XHTML 1.1 - Served as application/xhtml+xml

Guild of Accessible Web Designers

GAWDs

jim byrne speaks

Before we work ourselves into a froth I thought I should give a little bit of background to the development of the Guild - and also try to explain from my point of view why it is set up the way it is. There are plenty of good reasons to remain a member of the Guild of Accessible Web Designers and I don't intend to let up in my efforts to make it the best and most valuable organisation for accessible web designers/developers to be part of.

Where did GAWDS come from?

I thought up, and set up GAWDS - and have been the catalyst for developing any potential value that members might have derived in the past - or potentially may derive in the future. Like many things - why its called GAWDS and why its constituted as it is - is not a straightforward story - but everything I have done, I have done with the best of intentions.

Actions speak louder than words - and I'm confident that a trawl through two years of emails and activities by myself in relation to the Guild will reveal that I've been nothing but supportive to members and generous in my efforts to develop and provide a service that made it worthwhile setting up in the first place. If no-one had ever got any value out of being a member of GAWDS I'd be worried and the Guild would have disappeared long ago - but I don't think that's the case.

That's not to say every decision I made was right - or that every decision was made in a vacuum. My natural inclination is to be open to the ideas and suggestions of members - while still trying to create something consistent with the original aims for the Guild. As I said in an earlier email I don't think this type of organisation can survive without leadership and clear vision - which I'll come back to - as it is relevant to why it is constituted the way it is.

Why is it called GAWDS?

I was discussing with a friend (probably in late 2002) what to call this new organisation I was setting up: one that would promote a particular view of accessible web design - and support accessible web designers. I hit upon the name Guild of Accessible Web Designers - and realised that this resulted in the acronym GAWDS - which made us both laugh. I thought it was a good name: it was memorable, it implied a certain degree of humour and lack of the 'stuffed shirt' view that many people had at the time in relation to advocates of accessible web design.

I did some research in relation to the word Guild - because it did occur to me that perhaps the word may have some legal implication, i.e., it may have been a word reserved only for a particular type of organisation. I didn't find anything that implied that to be the case. What I remember, is that I found the word was used in the middle ages - to identify an organisation of individuals practicing the same trade who got together to protect their interests. Using the word Guild didn't seem to me to be a problem and it expressed quite well some of the activities I expected the organisation to develop.

Why is GAWDS a Private Limited Company?

Again a trawl through the early emails related to the development of GAWDS will reveal that I spent a lot of time thinking about and talking to members and informed advisors - to find the best way to constitute this new organisation. For a period of time I was in favour of making it a cooperative - but I also looked at other types of organisation. (At this point the website had already been set up - originally gawds.co.uk and then moved to www.gawds.org.)

I'm not an expert in the area of setting up organisation, so I took advice - from members, but also from local enterprise advisors, e.g. Scottish Enterprise. The advice I got combined with my own experience - both being part of a previous organisation with similar aims - and from working in the Voluntary Sector and seeing first hand the difficulties encountered by Director led organisations - brought me to the conclusion that the most effective way was as a Private Limited Company. All of the other ways of constituting GAWDS entailed me having to hand control over to a group of Directors - and that didn't look to me like a positive way forward.

The Guild developed to the point that it basically took over all of my time - and it became clear that it wasn't sustainable while trying to make a living in my day job. The question of a membership fee has been discussed on various occasions right from the very beginning of the Guild - as has funding via grants or sponsorship. The discussions we have had since the decision to introduce a membership fee has actually help me to clarify what the Guild offers to members; all of the implied credibility, 'status', networking and learning opportunities outlined in the original email, but as has been pointed out clearly during the discussion - the development of services in return for a membership fee.

So yes - GAWDS does all the things advertised on the site and in the email I sent out a few days ago - that is all real - and members choose to pay a membership fee if they feel it is worthwhile. Looking at the track record of the growth and appeal of GAWDS I'm confident that the future for GAWDS is bright - and that GAWDS will develop in a way that responds to members needs.

Would members get a better service from an organisation set up by someone else and constituted in a different way? I can't answer that because I don't know - but I don't believe so.

GAWDS has a particular ethos - which is embodied in the open nature of the website and the discussion forum, e.g., in relation to the website, all members can post new pages and news of their activites to the site. It is not rigidly controlled by a few members. It was built that way intentionally because providing members with opportunities to promote their services is part of what the Guild is about.

As I've said - and demonstrated repeatedly in the past - members will have a say in how GAWDS develops and the types of services developed. That has certainly been the case up to this point and there is no intention to change.

All the best,
Jim

Guild of Accessible Web Designers (GAWDS) cracks the whip

Contact: Jim Byrne
Mobile tel: 07810098119
Daytime tel: (44) 141 331 3893
Evening tel: (44) 141 334 1650
Email: info@gawds.org
Web:www.gawds.org

Release Date: 26th May, 2004

New Web Standards Incubator Will Act As Catalyst For Worldwide Adoption Of Professional Standards.

Glasgow, May 26th 2004 The Guild of Accessible Web Designers marked its launch today by calling upon Web designers to embrace accessibility as the cornerstone and guiding principle of their profession.

"Accessibility goes far beyond preparing Web sites for disabled people," said Jim Byrne, founder of Glasgow-based GAWDS. "Accessibility is now shorthand for the adoption of core standards that benefit every user of the Internet and impact the bottom line of every business. GAWDS intends to promote these standards to instill in Web designers the high level of competence and professionalism required to unlock the full potential of the Internet."

One of GAWDS' immediate goals is to address and debunk myths that lead some Web designers to shrug off standards. Guild members websites will demonstrate the inherent good sense of Web Standards and give encouragement and support to designers who adopt standards in their work. There are also longer-term plans to offer accreditation programs that give members a competitive edge through association with and profiling on the GAWDS site.

GAWDS organizers also hope that offering a locator service for qualified Web designers will bring the association closer to convincing business owners of the importance of Web Standards. "While the public readily understands how inaccessible Web sites limit the flow of information to people with disabilities, many business owners fail to see the detrimental effects of inaccessible or non standards-based design on their bottom line," said GAWDS founding member, Derek Featherstone, of Canadian Accessibility Consultancy WATS.ca. "The number of user agents that still tolerate sloppy, invalid markup is shrinking. With the emergence of new technologies and devices, this means that client and consumer audiences are also shrinking for businesses that rely on old-style, idiosyncratic Web sites that make it difficult to parse content for re-use."

GAWDS also hopes to demonstrate to businesses how standards-based Web design reduces dependency on a single Web design company, or Web designer, and typically reduces costs for site development and site maintenance.

As a public demonstration of the wisdom of using Web Standards, GAWDS marked its launch today by announcing an open competition inviting Web designers worldwide to submit redesigns of the GAWDS Web site at www.gawds.org.

Contacts:
San Francisco Bay Area & Central Valley
Martin E. - contact me
Founder:
(Jim Byrne mobile: 0781 0098 119)
(info@gawds.org) www.gawds.org

Jim Interviews the GAWDS members

The thoughts of Martin Espericueta

Why do we need a Guild of Accessible Web Designers?

The need for a structured, like-minded, Guild of Accessible Web Designers, is imparative to the future of Standards-based web designs. Not only for todays cutting-edge site designs, but for the future of the technology.

Can anyone join?

Membership should be based on certain criteria, criteria that is driven towards the W3C Standard for Web Design. Members should have the "separation of content from presentation" mindset, and display this concept in their own web designs. Conformity to (X)HTML / CSS, and WAI (AA minimum) accessibility, are imparative.

How much does it cost?

Membership, in my opinion, should be free. Contribution to the group should be in a form of sharing each persons skills and knowledge (forums, email lists, etc).

What does the future hold for the Guild?

The Guild's future is bright (we should all be wearing shades)! It could be a catalist for the Web Standards movement.

What do you personally hope to gain from being a member?

Being a member of the GAWD brings me (and my professional reputation) a sense of professionalism, in my web designs as well as my web presence.

Do you think there will be a market for experts in accessible web design in two years time?

There is already a market for the accessible web designer. I have come across many adverts and job postings, all asking for SEO experts. You really cannot have one without the other.

Successful, standards-based, symantically correct, XHTML/CSS markup - with the designer's constant eye on accessiblity issues while creating a site - hits SEO squarly on the head.

Is accessible web design a cost or a benefit for clients?

Accessible designs are definately a great benefit for clients! Old world style designs are the real cost for clients. Tag-soup markup, and by that I mean using nested table after nested table, browser-proprietary tags, etc., has driven the cost associated with web design too high.

Leaner/meaner coding practices are the cost-effective future to web design.

What for you is the most crucial aspect of an accessible website?

The most crucial aspect of any accessible website is accessiblity. I know that sounds redundant, but let me explain.

While creating a site, one first lays out the content. Once the content "framework" is layed out, presentation is the next creation. During this process, one always deals with accessiblities:

"Is the site accessible 'bare-bones'"?
"Once presentation hits, is the site still accessible?"

Why is Web Accessibility important for you personally?

Accessiblity is an important factor for me personally because I want to reach as much as my target audience as possible. People with disabilities should be able to surf and enjoy the internet without barriors, as non-disabled people do!

You can read more here...