Accessibility Recognitions

Accessibility Design Recognition, SXSW Interactive 2004, Austin, Texas

At the SXSW Interactive 2004 Accessibility Shoot-Out, Judicial Affairs webmistress, Natacha Poggio, gained valuable accessibility assessment for the Stanford University Office of Judicial Affairs website from renowned experts. Among a pool of 20 websites, Judicial Affairs was selected for its commitment to ensure that people of all abilities using any Internet device can access this site. In addition, our webmistress was happy to be awarded a Macromedia Studio MX software prize.

Accessibility experts attending the panel included:
John Slatin, Director - Accessibility Institute at the University of Texas
Jim Allan, Webmaster - Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Sharron Rush, Executive Director - Knowbility.org
Giorgio Brajnik, Asst. Professor - University of Udine, Italy, Usablenet
Rashmi Bhat, Business Manager - SBC

Each Stanford University website is required to meet the definition of a generally accessible Internet site, and ensure that web pages transform gracefully and remain accessible despite any physical, sensory, or environmental constraints or technological barriers.

To meet these accessibility objectives, the Judicial Affairs site is monitored and tested for compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 1.0), as published by the Web Accessibility Initiative of the W3C. This site also complies with the accessibility requirements of Section 508 of the federal Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 (29 U.S.C. § 794d). See 36 C.F.R. Part 1194.

As with most assistive technology, changes made to accommodate those with a disability end up benefiting everyone. A web page that is designed with accessibility in mind will be better structured and more user-friendly.

Copyright © 2003 by Office of Judicial Affairs