Manage Subscriptions · Subscribe Now · F.A.Q.'s
HOME · Saturday, May 17, 2008
Interviews & Profiles
Quick Query: Filmmaker Joseph Monks And Web Accessibility
By: Practical eCommerce Staff
Comments: 4
Joseph Monks is a Miami, Fla.-based filmmaker and freelance writer. His new horror film, "The Bunker," is soon to be released and details of it and his other films projects can be found at Sightunseenpictures.com. Monks is also blind, and we asked him about blindness, the Internet, ecommerce and his new film.
PeC: Joe, you are an inspiration to anyone who knows you, and we thank you for your time. We've corresponded with you via email, but we're curious, how does a blind person use email?
MONKS: I use screenreader software, which enables the blind to participate online. The program reads whatever appears on the screen. It enables me to write, edit and read email.
PeC: What about the Internet? How does a blind person use the Internet?
MONKS: The screenreader reads out the links, text and navigation for me. When I view a site, I can use it almost the same as anybody with sight, though I use keystrokes instead of a mouse. When graphics are employed, if the site is coded well, with ALT tags, etc., my screenreader will read out the description of the image file, which enables me to move around a site just like a sighted visitor.
PeC: Our readers are ecommerce business owners and those interested in
ecommerce. What advice would you offer these folks to make certain their sites are accessible for the blind?
MONKS: Today's e-tailer needs to recognize that soon there will be more than 75 million blind people worldwide, and we want to buy things online, too. They should be judicious in their use of Flash and make sure to code their Flash so that all buttons are recognized by screenreader software. Using ALT tags is a must for all graphics and images. Never use the default file names for product images. If I want to click on a product description, if my screenreader reads: dsc1412.jpg, that isn't very helpful. Making sure a site is accessible to the blind consumer should be no tougher than making sure sites work in Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator or Safari.
PeC: Do you buy products online?
MONKS: Yes. As long as a site functions well enough for me to surf it without a hassle, I will buy there, and more importantly, return, since I know it's accessible.
PeC: You've recently directed a movie. Could you tell us about it?
MONKS: The movie's called The Bunker, and looks to be the first feature directed by a blind filmmaker. It's the story of a teenage runaway who leaves home and is kidnapped the night her congressman father announces his bid for reelection. The kidnapper is a serial killer with a devastating secret. It's part horror film, part psychological thriller. Hopefully, in 2008, you might be seeing it at Blockbuster, or able to rent it at NetFlix.
Blinklist | Del.icio.us | Furl | Ma.gnolia | Newsvine | Spurl | Reddit | Technorati
Published on Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Comments:
With all the publicity surrounding the lawsuit brought against the TARGET chain, it seems to me that there will be a lot of work for developers as e-tailers address (many for the first time) the accessibility issue. The TARGET lawsuit looks like it will define a lot of grey areas when it is all said and done, and having the skills necessary to make sites as accessible and easy to use as possible for the greatest amount of potential customers will be a necessity.
Posted by: Joe Monks
Monday, October 22, 2007
Mr. Monks reports that this Practical eCommerce website is inaccessible for blind users. That's due to the captcha code (below) that we use to prevent spam comments. That code requires a visual ability to read it because, Mr. Monks reports, most screenreaders fail to interpret the captcha characters. He notes that there's additional information on captchas, including audio captchas for the blind, at Captcha.net.
As for this site, we'll soon be correcting the problem.
Kerry Murdock
Publisher
Posted by: Kerry M.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
As a self-instructed web designer and developer this article really opened my eyes to what I need to do. I have been lazy with my ALT tags not realizing how important they really were. Although I have wondered about creating accessible websites, I had no idea it could be done so easily.
Posted by: Cindy E.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Ecommerce Articles
- Browse All Articles
- Browse our complete archive of ecommerce articles.
- Accounting, Management & Legal
- Ecommerce articles related to managing a small business including ecommerce accounting, business strategy and legal considerations.
- Conversion & Usability
- Online business articles about converting web site visitors into customers and how to gauge and improve your business website's usability.
- Development & Programming
- Articles to help designers, developers and programmers create successful, search engine friendly ecommerce websites and improve existing ones.
- Hosting, Infrastructure & Software
- Articles for ecommerce businesses about ecommerce web hosting, business infrastructure, business strategy and helpful ecommerce & small business software.
- Interviews & Profiles
- Interviews with prominent ecommerce business personalities and profiles of successful online businesses.
- Inventory & Shipping
- Ecommerce articles about inventory management, ecommerce order fulfillment and product shipping considerations.
- Marketing & Revenue Growth
- Articles relating to online marketing, email marketing and using the Internet to growing your business.
- Search Engine Optimization
- Search engine optimization articles for ecommerce business owners, strategists, marketers and developers.
- Shopping Carts & Online Payments
- Articles covering ecommerce shopping cart platforms and options for choosing an online payment gateway.
- Training & Education
- Tutorials and articles providing training and education for ecommerce business owners and developers of ecommerce websites.
Search Articles
Ecommerce Community
- Ecommerce Blogs
- Read our blogs about ecommerce topics written by industry professionals.
- Community Forum
- Connect with other ecommerce professionals to trade advice and answers in our community forum.
- Podcasts
- Check out our ecommerce podcasts covering topics ranging from interviews to tutorials.
- RSS Content Feeds
- Subscribe to our RSS feeds and have fresh ecommerce content delivered to you.
Ecommerce Resources
- Free Email Newsletter
- Sign up for Ecommerce Notes, our free email newsletter for ecommerce business owners and developers.
- Ecommerce Directory
- Browse our directory of ecommerce products and services, or submit your own listing in our directory.
- Ecommerce Glossary
- Familiarize yourself with terminology or submit terms to help others with our Ecommerce Glossary.
- Events Calendar
- Find out about upcoming ecommerce events or invite other ecommerce professionals by posting your own event.
- Press Releases
- Browse ecommerce related press releases and post your own press release for distribution.
- Ecommerce Store & Back Issues
- Pick up back issues of Practical eCommerce magazine along with other merchandise from Practical Ecommerce
About Practical eCommerce
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Look at frequently asked questions regarded using our website, subscribing to our magazine and more.
- Advertising Information
- Information about advertising in Practical eCommerce magazine, on our website, or in our email newsletters.
- Editorial Sharing
- Learn about options for sharing our content with your visitors, customers or employees.
- About Us
- Learn more about Practical Ecommerce magazine and meet our staff.
- Contact Us
- Contact Practical Ecommerce at any time for more information. We'd love to hear from you.
Copyright 2007 Confluence Distribution, Inc. and Practical eCommerce.
All Rights Reserved.
I'm taking a web development class (intro) and this article raises my awareness on why I need to define the alt tag - instead of being lazy and leaving it undefined. Understanding how other people use web sites improves my web design and construction skills, so articles like these are helpful.
Posted by: Jennifer Bruce
Wednesday, October 17, 2007