Australia. Parliament. Senate. Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee, author, issuing body

Locke, Richard M., 1959-

Australia. Parliament. Senate. Community Affairs References Committee, author, issuing body

Writing to meet WCAG2 standards can be a challenge, but it’s worthwhile. Albert Einstein, the archetypical genius and physicist, once said, “Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius—and a lot of courage—to move in the opposite direction.”

Hopefully, this entire book will help you better write for accessibility. So far, you’ve learned:

• Why clarity is important
• How to structure messages for error states and stress cases
• How to test the effectiveness of the words you write

All that should help your writing be better for screen readers, give additional context to users who may need it, and be easier to parse.

But there are a few specific points that you may not otherwise think about, even after reading these pages.

Writing for Screen Readers

People with little or no sight interact with apps and websites in a much different way than sighted people do. Screen readers parse the elements on the screen (to the best of their abilities) and read it back to the user. And along the way, there are many ways this could go wrong. As the interface writer, your role is perhaps most important in giving screen reader users the best context.

Here are a few things to keep in mind about screen readers:

• The average reading time for sighted readers is two to five words per second. Screen-reader users can comprehend text being read at an average of 35 syllables per second, which is significantly faster. Don’t be afraid to sacrifice brevity for clarity, especially when extra context is needed or useful.
• People want to be able to skim long blocks of text, regardless of sight or audio, so it’s extremely important to structure your longform writing with headers, short paragraphs, and other content design best practices.

Write Chronologically, Not Spatially

Writing chronologically is about describing the order of things, rather than where they appear spatially in the interface. There are so many good reasons to do this (devices and browsers will render interfaces differently), but screen readers show you the most valuable reason. You’ll often be faced with writing tooltips or onboarding elements that say something like, “Click the OK button below to continue.” Or “See the instructions above to save your document.”

Screen readers will do their job and read those instructions aloud to someone who can’t see the spatial relationships between words and objects. While many times, they can cope with that, they shouldn’t have to. Consider screen reader users in your language. Embrace the universal experience shared by humans and rely on their intrinsic understanding of the top is first, bottom is last paradigm. Write chronologically, as in Figure 5.5.

Rather than saying:

• Click the OK button below to continue.
• (A button that scrolls you to the top of a page): Go to top.

Instead, say:

• Next, select OK to continue.
• Go to beginning.

Write Left to Right, Top to Bottom

While you don’t want to convey spatial meaning in your writing, you still want to keep that spatial order in mind.

Have you ever purchased a service or a product, only to find out later that there were conditions you didn’t know about before you paid for it? Maybe you didn’t realize batteries weren’t included in that gadget, or that signing up for that social network, you were implicitly agreeing to provide data to third-party advertisers.

People who use screen readers face this all the time.

Most screen readers will parse information from left to write, from top to bottom.¹ Think about a few things when reviewing the order and placement of your words. Is there information critical to performing an action, or making a decision, that appears after (to the right or below) an action item, like in Figure 5.5? If so, consider moving it up in the interface.

Instead, if there’s information critical to an action (rules around setting a password, for example, or accepting terms of service before proceeding), place it before the text field or action button. Even if it’s hidden in a tooltip or info button, it should be presented before a user arrives at a decision point.

Don’t Use Colors and Icons Alone

If you are a sighted American user of digital products, there’s a pretty good chance that if you see a message in red, you’ll interpret it as a warning message or think something’s wrong. And if you see a message in green, you’ll likely associate that with success. But while colors aid in conveying meaning to this type of user, they don’t necessarily mean the same thing to those from other cultures.

For example, although red might indicate excitement, or danger in the U.S. (broadly speaking), in other cultures it means something entirely different:

• In China, it represents good luck.
• In some former-Soviet, eastern European countries it’s the color strongly associated with Communism.
• In India, it represents purity.

Yellow, which we in the U.S. often use to mean “caution” (because we’re borrowing a mental model from traffic lights), might convey another meaning for people in other cultures:

• In Latin America, yellow is associated with death.
• In Eastern and Asian cultures, it’s a royal color—sacred and often imperial.

And what about users with color-blindness or low to no vision? And what about screen readers? Intrinsic meaning from the interface color means nothing for them. Be sure to add words that bear context so that if you heard the message being read aloud, you would understand what was being said, as in Figure 5.6.

Describe the Action, Not the Behavior

Touch-first interfaces have been steadily growing and replacing keyboard/mouse interfaces for years, so no longer are users “clicking” a link or a button. But they’re not necessarily “tapping” it either, especially if they’re using a voice interface or an adaptive device.

Instead of microcopy that includes behavioral actions like:

• Click
• Tap
• Press
• See

Try device-agnostic words that describe the action, irrespective of the interface, like:

• Choose
• Select
• View

There are plenty of exceptions to this rule. If your interface requires a certain action to execute a particular function, and you need to teach the user how their gesture affects the interface (“Pinch to zoom out,” for example), then of course you need to describe the behavior. But generally, the copy you’re writing will be simpler and more consistent if you stick with the action in the context of the interface itself.

Online Resource

IEEE / Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Incorporated

IEEE / Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Incorporated

IEEE / Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Incorporated

O'Neill, Bernadette

AICPA

AICPA

Flood, Joanne M

American Institute of Certified Public Accountants

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, European Union: Health Standards in Refugee Camps.

The European Union is tasked with establishing a Common European Asylum System. To that end, several legislative instruments have been adopted, including a directive on standards regarding reception conditions of applicants for asylum or subsidiary and temporary protection. For vulnerable persons, such as minors, there are special protections in place. Applicants have a right to receive necessary health care, which must at least include emergency care and essential treatment of illnesses and of serious mental disorders. (Dec. 2019)

This report is one of many prepared by the Law Library of Congress. Visit the Comprehensive Index of Legal Reports page for a complete listing of reports and the Current Legal Topics page for our highlighted and newer reports. 

Online Resource

Online Resource

Barker Library - UA23.H538 2019

Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, author

Dewey Library - K3585.E653 2019

Hayden Library - LB3051.A512 2014

International Financial Reporting Standards IFRS 2011 is the only official printed edition of the consolidated text of the IASB's authoritative pronouncements as issued on January 1st  2011.

This edition includes the latest version of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs), International Accounting Standards (IASs), IFRIC and SIC Interpretations and the supporting documents—illustrative examples, implementation guidance, bases for conclusions and dissenting opinions - as issued by the IASB on  January 1st  2011.

For convenience, this RED book edition is presented in two parts:

• Part A (the Conceptual Framework and requirements) contains the latest version of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs), International Accounting Standards (IASs), and IFRIC and SIC Interpretations.
• Part B contains the accompanying documents, such as illustrative examples, implementation guidance, bases for conclusions and dissenting opinions.

This edition also includes the IFRS Foundation Constitution, the IASB Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting, the Preface to International Financial Reporting Standards, the Due Process Handbooks for the IASB and IFRIC, an updated Glossary of Terms, and a comprehensive Index.

This edition does not contain documents that are being replaced or superseded but remain applicable if the reporting entity chooses not to adopt the newer versions early.

Part A is 1344 pages (one book) containing the standards/interpretations
Part B is 1984 pages (one book) containing the accompanying documents, bases for conclusions etc.

Published:  March 2011

Related Titles

• Accounting Research Manager
• CCH's IFRS for Canada
• International Accounting/Financial Reporting Standards Guide (2012)
• iGAAP: IFRS for Canada Online

If you would like more details about this product, or would like to order a copy online, please click here.

Available: November 2011

This book organizes accounting pronouncements into two parts: general standards and industry-specific standards. The Practice Pointers featured throughout this edition point out, in plain English, how to apply the standards just discussed.

The 2012 International Accounting/Financial Reporting Standards Guide includes the following topics:

Part I: Overview (a recap of the International Accounting Standards Board and the formation of IFRAC)

Part II: General Standards

• Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates, and Errors
• Borrowing Costs
• Business Combinations
• Cash Flow Statement
• Changing Prices and Hyperinflationary Economies
• Consolidated Financial Statements
• Construction Contracts
• Earnings Per Share
• Employee Benefits
• The Equity Method
• Events After the Balance Sheet Date
• Financial Instruments
• Foreign Currency Translation
• Government Grants and Government Assistance
• Impairment of Assets
• Income Taxes
• Intangible Assets
• Interim Financial Reporting
• Inventories
• Investment Property
• Leases
• Non-Current Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations
• Property, Plant, and Equipment
• Provisions, Contingent Liabilities, and Contingent Assets
• Related-Party Disclosures
• Revenue
• Segment Reporting
• Share-Based Payment

Part III: Industry-Specific Standards

• Agriculture
• Insurance Contracts
• Mineral Resources: Exploration and Evaluation  

If you would like more details about this product, or would like to order a copy online, please click here.

Authors: David Alexander, Professor of Accounting & Finance and Simon Archer

Organizes accounting pronouncements into two parts: general standards and industry-specific standards. The Practice Pointers featured throughout this edition point out, in plain English, how to apply the standards just discussed.

Part I: Overview (a recap of the International Accounting Standards Board and the formation of IFRAC)

Part II: General Standards

• Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates, and Errors
• Borrowing Costs
• Business Combinations
• Cash Flow Statement
• Changing Prices and Hyperinflationary Economies
• Consolidated Financial Statements
• Construction Contracts
• Earnings Per Share
• Employee Benefits
• The Equity Method
• Events After the Balance Sheet Date
• Financial Instruments
• Foreign Currency Translation
• Government Grants and Government Assistance
• Impairment of Assets
• Income Taxes
• Intangible Assets
• Interim Financial Reporting
• Inventories
• Investment Property
• Leases
• Non-Current Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations
• Property, Plant, and Equipment
• Provisions, Contingent Liabilities, and Contingent Assets
• Related-Party Disclosures
• Revenue
• Segment Reporting
• Share-Based Payment

• Agriculture
• Insurance Contracts
• Mineral Resources: Exploration and Evaluation