I am going to wrap three themes into this blog: genealogy, accessibility and New Year’s resolutions!
If you are a fan of any of those topics, read on and see how they intersect for me.
Genealogy is one of my long time hobbies. I have traced my own maternal and paternal lines as well as the ancestry of my husband. (Fun fact – my husband and my sister’s husband are related – 7 generations removed. Both our spouses’ families have called Maryland home for more than 200 years.)
But back to the story at hand!
Vital records in Maryland were only available in person at the state capital and required an appointment, a car trip, and a walk. While I was able to make that trip, not everyone has the mobility or resources to do so. That’s why I was excited about the announcement by the nonprofit, Reclaim the Records.
Through the efforts of Reclaim the Records, more than 5 million 20th century vital records from Maryland are now available online at no cost. Great news to both the genealogist and OT in me! Persons with mobility constraints, transportation barriers or financial limitations, now have access to a treasure trove of Maryland’s history. I haven’t had a chance to browse their site yet, but I am looking forward to checking it out soon.
In theory, digital access means more access for everyone, but the truth is the vast majority of web pages fail to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. This international standard, developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), includes important considerations.
- Simple navigation that can be accessed with a keyboard
- Site structure that is clear even with the use of screen readers
- Options for text include size, contrast and color
- Text descriptions of images and avoiding the use of images instead of text
- Knowing how screen readers treat hyperlinks and avoiding generic names for links
- Making sure videos are captioned, audio files have text versions and animations can be disabled
- Testing any forms using a screen reader and considering time restrictions for completing on line forms
So this brings me to the last theme: New Year’s resolutions for 2024! I have been planning a refresh of my website and so I resolve to complete that task in 2024 with careful consideration given to all the accessibility issues customers might face. In addition, I will work in 2024 to be sure my social media posts are more accessible.
Finally, a big thank you to all the readers that followed my blog in 2023 and I look forward to connecting with you in 2024.
