Web Accessibility: Web Standards and Regulatory Compliance

by Jim Thatcher, Patrick H. Lauke, Cynthia Waddell

Web accessibility not just morally sound – there are legal obligations as well Very large potential audience, consisting of web developers and business managers Very little competition to this book

Genres: Design, Nonfiction, Computers, Computer Science, Web, Usability, Reference

744 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Tiger Abrodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is some good stuff in here, still, the book is pretty outdated and does contain false information, i.e. that CSS visibility: hidden; gets voiced by ATs.

[Dhuaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the ultimate reference when it comes to accessibility for impaired users. There are essentially three main sections:
1) understanding accessibility - pretty dull for me;
2) overview of accessible technologies and how-to - awesome material, 100% useful;
3) in-depth law section pertaining mainly to US legislation, but mentions of other countries are included as well.

Each chapter was written by a different person and can be read separately. Some of them are better, some are worse - those usually read like technical reports.

The book is full to the brim with information useful both for developers and managers, but some examples are pretty dated. Although main tips and criteria don't change, there are plenty workarounds for assistive technologies that could use an update. Additionally, WCAG 2 was released in its final form, which also prompts for second edition.

[Craig Cecil · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking for the guide to web accessibility, then (as of this writing) this is the bible of it. However, at 600+ pages of dense material, it's a slog to get through. However, persistent readers will be rewarded with the knowledge of the entire landscape of web accessibility, from how to make HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Flash, and PDFs accessible, to the inner reasonings behind the WCAG and Section 508. And, if you need to know how to make your site conform to the accessible laws and guidelines of the United States, Australia, Italy, the European Union, etc. or what the Flanders Plan for Accessible Websites or the what the Japanese JIS X 8341-3 Standard is all about, then this is the book for you.

[Steve Love · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was informative and a worthwhile read even five years after it was originally published. That said, it is sorely in need of an update to reflect current web standards, guidelines, and trends. I'd love to give it five stars because, with some adjustment, much of the content still applies today. However, I feel this puts an undue burden on today's reader to know both the historical and current techniques.

[Melaniedk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book covers all the types of web components and clearly explains how to make these accessible. This book helps to bring everything together about web accessibility into one book, and explain this information to me in a manner I can understand.