I'm writing to you today to talk about something that's very important to me: making Verse 2 Melody as accessible as possible to everyone. I believe that everyone should be able to experience the beauty of poetry set to music, regardless of their abilities.
Over the past months, I've been working hard to improve the accessibility of the site, and I wanted to share some of the things I've done and ask for your help in making it even better.
Important Context: Built From Scratch, One-Person Show
Before I dive into the details, I want to give you some context. Verse 2 Melody is a passion project that I built myself, from scratch. It's a hugely complex site, and it's growing daily. As a retired individual learning everything from the ground up, I'm constantly juggling multiple roles, with the aid of my good friends, the AIs. This means there are limitations to my ability, and I'm sure there are plenty of things that aren't perfect. But I'm committed to continuous improvement, and that's where your help comes in!
What I've Been Doing
Here are some of the key accessibility features I've implemented on V2Melody.com:
- Semantic HTML: I've made sure the site uses proper HTML structure (headings, lists, etc.) to help screen readers understand the content.
- ARIA Attributes: I've added ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes to elements to provide more information to assistive technologies. This is especially important for dynamic content and interactive elements.
- Keyboard Navigation: I've paid close attention to keyboard navigation, ensuring that all interactive elements can be reached and used with the keyboard alone. I've also implemented focus trapping within the lightbox (image popup) to make it easier to use for keyboard users.
- Testing: I am doing some testing with ChromeVox, WAVE, and other tools to check that elements are working correctly and that elements are semantic.
I Need Your Help!
This is where you come in. I'm reaching out to the community to ask for your feedback. If you have experience with assistive technologies (screen readers, keyboard navigation, etc.), I would be incredibly grateful if you could take some time to browse Verse 2 Melody and let me know what you think.
Specifically, I'm interested in:
- Are there any areas of the site that are difficult or confusing to use?
- Do the ARIA attributes seem to be working correctly?
- Is the keyboard navigation smooth and intuitive?
- Are the images well described?
- Do you have any suggestions for how I can make the site even more accessible?
Thank you so much for your time and consideration!
Richard