London event to focus on Web 2.0 accessibility

An upcoming event in London will focus on the accessibility challenges posed by Web 2.0.

"Accessibility 2.0: a million flowers bloom" will take place at City University on 25 April. The name contains a reference to the words of TV Raman, a blind research scientist at Google, who has apparently described the development of Web 2.0 applications as "the blooming of a million flowers".

The London event will pay particular attention to the use of online applications, both by those with disabilities and also by those using "non-standard" equipment, such as handheld devices. The event is being run by AbilityNet, a charity dealing with the use of technology by those with disabilities.

"As a blind person, I choose accessible sites over those which present me and the access technology I use with problems," said AbilityNet's web services manager, Robin Christopherson. "If today's website designers, developers and managers do not put accessibility at the top of the agenda now, Web 2.0 will herald a new generation of obstacles for disabled people, rather than the more democratic future it has the potential to deliver."