You’ve likely heard of Blue Beanie Day, the annual worldwide celebration of web standards and accessibility on November 30th, but have you ever thought that one day just isn’t long enough?
In December, Gymnasium extended Blue Beanie Day into Blue Beanie Month, serving up an assortment of accessibility-focused content each day throughout social media. Gymnasium’s free courses and tutorials empower designers and developers alike to build accessible and inclusive experiences.
Take the first step and learn the fundamentals.
Gymnasium shared a two-part tutorial featuring Michael Vano of DEV6 and Jeremy Osborn, Gymnasium’s Academic Director, who demonstrate techniques for checking and fixing common website accessibility issues. The live coding lesson walks you through the multi-step process of improving your website through accessibility testing, all in under an hour.
Want to go beyond the basics of accessibility in design and development?
One course to check out is Modern Web Design, taught by web standards and accessibility advocate Aaron Gustafson, which serves as an introduction to front-end development with a focus on responsive design.
For a more detailed look at what goes into creating an accessible user experience, Designing Accessible and Responsive Websites with Ethan Marcotte outlines a series of front-end techniques to improve the accessibility of your website including designing better focus states, creating flexible typography, building viewport-aware layouts, and making accessible drop caps.
Short on time but still want to ensure your user experience is accessible?
Gymnasium’s Take 5 tutorials cover the essentials of key accessibility-related topics in just five minutes. Each short video shares helpful tips and tricks, such as how to properly implement color contrast, write effective alt text for your images, responsibly use motion and web animation, and improve form usability for everyone.
No matter how you approach the crucial endeavor of making your work accessible to all, Gymnasium’s collection of resources can help — every day of the year. Don your blue beanie and learn more at thegymnasium.com.
If you like this, you might want to check out these resources:
Another Blue Beanie Day by Jeffrey Zeldman
Understanding Progressive Enhancement by Aaron Gustafson
Ethan Marcotte on web design, accessibility and why it matters to journalists, digital storytellers by Miranda Mulligan
I Can See Clearly Now: Color and Accessibility in Design by Milo Goodman