John Slatin Access U: Web Accessibility Conference

Knowbility Extends Early Deadline Discounts for The John Slatin Access U Training Institute, Austin, TX – May 11-12, 2009

Two days of classes in accessible information technology to help meet state and federal accessibility requirements.

In response to current economic conditions, the deadline for Early Bird discount registration rates for the John Slatin Access U training have been extended indefinitely. The announcement was made by the sponsoring organization, Knowbility, Inc.

WHAT: Offered since 2003, Access U provides one to three days of comprehensive web and IT accessibility classes led by world renowned accessibility and policy experts and administrators. The Institute promotes a better understanding of both the need and the techniques for inclusive IT design, with a focus on the most recent changes in federal and global standards for Web Accessibility. Register now.

WHEN: The John Slatin Access U will be held at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas on Monday, May 11, and Tuesday, May 12, 2009, with Post-Conference sessions on Wednesday, May 13.

• May 11th and 12th – Classes in four professional tracks: Technical, Content, Administrative, Usability New this year! – Usability certificate program is available.
• May 13th – Intensive Courses: Molly Holzschlag and Derek Featherstone in small venue.
• 3-Day Design Intensive – May 11 – 13, 2009 Molly Holzschlag, Web standards advocate, instructor and author, offers three days of advanced techniques in HTML/XHTML and CSS for accessibility, SEO, and superior web site performance.
• Post Conference All-Day Sessions – Wednesday, May 13, 2009 Derek Featherstone: Breaking New Ground: Designing for Accessibility in Emerging Technologies. Molly Holzschlag: CSS Floats, Positioning and layout, best practices, cross–browser and interoperable design solutions, and a look at some of CSS3’s juicy features.

WHY: Web accessibility is important…and it’s required by law. Websites can be designed for accessibility or they can shut people out. Four million Texans are among the more than 54 million people in the U.S. who live with disabilities of all sorts, many of whom cannot fully benefit from the Internet and the World Wide Web because too many Web sites are designed with no thought of accessibility. Accessibility is not only the right thing to do, but now there are federal, state and local mandates requiring accessibility, and Access U is here to help IT professionals and administrators meet those requirements.

WHO: Access U sponsors and partners include St. Edward’s University, Adobe, Ability Awareness and the Usability Professionals Association. Knowbility, Inc. is the non-profit organization that produces Access U and many other accessibility training programs.