Raising a glass to accessibility
For my first post of 2009 I thought I’d sit by a roaring fire, pour myself a glass of wine and mull over what looks likely to be one of the big web talking points of the year – designing for accessibility.
I know many of you are now checking this is a post from 2009. Hasn’t the web community banged on about accessibility ad infinitum over the last 5 years? Maybe, but with ripples from the Target lawsuit being felt this side of the pond, the very long awaited launch of WCAG 2.0 and, in the spring, expect a new British standard on designing for web accessibility (BS8878 now in draft) it looks like being a hot topic again. So what better time to raise a glass to celebrate designing for web accessibility?
Of course, the wine sitting next to my keyboard is from no ordinary bottle. It’s from the Chapoutier vineyards that nestle in the Côtes du Rhône in Southern France. The rich ruby red coloured wine tastes of French sunshine. However, the reason I’m writing about it is due to its innovative Braille label which effortlessly highlights many of the principles of accessible design being useful, elegant, integrated and inclusive.
Since 1996 all bottles, two million annually, from the vineyards of Michel Chapoutier have featured wine labels over-printed with Braille. From the basic Côtes du Roussillon Villages to the divine Crozes Hermitage the Braille and visual information is identical.
Chapoutier started to include Braille on his labels as a tribute to the Sizeranne family who first planted the vineyard. Monier de la Sizeranne, the nephew of the original proprietor, not only ran the business but was also President of the Association of the Blind in France, creator of the first abbreviated version of Braille and himself blind.
For me the wine label perfectly highlights how easy it is to build in accessibility to design, how enhancements for a variety of user needs doesn’t detract from the function or visual design and how considering all users gives you a competitive commercial advantage.
So the next time you are having a blind (pun definitely intended) wine tasting, reach for a bottle from the vineyards of Michel Chapoutier and raise a toast to accessible design.
Tags: accessibility, design
February 4, 2009 at 12:54 pm
I was just wondering if they’ve put Braille labels on bottles of Mekong ‘Whisky’ yet? It would really help Nick and I to identify our favourite drop of scotch.
February 13, 2009 at 12:01 pm
The danger with Mekong whisky is it can send you blind. Thankfully the smell of it should be alarming enough to stay clear.
Braille labels on products do seem to highlight some national characteristics. In 1997 the Royal National Institute for the Blind awarded their unsung hero award to Chapoutier. In the same year the only British product to receive an award was for domestic bleach.