Blog:

“Accessibility 2.0: A Million Flowers Bloom” is an upcoming conference focusing on Web Accessibility hosted by our friends at AbilityNet. It takes place 22nd September, 10am – 5.30pm at Microsoft’s Victoria offices in London. There’s also a workshop the day before called “Deaf Awareness for Web Teams“. If you need convincing about the importance of making your web sites and apps accessible then spend twenty minutes watching Robin Christopherson’s, AbilityNet’s Head of Accessibility Services,  “Designing for All in a Web 2.0 World” video from Future of Web Design London 2009.

A Day of Inspiration and Advice from the Cutting Edge of Accessibility

All of the information is available on the Accessibility 2.0 website (http://www.abilitynet.org.uk/accessibility2). Here’s the potted highlights:

• Keynote: Finite Incantatem – neither technology nor accessibility is dark magic  – Christian Heilmann
• Inclusive Design  – Mark Boulton
• Understanding Deafness: History, Language and the Web – Lisa Herrod
• Accessibility with HTML 5 and WAI ARIA – Steve Faulkner
• Case Study of BBC Ouch – Michael Delange
• Accessibility beyond the desktop panel discussion with Henny Swan (Opera), Veronika Jermolina (AbilityNet), Damon Rose (BBC Ouch) plus more
• To comply or not to comply? Transitioning to WCAG 2.0, technical accessibility and inclusive design panel with Jon Gooday (AbilityNet), Bim Egan (RNIB) plus more

Highlights Include:

• Mark Boulton gives a “call to arms” for web designers. Accessibility shouldn’t be left to developers!
• A rare UK appearance from Lisa Herrod, one of the few experts in Deaf user experience
• A keynote talk from the developer Chistian Heilmann who has gained the title “Flame headed Love God of accessibility”

Worskhop: Deaf Awareness for Web Teams

21st September, 2.30pm – 5.00pm, City University, London

By the end of this workshop you will:

• Understand the difference between deaf and Deaf users and the different needs of each group
• Know the difference between Captioning, subtitling and subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• Be able to confidently create web content that is accessible for a Deaf audience
• Know how to conduct user research with deaf users

Tickets

Booking details available on the conference web site

• Conference Full price £195 (conference only)
• Conference Promotional £170 (conference only)
• Conference Student £100 (conference only)
• Workshop £60 (NB: Tickets for the workshop sold separately)