Posts
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Out with it: How stuttering helped me find my voice
I’ve just finished reading Out with it: How stuttering helped me find my voice, by Katherine Preston. I found it moving and a great read! It’s not a… More on Out with it: How stuttering helped me find my voice
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My Custom Elements
For a while I’ve been working on a suite of custom elements. Custom elements are a standards-based way to extend HTML. A <custom-element> could encapsulate a user-interface component… More on My Custom Elements
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Review: Lainey Feingold: Accessibility Convincing - WebAIM
I had some spare time today, so watched Lainey Feingold: Accessibility Convincing. Web Accessibility In Mind Conference – V. good talk, which I think counts towards CAECs for… More on Review: Lainey Feingold: Accessibility Convincing - WebAIM
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Speech-devices and stammering
Do you stammer/stutter? I do. While working on the ADMINS Chat-bot project last year, we came to a significant realisation. The speech recognizer used by default in Webchat… More on Speech-devices and stammering
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ADMINS project — update
After a busy, rewarding and challenging year, Paco launched the main trial for ADMINS on the 18th November 2020. It was closed on the 10th January 2021, with… More on ADMINS project — update
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My stammer
At the moment I’m looking again at my stammer/ stutter, and my feeling and emotions about it. In the 1970s, Dr. Joseph Sheenan characterized a stammer as an… More on My stammer
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ADMINS project
“Assistants to the Disclosure and Management of Information about Needs and Support” (ADMINS) Colleagues in the Institute of Educational Technology, including Tim Coughlan and Kate Lister have been… More on ADMINS project
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Cloudworks Archive
The Cloudworks web-site was launched at the end of 2009, and 10 years later at the end of June 2019, we have closed the original site. and created… More on Cloudworks Archive
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Bamboo Bicycle
Over the past five weeks or so, I’ve been on a remarkable and fulfilling journey. I’ve been building a bicycle from scratch. And the catch? It’s made from… More on Bamboo Bicycle
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Scroll-to-text
Are you active on social media? And, do you share and bookmark lots of links from the Web? I certainly do. One of the frustrations that I sometimes… More on Scroll-to-text
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The Open University at 50
Hurray! 23rd April is our official birthday, the day we were granted our Royal Charter in 1969. Countdown: The timer is loading … Age: The timer is loading… More on The Open University at 50
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Accessify Wiki
I should have written this a while ago … I have now. Yay! What is Accessify Wiki? Accessify Wiki is a machine and human readable way of describing… More on Accessify Wiki
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our-journey
I’m happy to say that a week ago, my colleague Tim Coughlan flicked the switch, to publish the code for our-journey as an open-source project. our-journey started off… More on our-journey
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Accessibility testing, with 'pa11y-ci'
Caveat: this blog post is aimed mainly at software developers, and those with some familiarity with Node and npm. Caveat 2: the examples below relate to pa11y-ci 1.3.*… More on Accessibility testing, with 'pa11y-ci'
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Completely blind backpacker travelling… (BBC)
Sometimes we can take the most extraordinary things for granted. I’ve known Tony Giles for many years, though recently I’ve allowed my busy life to get in the… More on Completely blind backpacker travelling… (BBC)
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Oliver! (RARE)
Thursday 15 — Saturday 17 February 2018 I’m delighted to say Rosie is in the RARE production of Oliver at Stantonbury Theatre, in the new year. Consider yourself… More on Oliver! (RARE)
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Can we have a text version of Hawking thesis?
Dear University of Cambridge, Congratulations on publishing Stephen Hawkings’ PhD thesis, “Properties of expanding universes” online. I along with many others salute your commitment to open access! However,… More on Can we have a text version of Hawking thesis?
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ISAD-widget
Sunday 22nd October 2017 will be the twentieth International Stuttering Awareness Day (ISAD), an initiative jointly founded by the European League of Stuttering Associations, the International Fluency Association,… More on ISAD-widget
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Hairspray (RARE)
Thursday 13 — Saturday 15 July I’m delighted to say Rosie is in the RARE production of Hairspray at Stantonbury Theatre, this week. It’s 1962 in Baltimore, and… More on Hairspray (RARE)
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Rich GeoJSON popups for Leaflet
I’ve always loved maps, and since my involvement with iSpot I’ve been fascinated by online maps. Leaflet is a powerful Javascript library that provides a rich set of… More on Rich GeoJSON popups for Leaflet
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Simple-speak, voiceFamily
I’ve been continuing with the burst of activity that led to the gaad-widget, and a re-booted sign-machine. (In the case of sign-machine, it was desirable to produce a… More on Simple-speak, voiceFamily
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Sign-machine rebooted
Way back in 2008, I had a new baby daughter, and I’d just joined the Institute of Educational Technology, after a couple of rewarding years in the VLE… More on Sign-machine rebooted
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Writing online in Chinese, a hidden barrier
Let me tell you a story. My mother-in-law is living with us at the moment. She is Chinese, and as you might expect, she misses her Chinese TV… More on Writing online in Chinese, a hidden barrier
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GAAD-widget
This Thursday, Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), is a great opportunity to talk to your colleagues about digital access and inclusion, and to learn about how to help… More on GAAD-widget
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Please can OUICE converge on Bootstrap, soon?
Some years ago (I should research when), bright people at The Open University created a CSS-based design for OU-branded sites (public sites, and our virtual learning environment/VLE). And,… More on Please can OUICE converge on Bootstrap, soon?
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Chinese & asian restaurants & food in Milton Keynes
We’re quite fortunate in Milton Keynes to have a variety of independent Chinese and Asian restaurants serving more genuine cuisine. Here are some suggestions, and below you’ll find… More on Chinese & asian restaurants & food in Milton Keynes
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Peter Pan — A Musical Adventure (RARE)
I’m proud to say that my daughter Rosie has a named speaking part in a forthcoming RARE productions show… The show runs from 7th — 9th July at… More on Peter Pan — A Musical Adventure (RARE)
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Tribute to Dan Jellinek
I was shocked to learn late last week that my friend and colleague, Dan Jellinek has died. He passed away suddenly on the 17th or 18th October 2015,… More on Tribute to Dan Jellinek
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London Accessibility Meetup #2: learn & share
I hope to attend this event next month. I’m looking forward to meeting a bunch of new people, and hoping it will have the same frisson as similar… More on London Accessibility Meetup #2: learn & share
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Welcome to my new Jekyll-powered blog!
Welcome to my re-developed blog! My original blog, started in April 2009 is built on Drupal, a PHP-based CMS. Drupal was an obvious choice at the time, as… More on Welcome to my new Jekyll-powered blog!
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Composer-suggest, JuxtaLearn, LACE & Open Media Player
Over the course of a number of recent development phases in different software projects, I’ve been working to simplify installation and dependency management, while leaving room for the… More on Composer-suggest, JuxtaLearn, LACE & Open Media Player
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Accessibility thoughts, OpenSign, universal design & applied gerontology
I’ve had feedback that viewers may not understand our entry for the Jisc Accessible by Design challenge, if they don’t have a background in Web accessibility (or, words… More on Accessibility thoughts, OpenSign, universal design & applied gerontology
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Open University regional centre closures – petition
The news that the Open University plans to close seven out of its thirteen regional centres in England made the national media. In the wake of this, various… More on Open University regional centre closures – petition
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High contrast and ignore colours
Recently, I’ve been doing some accessibility fixes for a project I maintain — the LACE Evidence Hub (I talked about it). I am also doing some accessibility evaluations… More on High contrast and ignore colours
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SoLAR Flare workshop – LACE evidence hub accessibility
Extended talk, on YouTube. I’ve been working with Doug (Clow) and Rebecca (Ferguson) on the LACE Evidence Hub over the past 18 months. It has not been continuous… More on SoLAR Flare workshop – LACE evidence hub accessibility
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Open Media Player – Jisc Accessible by Design challenge
Today we entered our idea in Jisc’s Accessible by Design competition. We’ve got some innovations we’d like us to pursue, and Jisc’s competition seems like a great vehicle.… More on Open Media Player – Jisc Accessible by Design challenge
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Introducing ... Open Media Player
I’m very happy to announce that we have released Open Media Player (formerly called OU Media Player), as a free/open source project. It has been our intention for… More on Introducing ... Open Media Player
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e-Access'15 conference part 2
(Continued from the previous post…) In the second part of the plenary Kathleen Egan, Programmes Manager at Age UK London, presented the valuable work done by the charity… More on e-Access'15 conference part 2
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e-Access'15 conference
Morning First, a mention for #AXSchat – an online conversation that happens each Tuesday 20-21:00 UTC/GMT on Twitter – on all things accessibility and inclusion-related in business on… More on e-Access'15 conference
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iSpot February 2015
Greetings iSpotters! (This is a similar post on our team blog.) I’m happy to say that this morning we made a number of significant bug fixes live on… More on iSpot February 2015
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OERs about accessibility
In response to a recent webinar on Accessibility & OER, I thought I’d put together a list of some OER-like resources that I know of about accessibility. Please… More on OERs about accessibility
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Track OER and CaPRéT, one year on
Its just over a year ago (19 October 2012), that the JISC/HEFCE-funded Track OER rapid innovation project finished. You can view the grand finale videos on the project… More on Track OER and CaPRéT, one year on
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oEmbed isn't dead – here's OU Embed!
Despite appearances, I argue that oEmbed is alive and kicking. Brian Mearns has put together a document describing some concerns around the oEmbed standard, partly around security. It’s… More on oEmbed isn't dead – here's OU Embed!
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My accessibility top 10 do’s and don’ts
Quoting from a recent blog post by Marco Zehe, There are those days when you watch a discussion unfold on Twitter, and a point is reached where a… More on My accessibility top 10 do’s and don’ts
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OU Annotate
I was in a meeting today of The Open University’s accessibility practitioner’s group. Louise Olney, a project manager in Learning and Teaching Solutions kindly came to talk to… More on OU Annotate
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Nomensa’s open source Accessible Media Player – first look
I was tipped off about Nomensa’s player, newly open sourced (thanks Chetz), and ever curious, I thought I’d take a look. I came across version 1 of the… More on Nomensa’s open source Accessible Media Player – first look
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Moodle 2 for Teaching 4-9 Year Olds Beginner's Guide book
Moodle 2 for Teaching 4-9 Year Olds Beginner’s Guide is available now. Download a sample chapter, view the table of contents and buy the book on PacktPub and… More on Moodle 2 for Teaching 4-9 Year Olds Beginner's Guide book
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Moodle Calculated Objects question type
Over the past 12 months I’ve created a number of contributed plugins for Moodle. Moodle is an open-source e-learning or virtual learning environment (VLE), that teachers, lectures and… More on Moodle Calculated Objects question type
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Browser search plugins
In spare moments in the past few weeks I’ve been revisiting browser search plugins. I’ve created plugins for CloudEngine/ Cloudworks, iSpot, the Journal of Interactive Media in Education,… More on Browser search plugins
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Creative Commons Licenses for software – just say "NO"
Two points before I start: I’m not a lawyer, so this blog post does not constitute legal advice. If you need help, contact a lawyer who specializes in… More on Creative Commons Licenses for software – just say "NO"
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OU media player project
Tony Hirst has just blogged about the Office for Disability Issues new accessible media player AKA the “Most Accessible Media Player on the Web”. Both he and Will… More on OU media player project
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The King's Speech portrays stammering well
I’ve just taken the afternoon off with my wife to see The King’s Speech. It’s a movie that I highly recommend. As a stammerer myself, I found that… More on The King's Speech portrays stammering well
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Embed a Scratch applet in HTML5
For the past year I’ve been following the progress of HTML5 with interest. And recently I’ve become interested in MIT’s Scratch. So naturally I’ve been test embedding Scratch… More on Embed a Scratch applet in HTML5
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Sometimes I s-start to stutter
A week ago today I stood up and talked about my personal experiences as a person who stammers, and the valuable work of the British Stammering Association. The… More on Sometimes I s-start to stutter
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5 steps to being an oEmbed provider
In the words of the specification, “oEmbed is a format for allowing an embedded representation of a URL on third party sites. The simple API allows a website… More on 5 steps to being an oEmbed provider
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MALT Wiki player with personalization mockup
Wendy Porch and I presented an evaluation version of the new MALT Wiki player at Techshare, in September (arch). Since then I’ve been busy with other projects, but… More on MALT Wiki player with personalization mockup
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Flash wmode considered harmful
Despite the emergence of the <video> element in HTML 5, Shockwave Flash is still the de-facto standard for publishing multimedia on the Web. Macromedia, and now Adobe have… More on Flash wmode considered harmful
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Improving the accessibility of UserVoice
We are currently testing a Web site with real users and naturally we’re requesting feedback. To that end we’ve signed up with UserVoice (their main site doesn’t seem… More on Improving the accessibility of UserVoice
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Standards.next meetup
A free HTML5 meetup (Archive) the day after @Media featuring short talks on the nitty gritty of HTML5: tales from the frontline, the controversies, the agonies and the… More on Standards.next meetup
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The rich in RSS
Last month my colleagues and I had a team “hackday” – an opportunity to work together (we often work individually on projects) and rapidly develop some software prototypes.… More on The rich in RSS
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