVE report detected no accessibility errors, it informed me,..."you must still check your page to make sure it is actually accessible." Talk about passing the buck! To the credit of WAVE, the icons key and corresponding list of errors, alerts, and features explained in common language was a breath of fresh air in an increasingly claustrophobic domain. It is certainly heart warming to see hieroglyphics making a comeback. In search of a site that could actually check my site (and not tell me to do it myself) I decided to call in the big guns, the ATRC Web Accessibility Checker.
I clicked on the link to the ATRC and lo and behold, I got a WebApp: Error 500 cannot open connection. The entire ATRC Web Accessibility site was inaccessible! I tried alternative avenues and search engines but still found no access to the accessibility site. Now, I don't mind playing computer games, but I hate it when the computer plays with my head.
I gradually calmed down enough to consider my options. 1: Forget the web, build a donkey cart, and begin the organic garden, or 2: Soldier on and hope to gain access to accessibility. Being a determined and resolute guy I soldiered on and located more testing sites, including one called Juicy Studio.
This time my page passed the test with no warnings or errors found, and no further instruction to do the test myself. Having passed the test, I left the room with head held high, lofty goal attained.
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