A number of nonprofits seek resources that help explain how to make Internet and Web efforts more accessible to visually and hearing impaired visitors, or to folks who lack equipment that can take full advantage of certain sites. In the eagerness to take advantage of streaming media, chat, Internet fax, or the newest gadget, basic principles of website design or Internet resource planning can sometimes become an afterthought. How many organizations, for example, think to provide visual descriptors or text transcripts of streaming audio? Did you know that not all text-based browsers can distinguish URLs that are placed side-by-side? Do you know how many of your Internet visitors might still be using 486 or even 386 machines that don't recognize frames pr have trouble redenring tables. Mistakes and oversights are not uncommon, so we wanted to share some useful resources to help make more nonprofit content accesible via the Internet, and therefore useful to as wide a range of participants as possible. The Alliance for Technology Access is a national network of technology resource centers and technology vendors that help children and adults with disabilities, parents, teachers, employers, and others to explore computer systems, adaptive devices and software. Of particular interest are the sections labeled "http://www Design" and "Access to the WWW." The federal Access Board is required (by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, which amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973) "to develop and publish standards by February 7, 2000 setting forth a definition of electronic and information technology and the technical and functional performance criteria necessary for achieving accessibility to such technology and information by individuals with disabilities." These standards will then be implemented starting August 7, 2000. While the set of standards cover a tremendously wide range of access issues, it DOES NOT set forth rules or federal law regarding the content and design of ALL websites in existence. The Committee's recommendations lay out the minimal standards necessary, "for Federal procurement officers and commercial suppliers of electronic and information technology and services that will result in access to and use of the technology and information by individuals with disabilities." In addition, the report strongly encourages all entities involved in design, production and procurement processes of all the electronic and information technology to go beyond the standards laid out in order to increase access and usability of the products developed to all users. BOBBY, a web-based service developed by the Center for Applied Special Technology, checks pages for their basic accessibility by people with disabilities. BOBBY also can evaluate web page compatibility with a variety of browsers. Users submit the URL of individual web pages whose compatibility is in doubt. A local-use version is also available for download. In addition, CAST, has a number of good design guides. The federal Center for Information Technology Accommodation (CITA) has served, since its creation in 1984, as a model demonstration facility utilizing private and public sector resources to develop "maximally accommodating" technology and practices. Its web site, for example, is available in both a low-vision (large type) and text-only version. The National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research (NCDDR), coordinated by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL), facilitates linkages among researchers, consumers, and service providers with respect to the needs and preferred modes of information access for the disabled. Past issues of NCDR's quarterly newsletter, The Research Exchange, are available online, and cover topics ranging from promoting websites to disabled users to evaluating the effectiveness of Internet activity. The Yuri Rubinsky Insight Foundation hosts WebABLE!, a web portal on disability access information, which features one of the best directories of software tools that address accessibility issues. There are also tutorials, and an interesting "groupware" interface to facilitate collaborative initiatives and alliances on accessibility projects. The World Wide Web Consortitum's Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) was formed in March 1997. WAI has been developing and refining its guidelines for Web page authoring that address the needs of people with disabilities. The most popular set of guidelines, it is also the most comprehensive, as it incorporates findings from over 40 international web accessibility projects and programs. Links Cited Access Board href="http://www.ataccess.org>Alliance for Technology Access href="http://www.cast.org/bobby">BOBBY href="http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov/cita">Center for Information Technology Accommodation href="http://www.ncddr.org">National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research href="http://www.yuri.org/webable">The Yuri Rubinsky Insight Foundation / WebABLE! href="http://www.w3.org/WAI">The World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Articles "Building an Accessible Web Site" Tips from C|Net's Builder.com on making your site more accessible, based on the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) basic accessibility guidelines. "Building an Accessible World Wide Web" Open Studio discusses the debate surrounding accessibility: policies that apply to the Web, accessible HTML and design, and assistive technologies. Includes links to other accessibility resources. "Disability Access: The Pragmatic Approach" From Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox, from Ziff-Davis Developer Ziff-Davis Developer Guide to Designing Accessible Websites Tools HTML Check Tests the HTML coding behind your pages (and your site) to see if it meshes with the W3C accessibility standards. Browser Check Shows you how your pages look with different browsers, and lets you know where compatibility problems might pop up. Yahoo's Listing of Checking and Validation