Social media has created a newer, faster and more efficient way of communication than ever before. Forget typewriters, postcards, and letters when you can send a message over Facebook that will be received in seconds. But have you stopped to think about the accessibility of these ever-growing platforms?
Screen-reading programs are used by the visually impaired to access the Internet, Microsoft applications, and everything that a person can do over their computer. The screen-reader does what the name says – it reads the information displayed on the computer program, web page, or email just like a sighted individual would read with their eyes. Sometimes the program or web page is filled with information that a sighted individual will see but a screen-reader will not. Examples include flash-based advertisements, incorrectly tagged links and pictures, and other errors.
I’ll be presenting “Social Media Accessibility” at the 2010 Blog Indiana Conference on August 20-21. In my talk, I will cover screen-readers and give examples as to how a business can make their blog more user-friendly to individuals with visual impairments. In short, I will also discuss the accessibility of mainstream social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
For more information and to register for this event, visit http://blogindiana.com/2010/.
