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A Book Apart #23
Accessibility for Everyone
A guide for the accessibility landscape: understand disability and impairment challenges; get a handle on important laws and guidelines; and learn how to plan for, evaluate, and test accessible design.
Tools and techniques like clear copywriting, well-structured IA, meaningful HTML, and thoughtful design, to create a solid set of best practices
Tools and techniques like clear copywriting, well-structured IA, meaningful HTML, and thoughtful design, to create a solid set of best practices
166 pages, ebook
Published January 1, 2017
44 people are currently reading
1097 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
November 2, 2020
Too short and simplistic to be of use to anyone. It throws around some ideas with almost no actionable advice. I wouldn't even recommend it as a primer for beginners, because even as "food for thought" and a collection of ideas for further research it doesn't cover enough to point people in all the necessary directions.
1) Types of disability and assistive technology - this is by far the biggest part of the book, but misses touch screens, high contrast mode and other non-obvious ways of access.
2) Design - little actionable advice. "Don't rely on color" - but no examples.
3) Code - this part is the most lacking. HTML code snippets make no sense even for someone who knows what they're supposed to do. CSS is completely missing, without even a word of caution that it can alter semantics in some specific cases. JS is mentioned, but again, no big warning about how the modern techniques, frameworks, and app-ifying the web affects accessibility.
4) Heuristics - other than some sections that feel like they're aimed at evoking empathy in readers, there's no info on how to deal with more complex components/designs.
If you're looking for a super short basic accessibility book, I think the older Accessibility Handbook by Katie Cunningham is the better option. The code is still simple enough not to get too out of date, and it covers more topics than Accessibility for Everyone.
1) Types of disability and assistive technology - this is by far the biggest part of the book, but misses touch screens, high contrast mode and other non-obvious ways of access.
2) Design - little actionable advice. "Don't rely on color" - but no examples.
3) Code - this part is the most lacking. HTML code snippets make no sense even for someone who knows what they're supposed to do. CSS is completely missing, without even a word of caution that it can alter semantics in some specific cases. JS is mentioned, but again, no big warning about how the modern techniques, frameworks, and app-ifying the web affects accessibility.
4) Heuristics - other than some sections that feel like they're aimed at evoking empathy in readers, there's no info on how to deal with more complex components/designs.
If you're looking for a super short basic accessibility book, I think the older Accessibility Handbook by Katie Cunningham is the better option. The code is still simple enough not to get too out of date, and it covers more topics than Accessibility for Everyone.
June 11, 2018
I read this from cover to cover and I don't quite recommend it. There is a plethora of information about accessibility and how to use it. Yet you may think you know how to build a web page or web app to be successful, am I right? Well think again! Many of the best practices will make you realize that you don't know much about what makes a page successful. For example, form error messages. We love them we love them when we are using the net. They guide us along and allow us to know when a problem has occurred with a form submittal. But when actually building a page, we suddenly become forgetful and that may be something that the development team doesn't implement before deployment. *gasps* It may seem shocking but accessible things seem to be the things left out of the initial conversation until the team makes a mad dash to deploy or after a successful deployment has happened. It's happened more often than not on teams I've worked with.
I think Kalbag makes a great point that using the internet is a human right. It is an intergral part of communicating and learning daily. Everyone should be allowed to do so without barriers or roadblocks. This is a great sample of accessibility but I wish there was more. A longer version that takes a deep dive with testing and breaking down best practices implemented on an actual page. She has snippets to explain each pertinent parts of a page, but their small sections to cover each of those elements. I wish she'd had a side by side comparison with code and images.
As with most print programming books, I found that some of the information could be found online or was a little outdated. It was just published last year. This book is great for those who are interested in web accessibility for all and wants something easily digestible. Something that can be picked up and scanned quickly for reference.
I think Kalbag makes a great point that using the internet is a human right. It is an intergral part of communicating and learning daily. Everyone should be allowed to do so without barriers or roadblocks. This is a great sample of accessibility but I wish there was more. A longer version that takes a deep dive with testing and breaking down best practices implemented on an actual page. She has snippets to explain each pertinent parts of a page, but their small sections to cover each of those elements. I wish she'd had a side by side comparison with code and images.
As with most print programming books, I found that some of the information could be found online or was a little outdated. It was just published last year. This book is great for those who are interested in web accessibility for all and wants something easily digestible. Something that can be picked up and scanned quickly for reference.
October 20, 2017
For anyone who cares, even a little, about Web accessibility. An empathetic read with helpful details to get anyone started on accessibility. The resource list alone is worth your time and money!
December 12, 2017
Focuses on a high-level view of accessibility. Great info about the different kinds of disabilities, and adaptive technology but only one chapter of technical info like ARIA.
August 4, 2018
The best accessibility primer I’ve ever read. Instead of jumping into the minutia of WCAG she explains the principles of inclusive design and keeps the humans at the center.
May 13, 2020
I luv it.
December 25, 2022
Holistic and easy to understand overview with practical tips. Learned a lot.
April 28, 2020
Easy read! Lots of great information and actionable steps to start making your websites accessible. Provided a lot of context for things I “sort of” knew. And she didn’t just focus on a11y testing or tools, but how to make good, usable websites.
December 4, 2017
Great overview or introduction to accessibility. I'll particularly be recommending this to people in leadership roles who want to know how to support a team in making an accessible product. Developers looking for in-depth code samples might prefer Heydon Pickering's book, but this will be a great starting point for many people.
October 28, 2017
As with my other experiences with A Book apart, this book discuss accessibility at a relatively high level. There is one chapter dedicated to a light discussion on the importance of semantic HTML, and the use of WAI-ARIA roles, but the examples to demonstrate these concepts are few. In particular, I agree with Kalbag's evangelism for sematic HTML, but do not agree with her perspectives that considers WAI-ARIA as a last resort for web accessibility (p.120). I think that while WAI-ARIA is a last resort if the structure of the content is semantic, when this semantic structure is lacking (backward compatibility projects, novel interfaces, or even just the way the teams are built etc…), WAI-ARIA, which has garnered a wide support recently, does have the ability to stand in the foreground in place of semantic structure.
The book contains lots of information on the importance of universal design, and suggestions in how teams maybe structured to include Accessibility early on in the process. There focus of the book does not seem to be on the technical aspect of accessibility. That is not to say the book is poorly written. In fact, this can be a good primer for someone who is reaching out for Accessibility for the first time.
The book contains lots of information on the importance of universal design, and suggestions in how teams maybe structured to include Accessibility early on in the process. There focus of the book does not seem to be on the technical aspect of accessibility. That is not to say the book is poorly written. In fact, this can be a good primer for someone who is reaching out for Accessibility for the first time.
June 17, 2022
3-sentence summary
* Accessibility is not only for people with impairments, "normal" people can benefit from it as well (slow internet connections, listening instead of reading, keyboard navigation, ...)
* Accessibility is everyone's job (developers, designers, copywriters, marketing) and should be addressed during the entire development process, not just at the end.
* Automated testing can only get you so far. Use them, but also do real-world research and see how people use tools like screen readers with your website.
Review
Short book that gives you a good overview of what accessibility is. Primary motivation to read this book was a project at work to improve accessibility, and this book was ideal. It isn't extremely detailed, which means you can get through it pretty quickly and get a good sense of what is needed to make websites more accessible (hint: it involves everyone in your organisation).
The book lists plenty of tools and resources that can help you on your journey. It's clearly written and was the perfect start to my research into accessibility.
* Accessibility is not only for people with impairments, "normal" people can benefit from it as well (slow internet connections, listening instead of reading, keyboard navigation, ...)
* Accessibility is everyone's job (developers, designers, copywriters, marketing) and should be addressed during the entire development process, not just at the end.
* Automated testing can only get you so far. Use them, but also do real-world research and see how people use tools like screen readers with your website.
Review
Short book that gives you a good overview of what accessibility is. Primary motivation to read this book was a project at work to improve accessibility, and this book was ideal. It isn't extremely detailed, which means you can get through it pretty quickly and get a good sense of what is needed to make websites more accessible (hint: it involves everyone in your organisation).
The book lists plenty of tools and resources that can help you on your journey. It's clearly written and was the perfect start to my research into accessibility.
September 5, 2018
This book exceeded my expectations. It’s the short, action-packed accessibility guidebook our field needs.
Throughout the book, the author explains accessibility from many angles. She shows you how to write accessible code. She explains how to use color effectively in your visual designs. She even shows you how to include people with disabilities (PWD) in user research studies.
I was delighted to read about the latter. Including PWD in user research is a great way to identify accessibility issues in your designs. Unfortunately, most UX design teams don’t include PWD in research studies. Hopefully, that will change.
Overall, this is a fresh, up-to-date guidebook for making your designs accessible. I plan to use it as a reference book for years to come.
Throughout the book, the author explains accessibility from many angles. She shows you how to write accessible code. She explains how to use color effectively in your visual designs. She even shows you how to include people with disabilities (PWD) in user research studies.
I was delighted to read about the latter. Including PWD in user research is a great way to identify accessibility issues in your designs. Unfortunately, most UX design teams don’t include PWD in research studies. Hopefully, that will change.
Overall, this is a fresh, up-to-date guidebook for making your designs accessible. I plan to use it as a reference book for years to come.
December 9, 2019
I have read other A Book Apart books that were a little bit more enjoyable to learn from, but this was a good, educational read. Personally, I found the author's tone to be a bit pedantic in this book, which can make a learner feel judged. There could also be some cultural nuance to the writing style (the writer is British) that are too direct for my American sensibilities. I have read other things Laura Kalbag has written online and she seems lovely! Perhaps this was an editing decision.
I noticed a few copy errors and missing links in images. Overall, though, a good read. Definitely something I will keep on my reference shelf.
I noticed a few copy errors and missing links in images. Overall, though, a good read. Definitely something I will keep on my reference shelf.
April 9, 2021
Good overview on making the web accessible, touching on major areas with some specific examples. I would say this is a good primer to get people started on accessibility, but there is so much more to learn.
There are a few sections for the practical side, highlighting common solutions to certain accessibility problems, but I wish there were more. I know the web is ever-changing and prescribing specific solutions would get outdated quickly, but I would still appreciate having more specific strategies.
The Resources section is really useful for me to learn more about specific areas of accessibility.
There are a few sections for the practical side, highlighting common solutions to certain accessibility problems, but I wish there were more. I know the web is ever-changing and prescribing specific solutions would get outdated quickly, but I would still appreciate having more specific strategies.
The Resources section is really useful for me to learn more about specific areas of accessibility.
May 11, 2022
Basic intro to web accessibility. Wavered between giving it a 3 vs a 4, but landed on a 4 because if you’re new to the topic it’s probably more useful.
If you’re already an experienced accessibility practitioner, I’d skip this one in favor of something a little more in-depth. It’s a great jumping off point to learn more though because of the resources and references at the back.
The part I personally found most useful was the Laws & Guidelines section at the end to understand equivalent laws to the ADA in the EU & the UK. Wish it wasn’t so western oriented though and that it included some laws in other regions/continents.
If you’re already an experienced accessibility practitioner, I’d skip this one in favor of something a little more in-depth. It’s a great jumping off point to learn more though because of the resources and references at the back.
The part I personally found most useful was the Laws & Guidelines section at the end to understand equivalent laws to the ADA in the EU & the UK. Wish it wasn’t so western oriented though and that it included some laws in other regions/continents.
August 19, 2019
In 160 short pages, you will get good reasons for the importance of accessibility and methods for making sites accessible. Packed with information and containing a good appendix of resources and other useful guidance, the book will put you on the right track for accessibility in website design. Written from a UK perspective, the book is applicable to US designers as well - as the author notes - www means "world wide web" for a reason. Good book.
October 8, 2017
I think this is a really great book. Good enough that I would like to have my company order several hundred copies and distribute them to developers, designers, and product owners. I think this is a really good entry-level guide to Accessibility. The author covers a lot of great topics and emphasizes many things that I also do professionally.
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February 9, 2023Really wish there’d been more about accessibility tactics for written content. Very surface level. Frankly learned more from cobbling together conference talks & medium articles. Glad it’s on the radar, but would love to see the content strategy/design community hop on it and make a specialized book.
November 10, 2017
it is not a comprehensive guide for accessibility. It creates the awareness for accessibility. Main message inside the book is that accessibility should be a main concern like performance, To understand the rules of accessibility, it is important to understand disabilities.
March 25, 2018
More than just being interested in Accessibility, I picked up this book in participation of our UX book club in March 2018. It is a complete high-level introduction of the field, sparing anything technically heavy. Generally a pleasant read, a carefully written primer.
September 21, 2018
An empathetic and highly accessible book about web accessibility. I love her focus on universal design and I hope that more and more web developers and designers take this to heart. Accessibility really DOES make the web better for everyone!
June 1, 2019
As someone somewhat familiar with accessibility, I found this book a lot easier to grasp than many others. The content is easy to read and it gives a broad overview of the foundational principles. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in the practice.
December 22, 2020
An essential text for anyone doing web design or creating website content. I appreciated the resources at the end of the book, which led me to other useful information. Written in a concise way that allows the reader to get the information without the fluff.
October 24, 2017
Not a tech-heavy book, but a great introduction and concept book for Web Accessibility in this HTML5 era.
November 28, 2017
Great high-level introduction to Accessibility and why it's important to consider the needs of everyone when designing a product.
February 16, 2018
Very good read. A great primer on the subject.
April 11, 2018
Seems like a topic that should be boring - but delivered in a way that's surprisingly interesting and helpful.
April 29, 2018
Aimed for beginners who just want a general overview of accessibility. The content is easy to digest and I learned some new bits and pieces along the way.
May 15, 2018
Must-read for any front-end developer!
July 8, 2018
This book talks about accessibility at a fundamental level. It's a great starting point if you're new to inclusive design.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews