Accessibility: The Inclusive Web - One for Everyone in the Audience?

Dr. Barry McMullin
Research Institute for Networks and
Communications Engineering (RINCE)
Dublin City University

HEAnet National Networking Conference
Kilkenny, 7 November 2003
[Presentation also available in PDF Format.]

Who cares...
Overview of Presentation
What is Web Accessibility?
Why is Web Accessibility an Issue?
Impact of the Web on People with Disabilities
Web Accessibility is a Cross-Disability Issue
Web Accessibility is a Marketplace Issue
Accessibility Contributes to Universal Design (Design for All)
Guidelines for Accessibility
WCAG Conformance Levels
How are we (in Ireland) doing?
Methodology
Key Results
Pervasive Defects (Priority 1 or 2)
Web Accessibility is a Right ...
Thanks...
Links
Copyright

Who cares...

If anybody asks me what the Internet means to me, I will tell him without hesitation: To me (a quadriplegic) the Internet occupies the most important part in my life. It is my feet that can take me to any part of the world; it is my hands which help me to accomplish my work; it is my best friend--it gives my life meaning.

- Dr. ZhangXu

Overview of Presentation

What is it?
Who does it affect?
Why does it matter?
How to achieve it?
How are we (in Ireland) doing?
40.1 All citizens shall, as human persons, be held equal before the law ...
Thanks ...

What is Web Accessibility?

Web accessibility means access to the Web by everyone, regardless of disability.

Web accessibility includes:

Web sites and applications
- that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with;
Web browsers and media players
- that can be used effectively by people with disabilities, and
- that integrate or interoperate with assistive technologies that some people with disabilities use to access the Web;
Web authoring tools, and evolving Web technologies
- that support production of accessible Web content and Web sites, and
- that can be used effectively by people with disabilities.

Why is Web Accessibility an Issue?

There are several reasons why Web accessibility is important:

use of the Web is spreading rapidly into all areas of society;
there are barriers on the Web for many types of disabilities;
millions of people have disabilities that affect access to the Web;
some Web sites are required to be accessible;
Web accessibility also has carry-over benefits for other users.

Impact of the Web on People with Disabilities

The Web is becoming a key resource for:
- news, information, commerce, entertainment,
- classroom education, distance learning,
- job searching, workplace interaction,
- civic participation, public services.
It is complementing or even displacing traditional sources of information and interaction:
- schools, libraries, print materials, discourse of the workplace;
- some of these traditional resources were accessible; some not.
An accessible Web (would) mean unprecedented access to information for people with disabilities.

Web Accessibility is a Cross-Disability Issue

Examples of design requirements for people with different kinds of disabilities include:

Visual:
- described graphics or video;
- well marked-up tables or frames;
- keyboard support, speech synthesis compatibility;
Hearing:
- captioning for audio, supplemental illustration;
Physical, Speech:
- keyboard or single-switch support;
- alternatives for speech input on voice portals;
Cognitive, Neurological:
- consistent navigation, appropriate language level;
- illustration; no flickering or strobing designs.

Web Accessibility is a Marketplace Issue

At least 10% of the population in most countries has disabilities;
- visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities can all affect access to the Web
Average age of population in many countries is increasing;
- aging sometimes results in combinations of accessibility issues;
- vision & hearing changes, changes in dexterity & memory.
Few organizations can afford to deliberately alienate this market sector.

Accessibility Contributes to Universal Design (Design for All)

Accessible Web design contributes to better design for other users:

Multi-modality (support for visual, auditory, tactile access) benefits users of:
- mobile phones with small display screens, Web-TV, kiosks.
Multi-modality increases usability of Web sites in different situations:
- low bandwidth (images are slow to download);
- noisy environments (difficult to hear the audio);
- screen-glare (difficult to see the screen);
- driving (eyes and hands are "busy").
Redundant text/audio/video can support:
- different learning styles; low literacy levels; second-language access.
Style sheets can support:
- more efficient page transmission and site maintenance.
Captioning of audio files supports:
- better machine indexing of content; faster searching of content.

Guidelines for Accessibility

W3C: Web Accessibility Initiative

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG 1.0);
Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (ATAG 1.0);
User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (UAAG 1.0);
XML Accessibility Guidelines (XAG).

WCAG Conformance Levels

WCAG-A is a minimum standard which a site must meet to be considered accessible for any significant disability groups;
WCAG-AA is a "professional practice" standard, which all sites should meet to be accessible to a broad range of disability groups;
WCAG-AAA is a "gold standard" of maximum accessibility which some sites may choose to aim for--for example, sites with a particular remit to serve communities of people with disabilities.