TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Thank you for your thought-provoking post on color blindness.
Both of my sons are colorblind...inherited from me, since my father is
also colorblind. (The trait is linked to the X chromosome and since boys
only get one from their mother to make up the XY pairing...it's a 50/50
shot that a mother born of a colorblind father will pass it on.)
I bring this up because you'd think I'd be more sensitive to the
disability at work...more sensitive than most. However, I'm embarrassed
to admit I have not stopped to consider problems like green and red
squiggles in Word. In fact, having just implemented SAP here, I should
have thought to speak up when the design team introduced a status
indicator that uses a traffic light metaphor.
You correctly state that colorblindness is a disability and that bears
constant reminding... I can't tell you how many squabbles I've broken up
between my sons and their 'sweet' playmates, who find their inability to
recognize the red circles painted on the green grass during a "friendly"
game of horseshoes to be grounds for not wanting them on their team.
"How can you POSSIBLY not see the red??"
Thank you for tossing the metaphorical brick at my head. I needed it.
WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word features support for every major Help
format plus PDF, HTML and more. Flexible, precise, and efficient content
delivery. Try it today!. http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
