Preface

Joomla! is one of the best open-source Content Management Systems available. Joomla! can be used to create accessible feature rich websites, Joomla! also has one of the most accessible back-end interfaces. This means that Joomla! can be used as a development tool by users of Assistive Technology (AT).

If you have no experience of interacting with people with disabilities then it can be very difficult to successfully design user interfaces that cover their needs. The book aims to help you understand and appreciate these needs and guides you through some of the technologies used to interact with computers and the web.

The book looks at why accessibility should be on your radar, from accessibility as a component of best practice, to legislative or legal requirements. The book aims to help you understand accessibility and create websites that can be used by everyone, and how Joomla! can help you to achieve this.

What This Book Covers

Chapter 1 looks at the legal situation around the world and other drivers that put accessibility on the web developer's map. This chapter also looks at some definitions of accessibility and introduces the concepts of usability and universality. The chapter explores the need to understand your users, accommodate diversity and dealing with change as well as some of the benefits of accessibility.

Chapter 2 considers how both accessibility and usability make up a powerful combination for a holistic approach to web development and a positive user experience for everyone. The chapter looks at other practical ways of determining whether your sites are not only accessible but also usable, such as user testing. The chapter also looks at the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

Chapter 3 looks at various types of disability as well as the variety of assistive technology that is available. You will also learn how to modify your browsing experience in order to try and gain a greater understanding of what it is like for people with disabilities when they go online.

Chapter 4 looks at using headings and other HTML elements to provide content structure. How this benefits users of assistive technology and other SEO (Search Engine Optimization) benefits. This chapter examines how to provide simple text alternatives to images and using descriptive link text to assist accessibility, as well as creating accessible tables and how to edit the HTML by hand.

Chapter 5 examines the importance of preparation while designing your template and the advantages of using accessible templates. The chapter also explains the importance of good color contrast and making your text resizable for visually impaired users as well as the making your interface keyboard accessible.

Chapter 6 looks at getting the most out of XStandard. Throughout most of the book, TinyMCE is used.

Who is This Book for

This book is a guide to any Joomla! user who wants to make their sites more accessible. It does assume basic knowledge of working with Joomla!. You don't need to know anything about accessibility—the author tells you all that you need to know to make your Joomla! sites compliant with accessibility standards.

While some design skills and technical knowledge of HTML, CSS and PHP will be very useful you will still benefit from reading this book if you wish to understand more about assistive technology and the needs of people with disabilities. The book is distilled from years of hands on experience that the author has as a web developer and also working with people with disabilities.

Conventions

In this book, you will find a number of styles of text that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles, and an explanation of their meaning.

There are three styles for code. Code words in text are shown as follows: "We can include other contexts through the use of the include directive."

A block of code will be set as follows:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?>
<install version="1.5" type="template">
<name>Music</name>
<version>1.0.0</version>

New terms and important words are introduced in a bold-type font. Words that you see on the screen, in menus or dialog boxes for example, appear in our text like this: "clicking the Next button moves you to the next screen".

Note

Important notes appear in a box like this.

Note

Tips and tricks appear like this.

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