30 years on the Web: have I learned anything yet?

Yes, people did wander the earth when there was no Facebook, no Google and no World Wide Web. I can’t say I remember it well but I was certainly there. I lived through the invention of the web, its enormous growth, its unprecedented speed of development and its current ubiquitousness in the developed world, so, do I have any insights?

Equal access to the web and all it’s riches is now a requisite for full citizenship. An inaccessible website is a barrier to equality (however you define that) not just a barrier to content and functionality. So for the purposes of this article – have I looked for any lessons we can learn about ensuring the Internet isn’t just one more way to discriminate against disabled people?…

Read more about 30 years on the Web: have I learned anything yet?

Blog Posts

What is a WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility audit

A WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility audit, is the name of the process used to test websites against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). WCAG 2.2 is the defacto accessibility guidelines ...

Is an inaccessible website bad for business?

It's evident that numerous websites remain inaccessible (98% according to ISE - ICT Solutions and Education), even though more and more individuals recognise that accessibility is the 'right thing to ...

30 years on the Web: have I learned anything yet?

Yes, people did wander the earth when there was no Facebook, no Google and no World Wide Web. I can’t say I remember it well but I was certainly there. ...

WCAG 2.2 – what’s new and what’s different from WCAG 2.1

The WCAG 2.2 was released by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) on October 5, 2023.  WCAG 2.2, in common with earlier versions, aims to make digital content accessible to ...

WCAG 2.2. Success Criterion 3.3.8, Accessible Authentication Level AA and AAA – A Summary

The WCAG 2.2. Success Criterion 3.3.8 aims to create an accessible, user-friendly, and secure login method. Many websites use usernames and passwords for authentication, but memorizing this information poses a ...

WCAG 2.2. SC 3.2.6, Consistent Help (Level A) – A Summary

The release of WCAG 2.2 introduced two new level A success criteria and four new level AA success criteria.  In this post, I provide a summary of  Success Criteria 3.2.6, ...

WCAG 2.2. Success Criteria 2.5.8, Target Size (Level AA) – A Summary

The release of WCAG 2.2 introduced two new level A success criteria and four new level AA success criteria.  In this post, I provide a summary of  Success Criteria 2.5.8, ...

WCAG 2.2 – Success Criteria 2.5.7 Dragging Movements (Level AA) – A Summary

The release of WCAG 2.2 introduced two new level A success criteria and four new level AA success criteria.  In this post, I provide a summary of  Success Criteria 2.5.7 ...

WCAG 2.2 – Success Criterion 2.4.11, Focus Not Obscured – A Summary

The release of WCAG 2.2 introduced two new level A success criteria and four new level AA success criteria.  In this post, I provide a summary of Success Criterion 2.4.11, ...

Understanding Website Accessibility in the UK

Website accessibility is not just on compliance; it is also about fostering inclusivity and adhering to legal mandates. In this article I explore the legal facets and basic principles that ...

Accessibility is not a cost it is an investment: get more visitors, more conversions and protect your brand

Accessibility may be something you have felt reluctant to address because you regarded it as a cost. In this post, I set out to demonstrate that is in fact an ...

ISO 30071: 2019 Digital Accessibility Standard – What is it?

ISO 30071 is a standard and a set of guidelines for managing diversity in the workplace. It aims to help organisations create a more inclusive, and by implication, more productive ...

Tips for designing an accessible website for people who are deaf or have hearing problems

Why design an accessible website for people who are deaf or have hearing problems? Website designers increasingly use videos to get their message across. That's good, it is a powerful communication ...

Website Accessibility and Your Legal Obligations in the UK

The accessibility of websites plays a crucial role in ensuring equal access to information and services for all individuals, including disabled people. It is not just about ‘doing the right ...

How to Design an Accessible Website for People with Visual Impairments and People Who Are Blind

Many disabled people, including people with visual impairments, and people who are blind, face significant challenges when using websites - when they are not designed with accessibility in mind. Website ...

The Future of Accessible Web Design for Charities – including the Impact of Artificial Intelligence and ChatGPT and Similar Services

Charities play a vital role in society, their websites are often the first point of contact for potential donors and volunteers. Therefore, it is crucial that these websites are accessible ...

The Role of Color Contrast in Accessible Web Design

Color Contrast is an important issue because Website accessibility is an important issue. Websites must be designed to be accessible to everyone, including disabled people - otherwise, you losing part ...

WCAG 2.1 AA Accessibility Standard – What Does That Mean?

WCAG 2.1 AA is a set of accessibility guidelines developed by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). They provide a framework for web developers ...

Why Your Website Needs to be Accessible: Insights from a Web Accessibility Agency

Websites are essential for businesses and organisations to connect with their customers and audiences. However, what many people don't realise is that not all users can easily access to their ...

Why Accessibility is Crucial for Third Sector Organisations

Third sector organisations work hard to serve their communities. However, many overlook the need to ensure their website content is accessible to all visitors, including disabled people. Websites that are ...

The business case for accessible website design

In September 2016 I spoke at the Accessibility Scotland conference and an audience member asked whether there was a ‘caste iron’ business case for making a website accessible? They were having trouble trying to get ...

Jim Byrne Accessible Website Design is celebrating 20 years ensuring equal access for disabled people

This year is the 20th birthday of my business, Jim Byrne Accessible Website Design. Here is the press release I put together with Rebecca Appleton of Dakota Digital. Forgive my ...

Accessibility testing: Should you commission a manual accessibility WCAG 2 audit or use an automated accessibility tool?

If you run a website in the UK, it must be accessible to disabled people, it is a legal requirement under the Equality Act 2010. But how do you know ...

Website accessibility tools/plugins – Are they actually helpful or just a PR exercise?

As the world shifts increasingly online, the ability to access apps, websites, and documents is crucial. That’s why website accessibility tools, often in the form of plug-ins, are more popular ...

Use YouTube to create video captions

Automatically generated captions YouTube generates captions automatically for most videos. This is useful even if you are not using Youtube to serve them; you can download the resulting captions file to ...

Zoom video conferencing and accessibility

Zoom was created in 2011 but it didn’t take off until its use during the pandemic - when it became the de facto video chat tool. There can be no ...

Accessible PDFs from MS Word

PDFs are generally created from source documents; often that is an MS Word document - which has to be made accessible before being exported (or in the Mac version, saved) ...

A note on the Arial font and accessibility

Arial is a sans serif typeface, designed in 1982, based on Monotype Grotesque. The font has a similar proportion and weight to Helvetica. It is a font with a contemporary look. ...

ARIA – A Beginners Guide

ARIA stands for Accessible Rich Internet Application. ARIA was designed to make Web content and dynamic applications accessible to disabled people - by providing a list of new attributes that ...

Theory into practice; designing a flexible website is the key to accessible website design

On my WCAG 2.1. training course, I outline why designing a flexible website is the key to accessible website design - by flexible I mean designing your site so that ...

Download Jim Byrne’s Guide To Creating A More Accessible Website

By law your website must be accessible to disabled people; 'How To Keep Your Website Accessible' tells you how to achieve that. NOTE: This document was written quite a few ...

How is the term ‘disabled people’ defined and why does it matter?

As a website designer or an organisation commissioning a website you need to know how the term ‘disabled people’ is defined for the following reasons: It will have an impact on ...

Organise your WordPress web content to help visitors navigate within your pages

Help visitors navigate within your pages It's not just your overall website that needs to be well organised and easy to navigate, the same applies to your individual page content. In ...

5 ideas to improve your online presence and make your site more secure in 2018 

Happy New Year. I hope you had a restful break. :-) This is the time of year to make plans; freshen up your website; reach more people or try to do ...

Quick Summary of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for Third Sector Organisations

The GDPR is the EU data protection regulation which replaces the current Data Protection Act. It aims to simplify regulation and give individuals more control over their personal data. For Third ...

I’ll see you at Independent Living Scotland 2017!

I have a stand at this year's Independent Living Scotland exhibition. Seek me out for a chat and for a free 'live' accessibility audit of your website. :-) Yes that is ...

What Can I Do For You? Outlining My Approach to Web Design

The following is a text transcript of a video presentation I made in 2017: "So how can I help you? Now I'm a web designer, web developer, web accessibility specialist mostly ...

Ten tips to make your web text easier to read

1. Left align text Align your text to the left and leave it ragged on the right. Left-aligned text increases reading speed. The straight left edge helps to anchor the eye ...

Website Accessibility ‘WCAG A’ Audit Deal

I'm offering a technical website accessibility audit and report to Level A of WCAG 2.0 for only £950. The audit will be completed and a report delivered to you in ...

Developing An Accessible Searchable Directory For Evenbreak

I'd like to tell you about a project that I have recently been working on called, Evenbreak. They provide such a fantastic service that I feel I need to spread the ...

20 Simple But Effective Facebook Marketing Tips

Set up a Facebook Page rather than a personal profile page. If you use a personal profile for an organisation you are breaking Facebook rules. On a practical level, you ...

Public Sector Equality Duty – A summary

What is the public sector equality duty for? The public sector equality duty is designed to ensure that those carrying out public functions (including public authorities) consider how they can contribute ...

Equality Act 2010 – A Summary

Equality Act 2010 was designed to simplify UK anti-discrimination laws by aggregating several related laws into one. It replaces, among other acts, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, (DDA, Race Relations ...

The ‘cast iron’ business case for accessible website design

Just a quick follow up from my New Year Newsletter in which I gently encouraged you to think about your website and online marketing strategy. One area I mentioned in ...

European Commission welcomes agreement to make public sector websites and apps more accessible

On the 3rd of May the European Parliament, the European Council and the European Commission agreed that in future all public sector websites and mobile apps should be made accessible. The ...

Advertise on Google for free – if you are a nonprofit

Did you know that non profit organisations can advertise on Google without having to pay a penny? If not, it is something worth knowing; this is not a small token ...

Organising Website Content: 14 tips

Know your audience and what they want from you: i.e. aim to make the things they are likely to look for the easiest to find. Create a priority list of ...

Usability article: how to create readable Web text

The following is a list of some of the main readability and usability issues: Text alignment: Aligning text to the left, ragged on the right, increases reading speed because the straight left ...

What is responsive website design and how does it relate to accessibility?

Responsive design is about creating sites that change their layout according to the device they are being displayed on. for the most part, this means altering the layout to accommodate different screen sizes. However, this doesn't ...

New Year, New Plans

This is the time of year to make plans; freshen up your website, reach more people; try to do things more efficiently. :-) Here are some ideas to that might get ...

We can install and setup Google Analytics for you

Google Analytics is a free, immensely powerful tool that helps you track and understand the way visitors interact with your website. If you are embarking on a search engine optimisation (SEO) campaign ...

Case study: Edinburgh Tenants Federation

We recently completed a website and Logo redesign for the Edinburgh Tenants Federation (ETF); the umbrella organisation for local tenants and residents groups in the City of Edinburgh. The brief was ...

The WCAG 2 principles translated to simple ‘Jim speak’

As well as reading my short WCAG 2 principles article you can now download WCAG 2 Defining The Principles as an MS Word document. This is the one where I ...

The website backup offer has now expired

A website backup offer has now expired - sorry about that. However, while you are here you should know that my area of expertise is in accessible website design and ...

Evaluation tools and resources for developing accessible websites

Below are some of the tools we use when evaluation websites. Evaluation tools and resources World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Markup Validation Service W3C CSS Validation Service Web Developer toolbar for Chrome and Firefox Web ...

WordPress Plugins that help accessibility

Many of the websites I develop use Wordpress for Content Management; so I'm I'm always happy to come across plugins that help make Wordpress sites more accessible. Here are two that ...

Your business website? What is it for?

Millions of new websites get built every year by business owners who haven't thought very deeply about why they want a website; what it can or cannot do for them. And ...

.scot domain launched. Is it for you?

Yippee! Scotland now has it's own .scot domain suffix. From September you will be able identify your website (and email address) as being distinctly Scottish. That may or may ...

What is the British Standard (BS) 8878 Web Accessibility Code?

Note that the BSS 8878 has been replaced by ISO 30071: 2019 Digital Accessibility Standard British Standard 8878 (BS 8878) is the Web Accessibility Code of Practice developed by the British ...

Accessible web design is not about creating boring sites

Accessible websites can look fabulous, be interactive, and use up-to-date multimedia capabilities (e.g., images, sound, movies, Javascript, photographs and server-side technologies like PHP or ASP). Yes, you can use all the ...

Accessible WordPress Webinar: Download The Slides

I recently did a Webinar about how to keep your Wordpress website accessible - for Jisc RSC Scotland. Jisc RSC Scotland provide guidance and advice on technology to support learning, ...

Ensuring your website is an effective marketing tool

"97% of shoppers research local products and services online. Your website stands a good chance of being a prospect’s first impression." (Research by BIA/Kelsey) I recently wrote ...

Accessible Website Design: start with the assumption that you cannot predict the access needs of your audience

Believe me, it's impossible to create a website that will exactly meet the needs of every visitor. For example, a person with Dyslexia might need a very particular combination of ...

Website Marketing: New year, new plans

This is the time of year to make plans; freshen up your website, reach more people; try to do things more efficiently. Here are some ideas to that might get you ...

Richard Morton – website accessibility auditor

Get in touch now; ensure you don't fall foul of the Equalities Act.. "A large proportion of my work over the last six years has been web accessibility auditing, using the ...

Making Websites Accessible published by Scottish Accessible Information Forum

Making Websites Accessible Written by Jim Byrne Making Websites Accessible updates SAIF's 2006 publication Making Ecommunication Accessible. The earlier publication is still available and still worth obtaining as it covers a wider ...

Is your website secure?

Websites seem to be getting hacked left, right and centre these days; which I have to say is extremely unsettling. It's unsettling for those just reading about it but more importantly ...

Your website tender document: what to include?

How to write a website tender document? Suggested content: Provide a description of your organisation and the services you offer. Provide a summary of the reasons you would like a new website ...

Design for machines first, people second!

You can't transmit your web page directly to a person's brain; it's got to be transmitted through some type of hardware and software first (for example, a web browser on ...

What’s the difference between an accessible website and an inaccessible website?

Two websites can look exactly the same but one is accessible and the other isn’t. If accessibility is not about the visual design, what is it about? Here are 5 features ...

Web Accessibility Practitioners Survey Shows Inequality Between Practitioners

Here are a couple of things that jumped out at me when I read through the survey published by WebAIM: There are more women and disabled people working in the area ...

First chapter of Twitter book for beginners now online

Read chapter one online of, Twitter for charities, non profits and the voluntary sector - Everything you need to unlock the power of twitter for good. "Essential reading for those ...

Three steps to making website accessibility part of your organisation

1. Put someone in charge of accessibility compliance. Website accessibility is one of those areas that people think is too difficult to understand and too costly to implement. In truth it's ...

How to create a Facebook Cause and use it to promote your organisation

5 simple steps to create your Cause on Facebook 1. Create a new cause and choose to have it support your campaign. According to the Facebook application we are about to ...

Twitter for charities, non profits and the voluntary sector – Read the first two chapters free

The first two chapters of Twitter for charities, non profits and the voluntary sector free Read and buy the full e-book at a special price.

What should be in your website accessibility page?

The content of accessibility pages has evolved over the years; from a fairly useless statement about the site passing the 'Bobby' standard, to practical advice about how visitors can modifying ...

Get Connected and Lead website launched

The Get Connected and Lead website has just gone live! Get Connected and Lead is a new project aimed at bringing disabled people and service providers together to allow disabled people ...

Decide whether your non-text elements are functional, decorative or providing content?

Labels should be added to all non-text content; the alt attribute is a requirement for both HTML 4 and XHTML W3C standards based documents. When trying to decide on the text ...

Get fancy accessible fonts on your website by renting them

In the past choosing an accessible, readable font for your website wasn’t difficult, basically because you didn’t have many fonts to choose from. You were restricted to using ‘web safe’ ...

Test the accessibility of your web page with your own web browser

It seems to be a little known fact - but it is worth remembering - that almost all Web browsers allow you to change the text size, font, colour and ...

Web accessibility for deaf people – adding captions or providing transcripts isn’t always enough

If you search the web for information related to web accessibility for deaf people you will find plenty of advice about captioning or providing transcripts for web based audio and ...

Accessible WordPress Webinar: Listen To The Audio

I recently did a Webinar for Jisc RSC Scotland about how to keep Wordpress websites accessible. I've been meaning to put the audio and slides together as a single download for ...

Place the ‘accessibility’ link at the top of the page not the bottom

Here's a simple web accessibility tip that I've never written down before. Place the 'accessibility' link at the top of your web page rather than the bottom. If it's at ...

Is Facebook useful for voluntary sector organisations?

Why would a voluntary sector organisation use Facebook? Is it because, Facebook has more than 750 million active users Average user has 130 friends 50% of users log on each day People spend over ...

Twitter for charities, non profits and the voluntary sector book launch

Ohh look! The book I wrote with Jeremy Webb is being launched. Twitter for charities, non profits and the voluntary sector - Everything you need to unlock the power of twitter ...

Make PDFs more accessible

The joy of the web is that you can deliver all sorts of different 'media' via a single interface. Tim Berners-Lee designed it with exactly that in mind. That is good ...

Introduce yourself to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

The Web Accessibility Guidelines and associated documents published by the The World Wide Web Consortiums (W3C) are a fantastic resource, and recognised as the 'standard' reference documents for those building ...

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2 (WCAG 2) translating from WCAG Speak to Jim Speak

This short article will set out the basic ideas underlying the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2 (WCAG 2). Here is the shortest possible summary of the guidelines: The ...

Understanding colour contrast and accessibility

Colour - in terms of accessibility - is one of the areas I find hardest to understand; I can read a sentence like, 'avoid using colors of similar lightness adjacent to ...

Are you aware of the Equality Act and BS 8878 2010 Web accessibility – Code of Practice?

Note that the BSS 8878 has been replaced by ISO 30071: 2019 Digital Accessibility Standard In December 2010 BSI launched the first British Standard to address web accessibility and the challenge ...

Case Study: A New Website for British Disabled Angling Association (BDAA)

The British Disabled Angling Association (BDAA) needed a website to provide a 'one stop shop of information and advice' for disabled and non-disabled anglers. The BDDA provide individual and group ...

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2 (WCAG 2) translating from WCAG Speak to Jim Speak

This short article will set out the basic ideas underlying the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2 (WCAG 2). Here is the shortest possible summary of ...

British Standard 8878 Web Accessibility Code of Practice: a short summary

Note: ISO 30071-1:2019 is the standard that replaced BS 8878. This article was correct at the time of publication but is now out of date. British Standard 8878 (BS 8878) ...

If my site is accessible will it still look good?

Absolutely. It is a myth that accessible websites are text only or cater for the lowest common denominator. There is no reason why an accessible website should be any worse ...

Free Website Accessibility Resources And Tools Page

Free downloads from Jim Byrne & Associates Accessible Website Design. What should be in your website tender document? Here are some suggestions UK Disability And Equality Statistics (PDF 87Kb) Web ...

Start with the assumption that you cannot predict the access needs of your audience

Here's a tip to help you  get your head around the idea of accessible website design: start with the assumption that you cannot predict the access needs of your audience. For ...

Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living accessible information award

Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living (LCL) have won the Breathrough Award for their new website and Online help service. As the developer who designed these services with LCIL I am ...

10 Terrific Twitter Facts And Figures

Since its launch in 2006 Twitter has gained popularity worldwide and is estimated to have 225 million users, generating 65 million tweets and handling over 800,000 search queries per day. ...

How to create accessible email

Email has become one of the most common ways to communicate. It is a good and economical method of disseminating information to people where they want to receive ...

Case Study: Scottish Accessible Information Forum

The design and development of the new Scottish Accessible Information Forum (SAIF) website has been completed and is now live Considerable discussion and thought went into creating the new SAIF website ...

View a list of all blog posts.

Working with non-profits, charities, voluntary and public sector organisations and social enterprises for over 20 years. Jim set up one of the worlds first website accessibility web agencies in the mid 1990s.

Contact

Email:
accessibility@jimbyrne.co.uk

Tel:
07810 098 119