IA and accessibility

If your interest was peaked by mention of addressing accessibility issues at the Information Architecture (IA) stage when reading my .Net article, there is finally some further reading on it.

My friend and colleague Frances Forman has just had an article published on Boxes and Arrows, on Practical plans for accessibility. Covering labelling, controlled vocabularies, navigation frameworks and wireframe design, it is also a call to action for IAs:

Creating an accessible web experience requires the coordination of independent groups. Initiating, managing, and designing for accessibility starts with strategy and ends with site evolution, content creation, and quality assurance. As IAs we should be advocating, designing, and supporting teams that provide equal access to information, as well as easier access for our primary personas. We should be looking for practical, design-driven ways to make accessibility a consideration through every phase of a project, and not just an afterthought.