GAWDS Cracks the Whip
The Guild of Accessible Web Designers was officially launched on May 26, 2004. For those of you not familiar with GAWDS, it is an international organization that is one part developer/designer community, one part business directory for companies that understand Web Accessibility and Web Standards, and one part education and advocacy group promoting Accessibility and Standards.
Oh, and if it serves as a place where private companies or public sector organizations can search to find designers that are committed to Accessibility and Standards, then that is just an added bonus.
Hopefully GAWDS can help raise awareness and inspire more designers and developers to take Web Standards and Accessibility seriously. At WATS.ca, over the past year we’ve been seeing more questions from people asking “How can we make this more accessible?” instead of “Why do we need to worry about accessibility? Blind people aren’t our target market”. I believe that designers and developers “get it” for the most part, but only after they’ve had a relevant and meaningful experience – whether a first hand experience, demonstration or seminar. In many cases, awareness is the biggest barrier to a more accessible web.
Redesign Competition
As part of the launch, GAWDS is running a redesign competition. Yes, another redesign competition.
Redesign competitions are the new black.
Interviews
One interesting feature that was provided on the site as part of the launch was a “group interview”. I’m not sure exactly what the original purpose was behind the group interview, but it is interesting if nothing else to read other members’ thoughts on GAWDS and where they see Accessibility in the future.
I was intrigued by Isofarro‘s interview – specifically his answer to this question: Do you think there will be a market for experts in accessible web design in two years time?
No. Accessible web design is not a specialised skill. Just as there isn’t a market for people who can write in cursive. Calligraphy may be the high end of cursive writing, but is it really an everyday skill with real world use? There will be a need for people to understand the issues and practicalities around how disabled people use the web – so accessibility experts are needed. Accessible web design will be as common as knowing how to spell. We may sometimes need guidance from expert spellers sometimes, but there won’t be a specialised markets for people who can write and spell correctly.
Yes the first word of his response shocked me. The first time I read it. Then I read it again. Its not that far off from my own thoughts really:
Absolutely. While the scope of the issues may evolve, there will always be a need – a need for people to teach others, to help shape where the industry heads and to help provide advice on accessibility related matters to businesses and organizations.
I’d say we both agree (depsite the fact that we use completely opposite first words). There will be a market for accessibility experts, but it will be in a much different way that they are currently so desparately needed.
