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Validation or Accessibility?

Feb 4

ToddDiscussion 508, accessibility, Henny Swan, validation, WAI, WCAG No Comments

A nice write-up over at Henny’s site got me to thinking. Accessibility or validity of web pages? I usually have tried to mix in both. Sometimes, vlaidity is thrown out the window for accessibility. Then there are those times when accessibility is key, then something is thrown in, in an after-thought or something so small is over-looked that makes the accessibility not-so-perfect.

I try to stay in the 508/WAI/WCAG standards and try to make all the sites I work on accessible. Sometimes, due to my own hurried work, I overlook some aspects of accessibility and I don’t have the chance to go back and make those changes to those elements I’ve missed. Due diligence, I must become stronger in that aspect.

It’s made me re-write my “to-do” list when I’m working on a site. I’ll be a lot more diligent to make sure accessibility is a high priority. Even higher than before when I preach(ed) it and told other to “do it!” I think accessibility is the key, making sure not to shut out a certain percentage of users. To make sites accessible to all.

I’ve slacked off a lot on the validity of pages a bit. There’s nothing you can do about a Google Ad no matter how hard you want to when you stare at those errors. I’ve not validated to the higher levels of accessibility, I’ve let some ampersands slip through the validator. I got lazy.

So my question is, as it is at Henny’s site, Accessibility? Or validity? If you’re into the accessibility side of things and a stickler to accessibility, to what level do you make sure your adhering to? Normal accessibility levels? Priority 1, 2 or 3?