One Alt Attribute at a Time

It's so easy to forget the universe extends past our own elbows. I was trying to recall when I first became interested in website accessibility, and I can't remember. For me, incentives to make improvements to websites for special needs people likely came about because many of them spoke up about their problems. Sometimes we hear them. Sometimes we don't. Witnessing a severely seeing impaired person trying to read a website on a laptop, a few years ago, made a big impression on me. I find it hard to get her struggle out of my head, and yet her attitude was of gracious acceptance. For her, this is how things simply are. My friends, Joe Dolson are my teachers for accessible web design. Each of them found their passion for it because something in their personal everyday lives made accessibility issues obvious. They could see past their elbows because there was something to look at. What about those of us who don't? My friend, Elizabeth Able, came to Cre8asiteforums as an unknown person. As we got to know her, we learned that her mother has a school for blind or partially sighted children called the school's website accessible for its target market provided the perfect opportunity for the rest of us to learn. Recently, Joe accepted an invitation to become a Moderator at Cre8asiteforums. Liz has posted an Interview with Joe Dolson on the forums blog. One source for his passion is also his mother.

My mother is the executive director of UsabilityEffect.com, Cre8asiteForums. Her background in organic search engine optimization, combined with web site usability consulting, offers unique insight into web site development.