TOC for Articles for Magazine/Press

First one for broad educated/technical audience, i.e. readers that do
not know about the architecture of the Web: browser/server, HTML,
HTTP, but are able to understand how it works from 50000 feet and then
understand what accessibility is about, with some concrete examples.
Basically the message here is: IT'S POSSIBLE TO ACCESS TO THE
INTERNET/WEB WITHOUT SIGHT, providing the author provides such and
such information (descriptive text for image, title for frame, good
structure, etc).

The Table Of Content reads:

Title: Surfing in the dark
   
Intro: 
   some catchy lead story in a few lines

Web 101
   browser/server model
   url/http/document
   doc: mostly html + image/audio/video/program
   presentation/style done by the browser
   therefore: possibility to adapt the presentation: voice, braille, etc

Example
   a nice graphical site
    bad text-only version
    good text-only version
   explanation what changed:
      alt, frame, structure/navigation (h1.h2, ul, a), separated style

Why it's important
   People with disabilities (ADA)
   Low bandwith
   Better Search 
   Future agents: Web Phone/Mobile/AutoPC
   
Conclusion: 
   It's possible to access to the internet/web without sight.
   Graphics is nice, but text rules.

================

The second for web page authors, i.e. people that know about HTML/HTTP
in some details, but only have a vague idea of what accessibility is
about (they heard about ALT maybe). There we need to stress the
curb-cut effect (it's good for web phone, mobile, and their own
maintenance of pages) and explain the "how" in some details: what
needs to be done in the markup (ALT, TITLE on Frame, use CSS, etc)


Title: Good design is Accessible Design
   
Intro: 
   some catchy lead story in a few lines [different than above]

[no need to explain the web basics as in the above]

Good web design 
   client software unknown 
   client modality unknown 
   design for reusability/maintenance 
   design for performance, reader-friendly 

Short tutorial
   html/xml/css/xsl

Example
  [Same example]

Extracts from GL

Why it's important
  [Same reasons]
   
Conclusion: 
  [Same conclusion]


In both case, word count is that of a 2 full pages article (variant
per magazine), with a screen dump of some nice web site and what it
gives in text-only mode (good and bad cases).  As you see, in both
cases, I put the emphasis on visual problem, and I plan on just
mentioning other disabilities.

Received on Monday, 31 August 1998 12:09:57 UTC