Working together for standards The Web Standards Project

Fancy giving your site a hardcore usability test? Then why not involve people with disabilities in your testing. Not sure where to start? Then check out Just Ask: integrating accessibility throughout design.

This free online book, written by Shawn Lawton Henry from W3C in her spare time, looks at all you need to know about user testing with people with disabilities. In it she covers theory rather than code focusing on accessibility in the user-centered design process, how to recruit people with disabilities, user groups and persona’s, evaluation and much more.

This is not a book about accessibility techniques, be that HTML, CSS or scripting advice. And despite working for the W3C, Shawn has not created another W3C-style document. This book will find most use, I think, with people who already do testing of some nature but to whom accessibility is still a black art. It will also appeal to people running small business – perhaps developers who know their HTML/CSS trade inside and out but want to be able to expand their horizons and go beyond simply saying “we create accessible web sites” and really mean it – and I would also recommend that some of the accessibility gurus take a leaf through this and not assume that they know it already.

Read the full review on Accessify.

What’s really good about Just Ask is that not only is it a free online book it’s also available in Japanese and Spanish. Alternatively, for a small donation, you can get a hard copy of the English version.

• Just ask: Integrating Accessibility Throughout Design – free online version (English)
• Just ask: Integrating Accessibility Throughout Design – hard copy (English)
• Simplemente pregunta: Integración de la accesibilidad en el diseño – online (Español)
• Simplemente pregunta: Integración de la accesibilidad en el diseño – imprimir libro (Español)
• Just Ask: デザインプロセスを通じて取り組むアクセシビリティ (日本語)

Getting books and articles published in languages other than English is one of the main goals of ILG. If interested in helping out you could always approach authors directly or contact us at ILG Co-leads.

If you’re looking for some other good books about web standards, accessibility and usability check out our recommended books page.

Your Replies

#1 On December 8th, 2008 7:15 pm Integración de la accesibilidad en el diseño por Shawn Lawton Henry « edusanver - Blog de Desarrollo Web replied:

[...] Via: http://www.webstandards.org/2008/12/08/ just-ask-integrating-accessibility-throughout-design- availa… [...]

#2 On January 4th, 2009 10:33 am John replied:

We appreciate you listing book resources on accessibility. I never realized the availability of this data.

#3 On February 3rd, 2009 10:07 pm Cep Telefonu replied:

I hope this free online book “Just Ask” can available in other languages too

Post a Reply

Comments are closed.