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On September 19, MD TAP and the National Federation of the Blind presented the Web Accessibility Training Day conference, with support from the Maryland State Department of Information Technology.

The conference focused on the technical and legal aspects of making websites accessible. Website accessibility means making sure websites can be accessed by persons with disabilities, including:

  •  Blind, low-vision, and print-disabled computer users who use screen magnifiers, screen readers, Braille displays, or other
    assistive technology to help them read print online
  • Deaf or hard of hearing computer users who need captioning to understand videos and other audio messages on websites
  • Mobility-impaired computer users who may  have trouble using a traditional mouse or keyboard
  • Computer users who are sensitive to flashing lights
  • Making websites accessible to persons with disabilities ensures equal access to online classes, financial and medical records, job postings and applications, information about government services, and many other internet-based resources.

The conference was attended by IT professionals and policymakers from local, state, and federal government, advocacy groups, and private businesses. The conference speakers came from some of the big names in web accessibility and policy.  For a list
of the conference speakers, as well as access to the amazing materials shared during the Web Accessibility Day, visit the Web Accessibility Training Day website (http://www.nfb.org/nfb/web_accessibility_day.asp).

MD TAP has several web accessibility-related projects. We have a directory of web designers who are available to provide accessibility consultation, and we email weekly web accessibility tips to a  select mailing list.  If you are interested in seeing the web consultants directory, being included in the consultants directory, or signing up for our weekly web tips, visit the “AT Resources” section of our website at http://www.mdtap.org

You can also find additional information about web accessibility on the Department of Information Technology website under their section on Non-Visual Access (http://doit.maryland.gov/policies/Pages/nva.aspx).

Web accessibility continues to be a hot legal and technical issue. Over the next couple of weeks, continue to check out our Web Accessibility Wednesdays as we feature an overview of different laws and regulations that mandate web accessibility.

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