Web Accessibility Tips by Left Thumb Blogger

I recently learnt about amazing Glenda Watson Hyatt, popularly known as the left thumb blogger, who shares her inspiring experiences living with cerebral palsy and preaches web accessibility, all the while typing  with only her left thumb!

Glenda blogs on her blog I’ll Do It Myself (has authored a book with the same name) and I have been hooked to her articles on Accessibility 100 – which talks of easy-to-implement, free and inexpensive ways for improving accessibility for people with disabilities, dispelling the myth that accessibility needs to be expensive and difficult to achieve. Here are some good reads 5 Ways to Increase the Accessibility of Blogs and A Checklist for Planning an Accessible Event.

While Lorelle talked about How WordPress Changes Lives, it is inspiring to see how Glenda used Wordpress to change her life by giving her a voice that connects with people around the world through her blog.

Download free ebook of her latest presentation titled How POUR is Your Blog? Tips for Increasing Your Blog’s Accessibility (.pdf) and discover how POUR your blog truly is. An accessible blog is  Perceivable,  Operable, Understandable and Robust.  POUR principles of web design enable bloggers like you and me to make better websites, which are more accessible to people.  You can read more about Glenda at an earlier interview by Liz Strauss or join her earlier virtual book tour.

So why should you modify your web design to make your blog more accessible? Blog Herald reports points out that

“The Ever-Shifting Internet Population  reports that 38% of Americans with disabilities surf the web and almost 20% of them say that their disability makes web browsing challenging. There are a wide range of estimates, but at least one in four visitors to your blog are disabled. That’s a huge customer base you might be missing and not serving.”

“Many think that the disabled are poor. Some statistics for the disabled report only about 30% of the disabled in the United States are at or below the poverty level, depending upon your definition of “disabled.” That leaves 70% above the poverty line.”