Universal Design, or how to make a digital project accesible for all

This past week, we read two articles—one by Williams the other by Edwards—that discuss the importance of Universal Design, or how to provide for both individuals with and without disabilities, digitally and non-digitally literate in DH.  Instead of discussing too much about the article, this blog post is dedicated to the examination of Universal Design in regards to the digital project entitled The Yellow Nineties Online.  It is a fairly simple site to navigate, and easy to understand. In terms of visual appeal I like that the background is darker with the yellow accents. From a visual rhetorical standpoint it really seems to fit what they were discussing in that first paragraph: that the yellow shined out from the bookstore window into the streets, breaking through the darkness of Industrial/Victorian England.

I think this plays into the articles, as well, in terms of accessibility stated, the same anxieties are shared by both the established DH scholars and the future of DH. It also helps that this project is so new. It's almost like a stepping stone between the "professionals" and the "n00bs". The project reveals that there are still ways for up-and-comers to enter the field and even encourages them to do so by submitting to the website. The Yellow Nineties Online is an important tool for those entering the seemingly "unfriendly" world of DH by providing a way for future scholars to enter into the world and have the chance to be published.

One thing that also stood out to me in terms of accessibility is that the page is edited as opposed to administered or composed by Denisoff and Kooistra. It even says so blatantly on the header. This says to me that, much like our Matt Gold book, this is a collaborative project, and therefore accessible to a wider audience by asking for contributions. As we have discussed, all digital projects are collaborative; what I mean is that it's collaborative even in the sense of composition and content.

Because it is such an inclusive website and encourages submissions, it appears that perhaps individuals can submit suggestions for how to make it more universal.  Earlier in the week I tweeted to them: "@Y90sOnline Re: accessibility: consider making the background less busy for the hearing impaired. It's a bit distracting visually."  Those with hearing disabilities rely on their sight as their main source of information gathering.  With a distracting background, which appears in the periphery of the viewer, those with hearing impairments may have a difficult time concentrating on the content of the website.  I felt comfortable sending them this contribution since they are open to connecting with those who visit the page and have already taken steps towards "universal design"; why not make recommendations to a newer project? Maybe I'm overstepping my bounds as a newbie in DH but it appears that the ethos of the project encourages recommendations and is attempting to be as inclusive as possible, both to users and contributors.

This project fascinates me as it does more than just the database function. It's more like an online journal -- as seen with the editors and requests for contributions -- but with database functions. I like how the site reaches out and requests interaction with the viewer - it makes DH more accessible and less scary, for some reason.