accessible web site design - ocstc · wide web consortium (w3c) and the federal government defining...

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By Jeffrey Payne, OCSTC member

Highlights

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Orange County STC

August 2002 Vol. 41 No. 1

Together, they areraising awareness of

accessibility...

“The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regard-less of disability is an essential aspect.”

— Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide— Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide— Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide— Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide— Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World WideWebWebWebWebWeb

This is the first part of a three-part series on web-site accessibility andits role in the web-site design process. Accessibility has become an

increasingly important topic in web-site design as a result of the WorldWide Web Consortium (W3C) and the federal government definingstandards and laws, and developers of web-site design software arecreating better tools. Together, they are raising awareness ofaccessibility within the webdesign community.

Much of what makes web sitesaccessible can be found in theWeb’s earliest beginnings. Earlyweb sites promoted excellentaccessibility due to limitations imposed by the available technology.They used simple layouts, text-dominated content, and simple images.Since then, new technologies have moved the Web far beyond thesebeginnings and in doing so have left behind the very important aspect ofaccessibility. In this series of articles, we will examine this importantaspect of web-site design: its benefits, guidelines, legal requirements,and practical implementation with today’s technologies.

Introduction – What is accessibility and why it is important; laws andguidelines governing access, and examples of how people with disabili-ties use the Web.

The WCAG – The underpinningsof the accessibility guidelines fromthe W3C’s Web Content Accessi-bility Guidelines (WCAG); thedifferent “levels” of the guideline’simplementation and how eachaffects access; and the practicalimplementation of these guide-lines.

Practical Implementation – Theimplementation of accessibledesign guidelines on a web site;tools and techniques for evaluatingand repairing design flaws, andprocedures for an accessibility–based design workflow.

What is Accessibility?What is Accessibility?What is Accessibility?What is Accessibility?What is Accessibility?

The basis for web-site access iscreating content and experiencesavailable to everyone, includingpeople with disabilities. Accordingto UsableNet™, accessible web-sites ensure

• “Smooth transformation“Smooth transformation“Smooth transformation“Smooth transformation“Smooth transformation:information and servicesshould be accessible despitephysical, sensory, or cognitiveuser disabilities, work con-straints, or technologicalbarriers.”

• “Understandable and navi-“Understandable and navi-“Understandable and navi-“Understandable and navi-“Understandable and navi-gable contentgable contentgable contentgable contentgable content: content shouldbe presented in a clear andsimple manner, and shouldprovide understandablemechanisms to navigate withinand between pages.”

8 OCSTC Volunteers 2001-2002 chapter volunteers honored

11 Society Pages SIGs and special announcements

12 Calender of Events Classes, meeting dates, resources

1 Accessible Web Site Design An Introduction

3 Meeting Information Times, directions and map

9 Membership News Welcome our new members

7 Learn to Write Like Dr. Seuss Finding the readability of your audience

Accessible Web Site DesignAn Introduction

2 TechniScribe TechniScribe TechniScribe TechniScribe TechniScribe August 2002

The TechniScribe is published 11 times a yearas a benefit to the members of the OrangeCounty Society for Technical Communication.The goal of the publication is to reflect theinterests, needs, and objectives of OCSTCmembers. The TechniScribe strives to be anadvocate for, and an inspiration to, technicalcommunicators by keeping them connected toeach other and to opportunities for professionalgrowth.

Articles published in this newsletter may bereprinted in other STC publications if credit isproperly given and one copy of the reprint issent to the TechniScribe Editor.

Submission Information The editorial teamretains and exercises the right to edit submittedand requested material for clarity, length, andappropriateness.

When submitting material please remember to

• Include a 25-word biography aboutyourself

• Send articles in Word format, RTF (Rich-Text Format), ASCII, or in the body of ane-mail message

• Send material to the [email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]

Managing Editor Cassandra HearnCreative Director Pamela ArmsteadCopyeditor Barbara YoungCopyeditor & Proofreader Rosemary HulceCopyeditor Anne StratfordCopyeditor James HaendigesProofreader Steve BlossomWeb Version Jeff RandolphIllustrator Tracy Garner

Monthly Advertising Rates 1/4 page $40 •1/3 page $45 • 1/2 page $60 • Full page $80

Subscriptions For one year, $10 to members ofother STC chapters.

Printer Print America, Aliso Viejo, CA

The Pierstorff Column

For those who have beenemployed since 1980,

ScriptingEchoplexX-axis (SEX)might appear strange, but itshistory is brief. SEX appeared in1965, flourished until thedemise of KayPro, and then re-emerged on Maritime Day, 22May 2002. Only now has itreceived enough buzz to

interest managers, meaning of course that we mustall be aware before next Maritime Day of at least itsrudiments.

In a short column, I cannot possibly cover all itsfeatures. For that, you must depend on the seniormembers of our chapter. Suffice it to say that onceunderstood, SEX can be a powerful tool for creatingcertain kinds of plain-language activity. Its overridingvirtue—for now, at least—is that no one has discov-ered a way to post any part of it to any Internet site.The overriding vice, unfortunately, is that the newprogram retains its Latin spell-checker system,suggesting for example that a writer substitute statusquo ante for “the former state of affairs.” Now thatLatin is no longer required for any certificate ordegree in technical communication, this quirk putsyoung writers at a temporary disadvantage, one thatthey can ease by referring to a good Latin grammarand vocabulary text.

“Quod scripsi, scripsi,” a sentence that ended alltechnical documents many years ago, has returned.All the more reason to learn about SEX.

Redeveloped by NORNE, a heavily financed startupcompany named after the Border Mongolian goddessof good deeds and surprises, the strengths of SEXalmost guarantee that it will sell. NORNE representa-tives are pushing the product, starting with largecompanies, working down to small stores having onecomputer and a frustrated shopkeeper. NORNE’smarketing strategy differs from other high-techbusiness strategies in that with each licensed programor programs, NORNE will provide a free SEX certifi-cation course to each technical communicator whowill use the program. The certificate itself, printed onpastel pink enamel stock, informs its viewers that thecubicle’s occupant has been fully certified in SEX andcan therefore compose anything that causes action,be it immediate action or postponed action, asdetermined by the administrators, managers, supervi-sors, or senior catalysts of any project.

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By Don Pierstorff, OCSTC Chapter President

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2002 August TechniScribe TechniScribe TechniScribe TechniScribe TechniScribe 3

When:When:When:When:When: Tuesday, August 20, 2002 from 6:00 to9:00 P.M.

Where:Where:Where:Where:Where: Irvine Marriott Hotel18000 Von Karman AvenueIrvine, CA 92612(949) 553-0100

CostCostCostCostCost: Members with reservations $21$21$21$21$21Students with reservations $16$16$16$16$16Nonmembers with reservations $23$23$23$23$23Walk-ins or those registering afterdeadline $31 $31 $31 $31 $31No-shows billed $11 $11 $11 $11 $11

Directions to the Irvine MarriottComing from north and central Orange CountyComing from north and central Orange CountyComing from north and central Orange CountyComing from north and central Orange CountyComing from north and central Orange CountySouthbound on I-5 or southbound on I-405, exit atJamboree Blvd. Turn right onto Jamboree Blvd. Turnright onto Michelson, right onto Von Karman Ave.,right onto Quartz. Turn left into the Marriott parkinglot.

Coming from southern Orange County Coming from southern Orange County Coming from southern Orange County Coming from southern Orange County Coming from southern Orange County Northbound onI-405, exit at Jamboree Blvd. Turn left onto JamboreeBlvd. Turn right onto Michelson, right onto Von Karman,right onto Quartz. Turn left into the Marriott parking lot.

Next Meeting

Welcome to a new yearof the TechniScribe.

I am very excited to havethis opportunity to serve youas the new managing editorof the award-winningOCSTC TechniScribe.

As many of you know, ourmost recent (and illustrious)managing editor, Pamela

Armstead, worked long and hard on revamping, re-working, and redesigning the TechniScribe. Her workhas not gone unnoticed, and I am honored to try andreach the bar that she has raised. Fear not, myfriends, she has not left us entirely. Pamela hasgraciously donated her services once again, and willcontinue to add to the TechniScribe as CreativeDirector.

The TechniScribe is not just a team of two; we have awhole slew of brilliant contributors: Steve Blossom,James Haendiges, Rosemary Hulce, Jeff Randolph,Anne Stratford, and Barbara Young. This superbgroup will be working all year long to make sure theTechniScribe is lucid, concise, and useful to you.

Throughout this coming year, I would like to chal-lenge and explore the many tools and methodologieswe use as technical communicators on a daily basis.For example, I’d like to look at User Interface Design,XML, Single Sourcing, Content Management, Reus-able Information Objects, Digital Video, UsabilityTesting, Information Architecture, and AudienceAnalysis, to name a few. Through the TechniScribe, Iwould like to facilitate and provoke thought, discus-sion, and change.

Take a few moments this month to read JeffreyPayne’s article, Accessible Web Site Design. I bet youhave never thought of accessibility from his view-point. How does accessibility affect us? How does itaffect your company? How does it affect the Internet?And how will it affect your job in the future?

These questions demand answers, and so do manyother facets of our profession. Frankly, status quo isboring, don’t you agree? Let’s take advantage of thisremarkable opportunity we have to raise someindustry hair. Use the TechniScribe as your voice toyour co-workers, colleagues, competition, andcommerce. Send me your article ideas, submissions,and e-mails. �

Editor's Desk

ReservationsReservations are due by 5:00 P.M., Friday, August 16.

Registration• Register at www.ocstc.org/dinres.aspwww.ocstc.org/dinres.aspwww.ocstc.org/dinres.aspwww.ocstc.org/dinres.aspwww.ocstc.org/dinres.asp, or• Call the OCSTC Hotline at (949) 863-7666, or• Call Carolyn Romano at (714) 894-9221. Leave

your name, membership status, and phonenumber.

Parking will be validated at the door.Parking will be validated at the door.Parking will be validated at the door.Parking will be validated at the door.Parking will be validated at the door. Please park inthe Marriott lot. Do not park in the adjacent KollCenter Newport parking structure.

By Cassandra Hearn, Managing Editor

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The Importance of AccessibilityThe Importance of AccessibilityThe Importance of AccessibilityThe Importance of AccessibilityThe Importance of Accessibility

The importance of accessibility can be summarized inthree key points:

• Accessibility is the right thing to do, and itbenefits all.

• Who can afford to ignore 20 percent of thepopulation?

• It is the law for many institutions.

The Right Thing to DoThe Right Thing to DoThe Right Thing to DoThe Right Thing to DoThe Right Thing to Do

As businesses, institutions, and other organizationsmove toward providing more and more informationonline, tremendous opportunities are created foraccess to information by people with disabilities.Transforming these opportunities into reality requiresonly minor effort on the part of the provider.

In addition, the steps needed to make these opportu-nities possible provide benefits for all users. As manyof us appreciate such things as curb cuts and auto-matic sliding doors, we too can benefit from theirelectronic equivalents—easy navigation, clear andconcise content, high-contrast color schemes, andalternative text.

Disabled AmericansDisabled AmericansDisabled AmericansDisabled AmericansDisabled Americans

According to a 1997 report by the U.S. CensusBureau, 19.6 percent of the U.S. population hassome sort of disability. Within this group are individu-als with such disabilities as visual impairments,hearing impairments, cognitive impairments, andmotor impairments.

More importantly, the report shows that as Americansgrow older, the proportion of individuals with disabili-ties grows larger. Almost 75 percent of the U.S.population over the age of 80 has some type ofdisability.

Organizations must recognize that by maintaininginaccessible sites, they alienate 20 percent of theirpotential customers. I suggest that very few businessescan afford to ignore customers.

It’s the LawIt’s the LawIt’s the LawIt’s the LawIt’s the Law

Many countries are adopting accessibility guidelinesfor government sites and sites funded with govern-ment funds. In the United States, federal agencies arerequired to comply with Section 508 of the 1974Rehabilitation Act. In the UK, Europe, and Canada,guidelines are based on the W3C Web ContentAccessibility Guidelines. As awareness of accessibleaccess by disabled persons grows, federal, state, and

local organizations will likely expand these guidelinesand requirements. Much in the same way, theAmericans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was originallyintended for access to federal facilities, but it is now arequirement for private and commercial facilities tomeet the definition of “public accommodations.”

Accessibility Guidelines & StandardsAccessibility Guidelines & StandardsAccessibility Guidelines & StandardsAccessibility Guidelines & StandardsAccessibility Guidelines & Standards

Section 508 GuidelinesSection 508 GuidelinesSection 508 GuidelinesSection 508 GuidelinesSection 508 GuidelinesSection 508 of the 1974 Rehabilitation Act ensuresthat disabled persons have “comparable access” toelectronic media. Although enacted in 1974, it wasnot effective until 1998 when Congress passed theWorkforce Investment Act, prohibiting federal agen-cies from maintaining inaccessible electronic content.Today, federal agencies are required to maintain website content in accessible formats, and web-sitedesign contracts are governed by strict procurementrequirements for compliance. Section 508 is based onthe W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

W3C GuidelinesW3C GuidelinesW3C GuidelinesW3C GuidelinesW3C GuidelinesThe Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG),developed by the W3C, were the first major effort toestablish guidelines for content accessibility. As such,they have become the basis for accessibility laws bothin the U.S. and in Europe. The WCAG is composed of14 guidelines, each with three checkpoints. Thecheckpoints describe, for varying degrees of accessi-bility, what must be done to meet the guideline. InPart 2 of this series, we will examine each guidelineand checkpoint.

How Disabled Visitors Use the WebHow Disabled Visitors Use the WebHow Disabled Visitors Use the WebHow Disabled Visitors Use the WebHow Disabled Visitors Use the Web

The following examples are adaptations of examplesprovided by the W3C.

Online Student Who is DeafOnline Student Who is DeafOnline Student Who is DeafOnline Student Who is DeafOnline Student Who is Deaf

Ms. Martinez is taking several distance learningcourses. The university she is enrolled in provides thecourse material online using a multimedia approach.The online courseware features a web-based chatroom, transcriptions of audio lectures from professors,and facilities for students to view and provide feed-back to one another. The extensive collection ofaudio-based transcriptions allows the university toeasily catalog and index the material, and providesMs. Martinez with the equivalent of an interpreter.Although she is the only deaf student in the class, shequickly finds that the online courseware ensures thatshe can keep up with the class.

<“Accessible Web Site Design” from page 1


Accountant with BlindnessAccountant with BlindnessAccountant with BlindnessAccountant with BlindnessAccountant with Blindness

Mr. Jones is an accountant at an insurance companythat uses web-based formats over a corporateintranet. He is blind, and uses a screen reader tointerpret what is displayed on the screen and togenerate a combination of speech output andrefreshable Braille output. By using the speechoutput, combined with tabbing through the naviga-tion links on a page, Mr. Jones is able to rapidly scana document, and has become accustomed to listeningto speech output at a speed his co-workers cannotunderstand at all. He uses refreshable Braille outputto check the exact wording of text, since Brailleenables him to read the language on a page moreprecisely.

ConclusionConclusionConclusionConclusionConclusion

Accessibility is an important issue that creates atremendous opportunity for organizations to improveaccess to information for their customers. In thisarticle, we have explored some of the importantfactors: what is accessibility and why is it important,accessibility laws and guidelines, and examples ofhow disabled persons use the Internet. In Part 2 wewill examine the underpinnings of the accessibilityguidelines from the W3C’s Web Content AccessibilityGuidelines, how each affects access, and the practicalimplementation of these guidelines. �

Jeffrey Payne is founder and President of Furnace Creek Labora-tories, a web-site design firm headquartered in Irvine, California.For comments about this article, please send your e-mail [email protected]. More information aboutFurnace Creek Laboratories can be found atwww.furnacecreeklabs.com

TechniScribe Copyright and Trademark Statement

OCSTC invites writers to submit articles that they wishto be considered for publication. By submitting anarticle, you implicitly grant a license to print thearticle in this newsletter and for other STC publica-tions to reprint the article without express permission.Copyright is held by the writer. In your cover letter,please let the editor know if this article has beenpublished elsewhere and if it has been submitted forconsideration to other publications.

Unless otherwise noted, copyrights for all newsletterarticles belong to the authors. The design and layoutof this newsletter are © STC, 2002.

Some articles might refer to companies or productswhose names are covered by a trademark or regis-tered trademark. All trademarks are the property oftheir respective owners. Reference to a specificproduct does not constitute an endorsement of theproduct by OCSTC or by STC.

�

Additional ResourcesUsableNet™UsableNet™UsableNet™UsableNet™UsableNet™www.usablenet.com

U.S. Census Bureau: Americans with DisabilitiesU.S. Census Bureau: Americans with DisabilitiesU.S. Census Bureau: Americans with DisabilitiesU.S. Census Bureau: Americans with DisabilitiesU.S. Census Bureau: Americans with Disabilitieswww.census.gov/hhes/www/disable/sipp/disab97/ds97t1.html

Section 508Section 508Section 508Section 508Section 508www.section508.gov

The W3CThe W3CThe W3CThe W3CThe W3Cwww.w3c.org

How People with Disabilities Use the WebHow People with Disabilities Use the WebHow People with Disabilities Use the WebHow People with Disabilities Use the WebHow People with Disabilities Use the Webwww.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-Use-Web/Overview.html


Administrative Council Don Pierstorff, President [email protected]

Elaine Randolph, Immediate Past President [email protected]

Jack Molisani, 1st VP Programs [email protected] Julie Dotson, 2nd VP Membership [email protected] Bruce Alexander, Treasurer [email protected] Jenice Cook-Crabbe, Secretary [email protected]

Cassandra Hearn, TechniScribe Editor [email protected]

Julie Atkins, Public Relations [email protected] Ann Shogren, Education [email protected] Mary Ann Howell, Nominating Committee [email protected] Kathey Schuster, Nominating Committee [email protected]

Dennis Hanrahan, Nominating Committee [email protected]

Carolyn Romano, Facilities [email protected] (h) Virginia Janzig, Scholarships [email protected] Bonni Graham, Region 8 Director-Sponsor [email protected] Jeff Randolph, Employment Manager [email protected]

ColophonThe TechniScribe was produced using AdobePageMaker 6.52 for Macintosh. Zapf Human-ist and Humanist521 were used for text andheading fonts.

All original art work was created using AdobeIllustrator 9.0 for Macintosh. The PDF on theOCSTC web site was distilled from rawPostscript using Acrobat Distiller 5.0 forMacintosh.

OCSTCP.O. Box 28751Santa Ana, CA 92799-8751Chapter Hotline: 949.863.7666

Chapter Fax: 949.830.7585Web site: http://www.ocstc.org

Chapter Contacts


By William Dubay, OCSTC member

If your target audience is in the firstgrade, you could take a lesson from

Dr. Seuss. He is a big hit with the kids.If, however, you want to write for anadult public audience, you would dobetter to aim at the seventh grade. Ifyou want to write for an audience ofcollege graduates, aim at the tenthgrade.

How do you find out the reading ability of an audi-ence? How do you match the readability of your textwith the audience?

More and more public agencies and private corpora-tions require documents to be atparticular grade levels of readability.Since the Enron scandal, even thePresident has come out on severaloccasions asking for financial disclo-sures in plain language. Trouble is, nobody in thefinancial world knows how. They simply do not havethe training. The same can be said of most managed-care providers, banks, government agencies,insurance companies, and a host of other organiza-tions—they are not equipped to write in basic, plainlanguage.

The Lack of Training and MethodThe Lack of Training and MethodThe Lack of Training and MethodThe Lack of Training and MethodThe Lack of Training and Method

Beginning last year, the Financial Services Moderniza-tion Act ordered banks to send out “Privacy Notices”to their customers “in plain language.” The noticesask the customers if they consent to banks’ sharing ofpersonal information with third parties. Readabilityspecialist Mark Hochhauser did a study on how wellbanks complied with the law. Among the 60 bankssurveyed, he found not one had met the plain-language standard. Most of them were still at a levelof difficulty that only 30 percent of the populationcan read. Among elderly readers, the percentage iseven lower. (See the Hochhauser study online athttp://privacyrights.org/ar/GLB-Reading.htmhttp://privacyrights.org/ar/GLB-Reading.htmhttp://privacyrights.org/ar/GLB-Reading.htmhttp://privacyrights.org/ar/GLB-Reading.htmhttp://privacyrights.org/ar/GLB-Reading.htm.)

Several states now require that insurance policies bewritten with a minimum Flesch Reading Ease score of40 (30 is very difficult; 70 is easy). Some require ascore of 45, and one state, Maine, requires a score of50. Only a handful of companies have been able tomeet those minimum requirements.

Other studies show that the documents for HMOcustomers have levels of difficulty that only collegegraduates can understand.

The FDA now recommends that medical consentforms be written at the sixth grade level. The FDA,

however, has no clue how to write atthat level. There are only a handfulof people in the federal governmentand hospitals who can write at thatlevel. Managers consistently fail torealize that plain language comeswith training and method.

Our Changing AudienceOur Changing AudienceOur Changing AudienceOur Changing AudienceOur Changing Audience

For a long time, the difficulty of the text did notmatter much to us technical writers. Many of us weredealing with a computer-literate audience that weassumed had adult reading skills. The usability

requirements of online documentsfocused our attention on organization,accessibility, and design.

Then, in 1990, the U.S. census foundthat 24.8 percent of the population has

less than a high-school education. A 1994 federalreport, “The State of Literacy in America,” revealedthat between 21 and 23 percent of Americans (40million) were functioning at the level 1 literacy rating,which is defined simply as “not having adequatereading skills for daily life.” The rate for California is24 percent, for Orange County, 20 percent (377,000people). These are people who cannot read, muststruggle to read, or cannot cope with unfamiliar orcomplex information. Nearly half the adult popula-tion performs at level 1 or 2, including 14 percent ofcollege graduates and 30 percent of those whoattended college but did not graduate. Some readerswith many years of education are among the groupswith the lowest levels of reading skills. For a laterreport, see “Adult Literacy and Education in America”at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2001/2001534.pdfhttp://nces.ed.gov/pubs2001/2001534.pdfhttp://nces.ed.gov/pubs2001/2001534.pdfhttp://nces.ed.gov/pubs2001/2001534.pdfhttp://nces.ed.gov/pubs2001/2001534.pdf.

Our audience has changed. We can no longer takefor granted the reading ability of our audience or thereadability of our texts.

Learn Readability AssessmentLearn Readability AssessmentLearn Readability AssessmentLearn Readability AssessmentLearn Readability Assessment

Luckily, over the past 80 years, educators, universi-ties, the military, and businesses have conductedextensive research on the readability of texts. Highlyaccurate methods have made the assessment ofreadability no longer guesswork, but a fine science.

While these methods are easy to learn, they takepractice. With the basic methods you learn in a PlainLanguage Workshop, you can write at the readinglevel your audience requires. You can even write forthe first grade, if you want. Like Dr. Seuss, you’ll be ahit with the kids. �

Learn to Write Like Dr. Seuss!

They simply do nothave the training.


OCSTC Volunteers2001-2002

STC volunteers are the life bloodof our organization. Without

their efforts, our chapter wouldnot be able to provide the servicesthat our members have come toexpect. Thanks to the contribu-tions of the people listed here, ourchapter received a Region 8Pacesetter Award, STC Chapter ofExcellence Award, and an Excel-lence Award in the InternationalNewsletter Competition.

Pamela ArmsteadPamela ArmsteadPamela ArmsteadPamela ArmsteadPamela Armstead: TechniScribeEditor-in-Chief, Registration Table

Julie AtkinsJulie AtkinsJulie AtkinsJulie AtkinsJulie Atkins: PR Committee Chair,TechniScribe contributor

Guy BallGuy BallGuy BallGuy BallGuy Ball: TechniScribecontributor, Region 8Conference speaker

Frank BlassingameFrank BlassingameFrank BlassingameFrank BlassingameFrank Blassingame: PR Committee

Mark BloomMark BloomMark BloomMark BloomMark Bloom: 40th AnniversaryPresentation, Registration Table,Region 8 Conference Speaker

Steve BlossomSteve BlossomSteve BlossomSteve BlossomSteve Blossom: TechniScribeproofreader and contributor

Susan BucknerSusan BucknerSusan BucknerSusan BucknerSusan Buckner: PR Committee,TechniScribe contributor

Jonathan CohenJonathan CohenJonathan CohenJonathan CohenJonathan Cohen: TechniScribecontributor

Jenise Cook-CrabbeJenise Cook-CrabbeJenise Cook-CrabbeJenise Cook-CrabbeJenise Cook-Crabbe: PR Commit-tee, Registration Table

Marcia CoueyMarcia CoueyMarcia CoueyMarcia CoueyMarcia Couey: NominatingCommittee

Victory CrayneVictory CrayneVictory CrayneVictory CrayneVictory Crayne: EducationCommittee

Bill DarnallBill DarnallBill DarnallBill DarnallBill Darnall: speaker

Julie DotsonJulie DotsonJulie DotsonJulie DotsonJulie Dotson: Employment Man-ager, TechniScribe contributor,Registration Table

Adrienne EscoeAdrienne EscoeAdrienne EscoeAdrienne EscoeAdrienne Escoe: speaker,TechniScribe contributor

Kathy FairclothKathy FairclothKathy FairclothKathy FairclothKathy Faircloth: TechniScribecontributor, Region 8 ConferenceSpeaker

Alison GemmellAlison GemmellAlison GemmellAlison GemmellAlison Gemmell: Registration Table

Howard GoldmanHoward GoldmanHoward GoldmanHoward GoldmanHoward Goldman: VP ofMembership, TechniScribecolumnist

Dennis HanrahanDennis HanrahanDennis HanrahanDennis HanrahanDennis Hanrahan: TechniScribecontributor, PR Committee

Mary Ann HowellMary Ann HowellMary Ann HowellMary Ann HowellMary Ann Howell: VP of Meetings,TechniScribe contributor,FrameMaker instructor, Region 8Conference Speaker

Rosemary HulceRosemary HulceRosemary HulceRosemary HulceRosemary Hulce: TechniScribecopyeditor, proofreader

Craig HuntCraig HuntCraig HuntCraig HuntCraig Hunt: Registration Table

Virginia JanzigVirginia JanzigVirginia JanzigVirginia JanzigVirginia Janzig: Scholarship Chair

Corinne KantorCorinne KantorCorinne KantorCorinne KantorCorinne Kantor: Manager ofNominating Committee,Registration Table, Region 8Conference volunteer coordinator

Kitty KeithKitty KeithKitty KeithKitty KeithKitty Keith: TechniScribecontributor

Patrick KelleyPatrick KelleyPatrick KelleyPatrick KelleyPatrick Kelley: Registration Table

Theresa KeyTheresa KeyTheresa KeyTheresa KeyTheresa Key: Registration Table,Education Committee, PRCommittee

Shirley KondekShirley KondekShirley KondekShirley KondekShirley Kondek: Registration Table

Arlyn LeeArlyn LeeArlyn LeeArlyn LeeArlyn Lee: Nominating Committee

Suzanne MadisonSuzanne MadisonSuzanne MadisonSuzanne MadisonSuzanne Madison: TechniScribecontributor

Brian McCalebBrian McCalebBrian McCalebBrian McCalebBrian McCaleb: speaker, PRCommittee

Jack MolisaniJack MolisaniJack MolisaniJack MolisaniJack Molisani: speaker,TechniScribe contributor, Region 8Conference Corporate Liaison,Region 8 Conference speaker

Shayma MortazaviShayma MortazaviShayma MortazaviShayma MortazaviShayma Mortazavi: RoboHelpinstructor

Brenda Lalisan NasonBrenda Lalisan NasonBrenda Lalisan NasonBrenda Lalisan NasonBrenda Lalisan Nason: PRCommittee, Registration Table

Pamela PaynePamela PaynePamela PaynePamela PaynePamela Payne: TechniScribecontributor

Elaine RandolphElaine RandolphElaine RandolphElaine RandolphElaine Randolph: ChapterPresident, TechniScribe columnist,speaker, Region 8 ConferencePublications Manager

Jeff RandolphJeff RandolphJeff RandolphJeff RandolphJeff Randolph: Chapter Secretary,Webmaster, TechniScribe mailingcoordinator, Registration Table,Region 8 Conference speaker

Elaine ReganElaine ReganElaine ReganElaine ReganElaine Regan: TechniScribecontributor

Carolyn RomanoCarolyn RomanoCarolyn RomanoCarolyn RomanoCarolyn Romano: FacilitiesCoordinator

Dayna SantiagoDayna SantiagoDayna SantiagoDayna SantiagoDayna Santiago: Registration Table

Mike SaundersMike SaundersMike SaundersMike SaundersMike Saunders: TechniScribecontributor

Ann ShogrenAnn ShogrenAnn ShogrenAnn ShogrenAnn Shogren: New Member EventCoordinator, TechniScribecontributor, Registration Table

Laura Smith-BlackLaura Smith-BlackLaura Smith-BlackLaura Smith-BlackLaura Smith-Black: TechniScribecontributor

Matthew SternMatthew SternMatthew SternMatthew SternMatthew Stern: President’s Awardfor organizing March chaptermeeting

Anne StratfordAnne StratfordAnne StratfordAnne StratfordAnne Stratford: TechniScribecopyeditor, Education Committee

Chuck VaughnnChuck VaughnnChuck VaughnnChuck VaughnnChuck Vaughnn: EducationCommittee

Sheila VaughnnSheila VaughnnSheila VaughnnSheila VaughnnSheila Vaughnn: Education Chair,Nominating Committee

Bill WoodBill WoodBill WoodBill WoodBill Wood: Chapter Treasurer,TechniScribe contributor,Education Committee

Barbara YoungBarbara YoungBarbara YoungBarbara YoungBarbara Young: TechniScribeAssistant Editor


Membership NewsBy Julie Dotson, OCSTC VP Membership

I hope someone is reading this poolside! Perhapsyou are digging your toes in the sand? The lazy days

of summer are upon us, but rest assured; your newAdministrative Council is planning another great year.

As the new VP of Membership I took it upon myselfto look back over some numbers for OCSTC. I

reviewed the chapter membershipcounts for the last six months on theSTC web site and read past member-ship news from the OCSTC web site. I

wound up creating an Excel file—anddoing various “data sorts.” If you are

wondering why I was not at the beachor doing something fun, you’re notalone! I was wondering the same as I

muddled through!

I came to a very satisfying conclusion: the OrangeCounty Society for Technical Communication is faringquite well, all things considered! In March 2002 STCworldwide had a major drop in membership (7,117)to 17,951 total members, down from 25,068 inFebruary! And here I was a bit nervous becauseOCSTC had dropped from 472 members in Februaryto 340 in March. I remember our chapter’s new all-time record of 503 members in March 2001, andbelieve we have a shot at meeting, and maybebeating, that number this year! As of May we nowhave 363 members, so we have our work cut out forus!

I found that some chapters nationwide actually hadan increase in membership after the dust settled withthe final counts—despite the economy. At least 22chapters had an increase; five were student chapters.I’m sure there are more, but I didn’t check every one.TransAlpine had 31 new members! Several chaptershad a loss. Silicon Valley settled in at 1,029 members,and that was after a decrease of 252 members! STC isa great organization to be a part of, and our chapter istruly unique. We are very fortunate.

Next month we’ll introduce more new members. Fornow, take a peek at the following new memberprofile and keep an eye out for new folks at chaptermeetings. Our VP of Programs, Jack Molisani, isplanning some fantastic seminars, classes, and meet-ing topics for the coming year, so be sure to share thegood news with co-workers and friends. We haveback issues of the TechniScribe newsletter on themembership table for guests and new members, andmembership forms for interested folks. Your guests

may help themselves, and you can take some news-letters and membership applications to your office ifyou’d like!

Now, for a new member profile:

Carol WalterscheidtCarol WalterscheidtCarol WalterscheidtCarol WalterscheidtCarol Walterscheidt

I am currently working as a technical writer at PacificLife Insurance Company. In May, I relocated toOrange County from Houston, Texas where I workedas a Senior Financial Writer for AIM Capital Manage-ment, Inc. Prior to serving in this capacity, I worked asa supervisor and Senior Instructional Designer forAIM’s Retail Marketing department.

What I like best about technical writing and instruc-tional design is taking a difficult task, or complexinformation, and breaking it into chunks of under-standable information. In my current position, Icreate content for an online repository of informationthat serves as a great resource for Pacific Life employ-ees. I will also have an opportunity to train employeeson this online system for which I’m developingcontent.

After earning my BS in Business Administration fromthe University of Texas at Austin, I moved to Houstonto take a job with AIM Management. I spent ten yearsthere before pursuing my dream to live in SouthernCalifornia. I’m enjoying my new job and my newenvironment. I’m especially enjoying the weather,low humidity, and the beaches.

I attended my first STC meeting in June after hearingabout the society from my co-worker, Anne Miller,who has been a member of the Orange CountyChapter for just over a year. I’m anxious to attendadditional meetings and find out more about thechapter and what it has to offer. �

As of March 31, 2002:

Total members: 17,951

OCSTC member count: 363

Membership at a glanceMembership at a glanceMembership at a glanceMembership at a glanceMembership at a glance


We members of the OCSTC have before us anotherextraordinary responsibility: we must recruit ourindustry colleagues, those with whom we work daily,telling them outright that one of the great advantagesof joining the OCSTC is learning about SEX. We mustdo our best to tell them our industry is changing.Again.

Now that senior managers have been informed (byNORNE) that SEX is here to stay, all of us realize thatwe will be inundated with polemical memos telling usto learn, learn, learn.

Meantime, to discover more about this old-newprogram, go to a search engine—I recommendGoogle.com—type in SEX, and begin your search.You will discover that SEX is already all over the Net.After doing that, recruit, recruit, recruit. �

< “The Pierstorff Column” from page 2

�

The July OCSTC meeting, coordinated and led by Jack Molisani, was host to a very successful career fair lastmonth. Members had the opportunity to meet companies hiring technical writers. Attendees also had ampletime to network and have their résumé critiqued by colleagues and specialists. Several new members, non-members, and those considering the technical writing field joined the meeting. They were definitely impressedwith some of the fantastic services that OCSTC offers: a career fair in spite of an economic downturn. Thistype of opportunity is yet another benefit of your OCSTC membership!

Alicia Stevens and Brooke Rye

Becky Gingras(l) and Corinne Kantor

Michelle Wier(r) and Mary Hudson

Society Pages


Society Pages

OCSTC Employment Information

By Jeff Randolph, Employment Manager

Our job listing is entirely online at the OCSTC website, and the pages are updated as jobs are submit-ted.

Staff Jobs

www.ocstc.org/employme.asp

Contract Jobs

www.ocstc.org/contractme.asp

If you have an inquiry or a job to post, e-mail JeffRandolph at [email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected].

A limited number of printed copies of the OCSTCweb site listings are available at monthly chaptermeetings.

Society Level Job Listings

STC maintains job listings on the Internet. You candownload the listings from the STC web site atwww.stc.org/jobdatabase.htm

STC Mission Statement STC Mission Statement STC Mission Statement STC Mission Statement STC Mission StatementDesigning the Future of Technical Communication.

Positioning Statement Positioning Statement Positioning Statement Positioning Statement Positioning StatementSTC helps you design effective communication for a technical world throughinformation sharing and industry leadership.

The Society for Technical Communication (STC) is the world’s largestorganization for technical communicators. Its more than 20,000 membersinclude writers, editors, illustrators, printers, publishers, photographers,educators, and students.

Dues are $115 per year, plus a one-time enrollment fee. Membership is open toanyone engaged in some phase of technical communication, interested in thearts and sciences of technical communication, and in allied arts and sciences.

STC headquarters contact information:

Society for Technical Communication901 N. Stuart StreetSuite 904Arlington, VA 22203-1854

OCSTC Mailing AddressP.O. Box 28751Santa Ana, CA 92799-8751(949) 863-7666 (recorded info)

Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

SANTA ANA, CA

PERMIT NO. 1767

Visit These Other STC Sites...

OCSTC Training Schedule at http://vaughnn.com/ocstc/ocstc_edu.html

Future Conferences

Friday & Saturday October 5-6, 2002 Region 7 Conference, Portland, ORKeynote Speaker – Vincent Flanders. For additional information, go to the Region 7 Conference web site at www.region7conference.com

Postage Due Trust Acct. No. 999231Santa Ana P&DC, CA 92799-9702

Calendar of EventsAugust 7 Administrative Council Meeting,, 5:45 P.M., ProSpring Inc.

August 20 OCSTC Chapter Meeting, 6:00 P.M., Irvine Marriott Hotel

August Meeting Speaker: How to Deal With Difficult PeopleHave you ever encountered someone you found almost impossible to work with? If so, then the Augustmeeting is for you. Our guest speaker, De Murr, is Manager of the technical publications department for Walt

Disney Imagineering (WDI), and a Fellow of the STC. During her 20 years in thetechnical communication field, she has spent ten years managing technical writingdepartments and projects and “has had to work with or manage every type ofperson you can imagine!”

De will address why people are difficult, types of difficult behavior, and will offerpractical coping skills and techniques to help you communicate in the workplace.

“Direct and easy communication—freedom of speech in all forms and its broad-est sense—has become vital to the very survival of a civilized humanity.”

– Walt Disney

Come to the OCSTC chapter meeting on Tuesday, August 20th and learn to tameeven the most difficult lions of the corporate jungle!

accessible web site design - ocstc · wide web consortium (w3c) and the federal government defining...

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