National Federation of the Blind files Target lawsuit

A claim by disabled internet users that Target's website discriminates can proceed, a judge ruled last week. But she stopped short of suggesting that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) puts duties on all websites.

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), a non-profit group based in Baltimore, and one of its members, Bruce 'BJ' Sexton, a student in California, are suing the retail giant. The action was filed on behalf of all blind people in California who are denied access to Target.com.

The complaint cites various problems with Target.com: alt-text is missing from images, preventing screen readers from describing them to blind users; purchases cannot be completed without a mouse because keyboard controls do not work; image maps are inaccessible; and headings are missing that are needed to navigate. In short, the site is badly designed, says the NFB.

The lawsuit was brought in February, alleging breaches of the federal ADA and two state statutes, the Unruh Civil Rights Act and the Californian Disabled Persons Act.

Target filed a motion to have the case dismissed. On Wednesday, in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, Judge Marilyn Hall Patel dismissed that motion. But her ruling is not a hands-down victory for web accessibility: Patel did not rule that Target.com or any other website is required to be accessible; and she threw out part of the NFB lawsuit.

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New Student Orientation Site

So I was given the position as the Art Director for AI's New Student Orientation site. My job this week is to come up with design compilations. I decided to do two designs; one black and the other white.
Here's a preview:

The colored navigation tabs, with the general description of each links located right below, will be consistent throughout all the pages of the site. All the contents will be at the bottom.

Designing with Grid

The main idea behind grid-based designs is a solid visual and structural balance of web-sites you can create with them. Sophisticated layout structures offer more flexibility and enhance the visual experience of visitors. In fact, users can easier follow the consistency of the page, while developers can update the layout in a well thought-out, consistent way.

CSS Zen Garden

http://www.csszengarden.com
The rules are simple, CSS validate and DON'T MESS WITH THE HTML!
This is simply a demonstration of what can be accomplished visually through CSS-based design. hmmmmmmmmm...
I'm still indecisive about the theme I want to create. That's probably my only struggle for now. I know that once I get started and stick with an idea, I'll be able to get on the roll.
I'm thinking of doing a sports theme, or maybe even the Olympics ;)