+++ WEB DESIGN UPDATE. - Volume 19, Issue 29, January 13, 2021. An email newsletter to distribute news and information about web design and development. ++ISSUE 29 CONTENTS. SECTION ONE: New references. What's new at the Web Design Reference site? https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/ New links in these categories: 01: ACCESSIBILITY. 02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS. 03: EVALUATION & TESTING. 04: EVENTS. 05: JAVASCRIPT. 06: MISCELLANEOUS. 07: NAVIGATION. 08: TOOLS. 09: USABILITY. 10: WEBWASTE & SUSTAINABILITY. SECTION TWO: 11: What Can You Find at the Web Design Reference Site? [Contents ends.] ++ SECTION ONE: New references. +01: ACCESSIBILITY. Taking the Keyboard Navigation Red Pill By Denis Boudreau. "Not everyone out there relies on a mouse or a trackpad when using their computers…" https://uxdesign.cc/taking-the-keyboard-navigation-red-pill-dbb76dd73b1e Grids Part 2: Semantics By Sarah Higley. "This is part 2 in a series about ARIA grids (not at all related to CSS grids…" https://sarahmhigley.com/writing/grids-part2/ Seven Ways to Test for Accessibility of Your Web Site With Browser By Chris Heilmann. "…for a quick, preliminary test you don't need to install anything or pay for a service. Browsers come with developer tools built-in and these have great accessibility testing features. Here's a list of the ones in the Developer Tools of browsers like Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome…" https://christianheilmann.com/2021/01/11/seven-ways-to-test-for-accessibility-of-your-web-site-with-browser-developer-tools/ Accessibility By @MozDevNet. "…this module will cover general best practices (which are demonstrated throughout the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript topics), cross browser testing, and some tips on enforcing accessibility from the start. We'll cover accessibility in special detail…" https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/Accessibility Web Accessible Code Libraries and Design Patterns By Dennis Lembree. "…Here is an extensive list of recommended code libraries, patterns, and design systems. It's one list instead of separating by category as many have elements of each…" http://www.webaxe.org/web-accessible-code-library-design-systems-patterns/ Bulletproofing Embedded Tweets By Adrian Roselli. "You may rely on embedding tweets in your posts as a quick and easy way to quote or reference a person or subject. There are two challenges to relying on this, however. 1.) A tweet or account may be deleted or go private; 2.) The content may not be accessible to users with disabilities…" https://adrianroselli.com/2021/01/bulletproofing-embedded-tweets.html The State of Accessibility with Derek Featherstone (Podcast) By James Royal-Lawson and Per Axbom. "…Accessibility legend Derek Featherstone joins us to talk about how things have changed, the role design plays, and how inclusion and diversity is where we are heading…" https://uxpodcast.com/253-accessibility-derek-featherstone/ A Brief History of Screen Readers By Becky Gibson. "It is hard for a sighted user to imagine navigating the web without actually seeing a page or using a mouse. Blind screen reader users have no problem navigating a web page that is coded correctly and follows basic accessibility guidelines. A screen reader is an assistive technology used by the blind, people with low vision, and people with cognitive or learning disabilities. It is software that interprets the information coded on a screen and presents it to the user in speech or Braille output." https://knowbility.org/blog/2021/a-brief-history-of-screen-readers/ Accessibility Overlay, Widget, Toolbar, Menu, etc. By Jeff Singleton. "…As most accessibility professionals, if not all, I believe that accessibility overlays are not a solution for the inaccessibility of a website…" https://convergeaccessibility.com/2021/01/11/accessibility-overlays-ignorance-is-not-bliss/ Reminder - WCAG Outlines the Absolute Minimum… By Adrian Roselli. "…of what you need to do to approach accessibility. It is not a goal. It is a starting point…" https://twitter.com/aardrian/status/1348666919667314688 Thread: Too Many #a11y Specialists Understand WCAG But Don't Understand… By Julie Romanowski. "…how conformance issues may/may not impact people with disabilities (PwD)…" https://twitter.com/jr_roman/status/1347995730598834177 Bill to Establish Web Accessibility Guidelines Fails to Pass By Allen Smith. "A bill calling for official Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Web accessibility guidelines, the Online Accessibility Act (H.R. 8478), failed to pass during the 116th Congress, which ended Jan. 3. Disability rights advocates opposed the proposed legislation, saying standards already exist and the bill would have limited plaintiffs' rights.…" https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/employment-law/pages/online-accessibility-act.aspx A Record-Breaking Year for ADA Digital Accessibility Lawsuits By Jason Taylor. "In 2020, web, app and video accessibility cases are up almost 25% year-on-year. December saw an almost 100% rise over January. Total digital accessibility lawsuits in 2020 exceeds 3,500. When you combine federal and state ADA lawsuits, the trend is moving upward…" https://blog.usablenet.com/a-record-breaking-year-for-ada-digital-accessibility-lawsuits Got Sued Under the ADA for Inaccessibility? By Sheri Byrne-Haber. "Here is what you can expect. Part 2 of a two-part article…" https://sheribyrnehaber.medium.com/got-sued-under-the-ada-for-inaccessibility-5745692cd8a9 +02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS. Styling For Windows High Contrast With New Standards For Forced Colors By Microsoft Edge Team. "As Microsoft Edge prepared to re-platform on top of Chromium open source, we recognized our responsibility to continue supporting those who depend on Windows high contrast for web content. We also recognized a fantastic opportunity-it was time to finally standardize high contrast styling features…" https://blogs.windows.com/msedgedev/2020/09/17/styling-for-windows-high-contrast-with-new-standards-for-forced-colors/ The Future of CSS: Higher Level Custom Properties to Control Multiple Declarations By Bram(us) Van Damme. "…Let's take a look at our current options, and how this (possible) future addition to the CSS spec - along with the @if at-rule it introduces - might look…" https://www.bram.us/2020/12/30/the-future-of-css-higher-level-custom-properties-to-control-multiple-declarations/ 'aspect-ratio' is Going to Deprecate FitVids By Chris Coyier. "…Once we can rely on it, FitVids (which I use on literally every site I make in one form or another) can entirely go away in favor of a handful of CSS applied directly to the elements (usually videos-in-