[Accessibleweb] AccessibleWeb@U - May 26, 2010 Meeting Notes

[Richard B. Ells]

   AccessibleWeb at U Meeting
   
   May 26, 2010
     * What should be on the http://uw.edu/accessibility/ site?
          + First we took a tour through the current site
               o Need to update W3C and 508 information
               o Some controversy whether the DIS guidelines apply to us
               o Accessibility policies at other higher education needs
                 review and update. List currently on site is a bit old
               o Web Accessibility page defines what accessible Web
                 design is about.
               o Procurement information is a bit out-of-date. Purchasing
                 has not taken much interest.
               o IT Tools and Resources page is fairly up-to-date (Terry
                 has been working on it).
                    # We have an ARIA page but it is out-of-date
               o Link to other disability resources on campus
               o Frequently asked questions, mostly about how someone
                 gets accessibility support
               o Getting Help - repeats much of what is in the FAQ page
          + Discussion
               o Need to review the Procurement information because of
                 the new eProcurement system, which does offer energy
                 efficient hardware, but not accessibility
               o Be nice to have AccessibleWeb at U more visible
                    # UW Inclusion Network email list was just created.
                      Might want to connect/include them
               o Who is the audience for this site?
                    # People who do not understand accessibility
                    # Technical people who want to know more about it
                    # People who are sent here because they want to buy
                      accessible stuff
                    # Intent was to be the go-to resource for
                      information, particularly technology
                         @ A resource that could be useful as a place to
                           send people
                    # More people are building sites with WordPress,
                      Plone, or Drupal
                         @ Standard designs are being created that can be
                           shared access the systems
                         @ Many people simply put content into an
                           existing environment
                    # There are still many people at college and school
                      level hand managing their Web sites
                         @ Pharmacy still does not have a Web person
                         @ The new model of centrally administered CMS
                           with distributed people providing and
                           maintaining content is only just arriving.
                    # We should visit the major ones at least every
                      couple of years
                         @ Drupal
                         @ Plone
                         @ SharePoint
                         @ WordPress
                    # Need to connect with people who are making
                      decisions on how to set up CMSs and blog sites
                         @ Want to have ideas on which templates, widgets
                           are more accessible
                         @ Would break into two groups - people setting
                           up CMSs and blogs and people managing content
                           in CMSs and blogs
                    # Could we connect better with other people working
                      on accessibility at the UW
                         @ Get feedback from UW Inclusion Network people
                         @ Groups are meeting regularly, meeting on
                           Thursdays at 7pm seem to be the most active,
                           but has a big social aspect
                         @ Planning is underway for an accessibility
                           camp, but when is not clear
                    # Should uw.edu/accessibility be a portal for
                      accessibility for the entire campus?
                         @ Different groups addressing accessibility all
                           have their own Web sites, each from their own
                           perspective
                         @ What could this site be in the way of a
                           general accessibility portal for all of the
                           UW?
                    # Could we be one of the first sites into the new
                      Plone site? We should talk to Gina.
               o Topic for discussion: Accessibility issues of
                 information architecture of page templates (including
                 their site level navigation), the content placed within
                 the template, and the relationship between the two
               o Short term project: Can we fit the YUI keyboard
                 navigable menu into the Marketing page template.

   -----------------------------------
     Rick Ells
     Senior Webmaster
     UW Technology
     206.543.2875
     rells at u.washington.edu
     http://staff.washington.edu/rells