Helen Keller with French veterans in Paris.

Helen Keller at the Union of the War Blind in Paris, 1946. She is with French veterans blinded during World War II, one of whom is playing the piano.

Anne Bancroft and Helen Keller at an 80th birthday party for Keller. Left to right are Anne Bancroft and Helen Keller at an 80th birthday party for Keller.

I thought I knew what I would find when I started my tenure as the Metadata Specialist for the digitization project of the Helen Keller Archive.

Helen Keller seated at her home in Westport, CT. She is reading a book in braille.

Helen Keller seated and reading a book in braille, Westport, CT, 1960.

Thursday, May 17, marks the seventh Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), the purpose of which is to get everyone talking, thinking, and learning about digital access/inclusion and people with different disabilities.

It can only be seen as a positive that W3C has made the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 an official Candidate Recommendation. The latest proposed recommendation adds helpful guidance on certain areas without being overly restrictive.

The focus for WCAG 2.1 has been to more fully address the accessibility requirements for:

Thank you to everyone who came out to Oakland for the 2018 AFB Leadership Conference. From the knowledgeable presenters, panelists, moderators, and attendees to our wonderful sponsors and exhibitors, your participation is what makes our conference a success year after year.

Haben Girma, Jenny Lay-Flurrie, and Jeff Wieland stand in front of a blue background with the AFB Logo.

On December 26, the Department of Justice (DOJ) officially withdrew pending rulemakings that would have clarified exactly how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to web services. In 2010, the DOJ started the rulemaking process to create new regulations for the websites of public accommodations and state and local governments. These "Advance Notices of Proposed Rulemaking" (ANPRMs) have now been withdrawn.