Post by account_disabled on Oct 22, 2023 1:40:47 GMT -5
In 2017, the Accessible Museums and Science Centers Group ( MCCAC ), in partnership with the Network for the Popularization of Science and Technology in Latin America and the Caribbean ( RedPop ), launched the unprecedented Guide to Accessible Museums and Science Centers in Latin America and of the Caribbean that brings together information on the various accessibility strategies of 110 institutions in the region.
The Guide, which aims to disseminate information about the accessibility of these spaces , had accessible versions in Portuguese and Spanish and could be downloaded for free on the RedPop page and partner institutions.
However, during this implementation we cell phone number list encountered a challenge: the pages where the Guide would be made available were not very accessible . For this reason, we decided to invest in creating a website for MCCAC that was minimally accessible and could host the Guide and other materials produced by the group.
In itself, creating a website for a non-profit research group, with professionals from different areas, but none from Information Technology or Web Design, would be a big challenge. Added to this, we would have to implement accessibility strategies that seemed, at first, something unattainable .
It was then that I was willing to face this demand – but with great boldness, since I am a physicist by training and the closest thing I had ever done to building a website was maintaining a “Flogão” in the early 2000s . .
Banner with aqua green background. In the left corner there are two elements: a computer with two symbols coming out of it in balloons, the UN accessibility symbol and a vase with a flower, with a dollar sign ($) in the center. Additionally, there is a small banner in the left corner with the text "free ebook!" written in white. In the center of the figure, in bold, there is the text "Because having your website accessible is a business opportunity". In the right corner of the image there is an orange button with the text "download the free ebook" in white. End of description.
Mistakes, lessons and persistence: good planning can save you from headaches
Initially, after quick research, we discovered a platform called Wix, which allowed us to build websites in a user-friendly and free way. As we didn't have much technical knowledge or financial resources, we thought this would be a solution. With this, we built the first version of our website.
However, after a meeting with the Movimento Web para todos (WPT) team – who kindly evaluated the newly built website, we received a warning: a lot could be improved. But this wasn't the worst: we discovered too late that the Wix platform was not compatible with Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) translators, something that is crucial for a website that aims to be accessible.
The Guide, which aims to disseminate information about the accessibility of these spaces , had accessible versions in Portuguese and Spanish and could be downloaded for free on the RedPop page and partner institutions.
However, during this implementation we cell phone number list encountered a challenge: the pages where the Guide would be made available were not very accessible . For this reason, we decided to invest in creating a website for MCCAC that was minimally accessible and could host the Guide and other materials produced by the group.
In itself, creating a website for a non-profit research group, with professionals from different areas, but none from Information Technology or Web Design, would be a big challenge. Added to this, we would have to implement accessibility strategies that seemed, at first, something unattainable .
It was then that I was willing to face this demand – but with great boldness, since I am a physicist by training and the closest thing I had ever done to building a website was maintaining a “Flogão” in the early 2000s . .
Banner with aqua green background. In the left corner there are two elements: a computer with two symbols coming out of it in balloons, the UN accessibility symbol and a vase with a flower, with a dollar sign ($) in the center. Additionally, there is a small banner in the left corner with the text "free ebook!" written in white. In the center of the figure, in bold, there is the text "Because having your website accessible is a business opportunity". In the right corner of the image there is an orange button with the text "download the free ebook" in white. End of description.
Mistakes, lessons and persistence: good planning can save you from headaches
Initially, after quick research, we discovered a platform called Wix, which allowed us to build websites in a user-friendly and free way. As we didn't have much technical knowledge or financial resources, we thought this would be a solution. With this, we built the first version of our website.
However, after a meeting with the Movimento Web para todos (WPT) team – who kindly evaluated the newly built website, we received a warning: a lot could be improved. But this wasn't the worst: we discovered too late that the Wix platform was not compatible with Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) translators, something that is crucial for a website that aims to be accessible.