Inaudible Nonsense

Zeldman’s approach to the book is to take the reader through the history of web standards, then layout a case for adopting them, and the offer some practical advice and tutorials on how. Generally this works, he rights clearly and forcefully, building his case. A case that you can take to your client and your superiors. If this is your own project, he makes the case for investing the time to get standards compliant and toss out past ways of designing and coding websites. He doesn’t come right out and say it, but the new world of Web 2.0, of places like here at WordPress, is the adoption of standards-based design built on XHTML and CSS that can be deployed across a variety of mediums.

 

If however, you are trying to make the case not for standards, but for accessibility, and don’t give a hoot about the rest (you will shortly, but let’s say you are approaching it from this perspective first), Zeldman’s book is also a great place to start. If (and here I suggest reordering the book), you begin with the last to the penultimate chapter. Start with Chapter 14, “Accessibility Basics,” which is like a second introduction, giving an overview of why accessibility, some of the access issues that different populations have, what else to read and where in the book you can find the answers to make the most accessible websites possible. It’s like a choose your own adventure novel here, you don’t have to start at the beginning. Which come to think of it is a pretty good way to think of the accessible web — it has a logic and internal structure that works best to address different needs. It has a different, effective syntax that works for its ultimate audience. In the same way that ASL has a syntax that might not make sense to an English speaker, but works in the context of ASL.  It gives the user control over the experience in order to meet her needs.

Chapter 14 continues on through the considerations and planning in respect to reaching differently abled audiences. From Chapter 14, you’ll find references to chapters in the rest of the book that further expand on the concepts he presents. He presents accessibility element by element just as he has done elsewhere. If your point is to understand Web standards from the viewpoint of accessibility, this is the place to start. You’ll discover, of course, that to get to the accessible Web you walk through Web standards. 

Zeldman’s look at accessibility is far from comprehensive. He busts apart some myths in regards to accessibility affecting design issues, costing too much or not having a large enough audience. He readily admits to not being the foremost expert here, but his approach is to bridge the gap between the abled corporate suits and their differently abled audiences.

His ego is small enough to give props and point attention to those that have lead the way toward accessibility and who have amassed a what has become the standard of knowledge. He specifically recommends a couple books on the accessible Web: 

1. Building Accessible Web Sites by Joe Clark (more on Clark in a second). Zeldman “recommend[s] this book unreservedly.”
2. Constructing Accessible Web Sites by various authors.

A quick word on Joe Clark, who I mentioned in my post on CaptioningSucks.com and the Open and Closed Project. Joe is to Web accessibility as Zeldman is the Web standards, the leading evangelist and whatever else you would say to indicate something of a god. Joe is Canadian, but don’t hold that against him. You can find his site here. He also is a great writer who understands the importance of design in presenting content for the Web. Or, as his interests in typography and design extend into the actual world, the importance of design everywhere.

Accessibility (and web standards for that matter), as Zeldman states, a reputation for being the domain of spoilsports, who would sink good design and typography in favor of sterile one presentation for everything. Zeldman and Clark are some of the best examples that design and standards (whether for accessibility or development) are not mutually exclusive.