Accessible Reports for IDA Ireland

 The the HTML version of the IDA Ireland 2002 and 2003 Annual Reports are a rare example of how universal design need not be dull.

IDA Ireland required an accessible version of the 2002 Annual report to comply with the Irish Government's policy on web content. Frontend web designers took the PDF print document and created a faithful and attractive online version. Frontend delivered template code combining the latest XHTML and CSS techniques and employing industry best practice for accessible web pages. The resulting document is a rare example of how universal design need not be dull. The project was so successful that the IDA asked to repeat the exercise for the 2003 Annual Report. Frontend also develop and publish the HTML version of the IDA's Business Ireland and Dublin Report.

The Frontend approach to accessible web content:
Pay attention to document structure
Frontend interaction designers ensure that content is broken down into logical blocks. We use simple HTML elements, such as headings and paragraphs, to structure documents. This approach makes web pages easier to read for all users including those using assistive technologies.

Separate content from presentation
Frontend make extensive use of external style sheets for both layout and formatting. This ensures that text content is easy to re-use and makes global look and feel changes straightforward. Additional style sheets can be added for to reformat content for printing or other specific applications.

Standards compliance
Standards compliant code ensures that web content is future proof and greatly improves the compatibility with assistive technologies. Frontend validate all HTML and CSS code for use in accessible web pages and applications.

Implement accessible features
Simple accessibility features often make a big difference to users with specific disabilities. For example:

• Links to skip past repeated navigation elements for speech synthesiser users
• Resizable text for users with poor sight
• Careful attention to form labelling to make interaction more

The Result
We're very proud of the finished product. It combines the elaborate graphic look and feel of the print document with elegant and simple use of HTML. It even has a print style sheet and prints out well on A4 in NS and MSIE browsers.

Have a look some of the IDA's accessible HTML publications

• IDA Ireland 2002 Annual Report
• IDA Ireland 2003 Annual Report
• Business Ireland Winter 04

To find out more about our experience and services, contact us.