Dr. John M. Slatin

It is with great sadness to share that John Slatin passed away on Monday, March 24 after a long battle with leukemia. John was truly a survivor who embodied LIVESTRONG in each day of his life.

John lost his eyesight and became involved in accessibility issues long before the Internet looked anything like it is today. He championed web accessibility, where I first saw his name on the book called “Maximum Accessibility: Making Your Web Site More Usable for Everyone.”

He is the founding Director of the Institute for Technology and Learning at the University of Texas at Austin. He became an international leader for accessibility issues. He was co-chair of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Working Group in 2005 and 2006. He played an integral role in the development of the WCAG 2.0.

Sharron Rush, a friend of John’s and a colleague and friend of mine, told me about John’s battle with cancer in February. He started his fight in 2005 and like a true technologist, created a blog about it called The Leukemia Letters. Here, John has chronicled his treatment, his work, and his love for his wife Anna. Inspired by his story, the Foundation sent John our Manifesto poster, which his friend Jim Thatcher read to him in the hospital.

I couldn’t believe that John had cancer. It was hard for me to accept that a person who had already fought a battle against degenerative vision loss would have to face something even larger. Cancer doesn’t discriminate. It didn’t care about John’s vision or his work. But John’s voice of courage and optimism can be heard between the lines of his blog as he never gave up and felt blessed being surrounded by people who loved him.

My heart goes out to his family, his friends, and to the community of people whose lives he not only touched but affected through his work. His legacy will create freedom of information available to everyone, regardless of their battles. John and his family have left an impression on me as they never backed down and never stopped sharing their love. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.