Accessibility of government web sites

The Web Standards Group will have a meeting on accessibility of government web sites in Canberra, 21 November, 2007:

Event Details

Time: 2.30 pm - 4.50 pm
Where: NLA Theatre, lower ground floor, National Library of Australia, Parkes Place, Parkes, ACT 2600
Cost: Free

First speaker: Debra Wells
Topic 1: Screen reader testing of Australian Government web sites

Debra Wells is vision impaired and has ten years experience using JAWS screen reader software. Debra will try to complete a set of simple tasks on a number of Australian Government web sites.

Come and hear how your web site sounds to a person using screen reader software.

Second speaker: Ruth Ellison, Stamford Interactive
Topic 2: Implementing accessibility in Government

Ruth Ellison is a Canberra-based consultant with Stamford Interactive. Ruth has been working with the web for about eight years with a strong focus on user experience and interaction design. She is very passionate about accessibility and positive user experiences. Ruth has been working in the Australian Government for a number of years in accessibility and user centred design roles.

Accessibility is often one of the last things to be considered when developing an online system. This can happen for many reasons, including general misconceptions about accessibility. Ruth will look at some things to be aware of when implementing accessibility in an Australian Government context, from organisational level issues to people and technology challenges.

Our sponsor

The November Canberra WSG meeting is proudly sponsored by OPC IT.

OPC IT is a local IT company established in 1985. They offer complete end-to-end IT solutions, from procurement services, network design, and support, and specialise in standards-based web site design and development.

More about OPC IT

From: November meeting (Canberra), WSG, 2007