Latest Event News

This week we're welcoming Helen Brockelbank to FFConf in our "Meet the Speakers" who will be giving a talk titled: "Under one canvas: building a more inclusive browser game".

But before that - you've got just 4 weeks left to get your ticket!

In her talk, Helen will look at the canvas element and how it's often left inaccessible in the browser, and what we can do to fix that.

In the interview, we asked: What first got you looking at canvas through an accessibility lens?

[…] While I was working on projects with the BBC Bitesize and CBeebies teams, I learned how they approach building more inclusive games for children. They have hundreds of browser games on their website, and a requirement as a public service broadcaster to serve all audiences in the UK, including those with disabilities.

Read Helen's full interview and meet her and all our speakers on 13th November.

From Our Archive

To mark Ada Lovelace Day earlier this week, we had to highlight Steven Goodwin's talk 'Ada Lovelace and The Very First Computer Program'

Steven talks us through the original 200 year document, pulls it to bits, simulates it and re-renders it into something reasonably legible.

Ada brought us the concept of algorithms, use of variables, inventing bugs, and breaking loops. She saw that the programme could be used for more than just crunching numbers. She introduced the idea of using machines for art, for writing, for images, for sounds. She created an entire science, 200 years ahead of her time.

Community News

In keeping with a rhythm of three items, this week is all about some useful tools from your friendly neighbourhood developers.

First up is a superb accessible web components library from our friends at Tetralogical (and their accompanying blog post). We've lost count of the number of times we've reinvented tabbing systems and repeatedly failed at the accessibility – so this is most welcome.

Next from local legends Clearleft, is This hue shall pass a single purpose tool to check accessibility across a grid of colours (and their accompanying blog post).

Finally, for you tab hoarders (Julie really needs to take notice), from the indomitable Zach Leatherman, is a tool to see if there's dupes, to consolidate, and finally answer: has that tab really been open a full year? (and Zach's accompanying blog post).