Craft Site Directory Newsletter: February 2006
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SECTION 2):*~*: A Note From a Blind Customer Inspires Changes
Lion Brand Yarn announces major changes to their website to make it compatible for blind Internet users.
On January 19, 2006 Lion Brand Yarn(www.lionbrand.com) issued a press release stating that after receiving an email message from a blind Internet user a couple weeks prior, something needed to be done to make their website available to all users. The message from the blind user said that they could not access knitting and crocheting patterns that the site offers to their sighted users.
Blind or visually impaired Internet users can use text-to-speech software or devices that produce a braille version of the page. The problem is that these devices can not "read" images. This problem can be solved by websites utilizing something called an "alt" tag within their images along with detailed descriptions of each image. For example, if a website uses images as a way to navigate the website and does not have "alt" tags on their site(the text that typically appears when you hold your cursor over an image on the Internet), a blind user would have no idea where to click to get around the site, rendering the site useless to them.
In a recent related story, Target, a large US retail store with over 1400 locations, was sued by a blind student from California who complained that Target.com was not accessible to him. After attempting negotiations, Target "declined to modify its Web site" resulting in a law suit.
The full story is available here:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/02/08/MNGO7H4VBP128.DTL
Article is dated February 8th, 2006 in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Lion Brand Yarn took the opposite approach when notified about the problem with their website. Nancy Miracle, the webmaster for the Lion Brand website, set out to solve the problem by reaching out a group of blind and visually impaired knitters. As a result, blind users now have complete access to over 1,500 patterns on the Lion Brand website.
About Lion Brand Yarn:
The Lion Brand Yarn Company, is a 128-year-old entity and is America's oldest hand knitting yarn company. Founded in 1878, the company began operation in New York and has been a leading supplier of quality hand knitting and crochet yarns ever since. Throughout its history, Lion Brand Yarn has been at the forefront of yarn trends while consistently providing its customers with the highest quality product, service and inspiration.
For More Information Contact
Ilana Rabinowitz
ilana@lionbrand.com
1-201-804-3999
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SECTION 1):*~*: What's New at CraftSiteDirectory.com?
SECTION 2):*~*: A Note From a Blind Customer Inspires Changes
Lion Brand Yarn announces major changes to their website to make it compatible for blind users.
SECTION 3):*~*: 65th Winter Convention and Trade Show is Deemed a Success
Craft & Hobby Association Press Release February 13, 2006
SECTION 4):*~*: March is National Craft Month
US residents can plan ahead to attend local arts and crafts events.
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