ENSURING THE ACCESSIBILITY OF WEB 2.0 IN GOV 2.0

Dr Scott Hollier

Dr Denise Wood

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• Not-for-profit organisation addressing access issues in: • TV• Cinema• DVD • Education• Digital and Online Media

• Access issues include captioning, audio description, computer-related and Internet-related access issues

MEDIA ACCESS AUSTRALIA

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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA (UNISA)

• UniSA is the largest university in South Australia, with 37,000 students and 2,400 staff across six city and regional campuses.

• Commitment to providing equitable access to higher education for all sections of the Australian community.

• UniSA hosts Australia's National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education.

• Has implemented a Web accessibility policy and employs auditing practices to ensure compliance.

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WHO ARE WE?

• Dr Scott Hollier: • Project Manager & W3C AC Representative

• PhD looking at online accessibility

• Legally blind, personal interest in accessibility

• Dr Denise Wood: • Senior Lecturer and Researcher (media)

• Expertise in Web 2.0 and inclusive education

• Project leader of research focusing on accessible design

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INTRODUCTION

• Brief history of access: benefits and barriers

• How people with disabilities go online• WCAG 2.0 and the NTS • Document accessibility: best practice• Social media

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BRIEF HISTORY OF ACCESS

• For the mainstream population, Internet was viewed primarily as an information and communication resource

• For people with disabilities, Internet was viewed as a gateway to independence

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ACCESS ISSUES

• Broadband: 72% Internet in home generally, 48% for people with disabilities

• Web accessibility still biggest issues• Social media accessibility issues• Captions: limited but growing (YouTube)• Audio description: very little online• Cloud computing: accessibility issues, but improving (Google Docs update)

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USER EXPERIENCE

• People with disabilities generally use assistive technologies to help use a computer

• Assistive Technology is the practical implementation of technology to support and help people with disabilities

• Old model: specialist AT costs $1000-$2000

• New model: OS now contains many of these tools, and free open-source also viable

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POPULAR OS FEATURES

Windows XP/Vista/7: •Great support except for blind users•Solution: free NVDA screen readerMac: •Great accessibility tools iOS (iPhone, iPad): •Also great accessibility, similar to Mac featuresGoogle Android: •Not there yet, but evolving Cloud: WebAnywhere: wa.cs.washington.edu

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DEMONSTRATION

• Windows 7 Zoom• NVDA

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WCAG 2.0 OVERVIEW

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0 released in 1999 to help make AT work with Web

• WCAG 2.0 released in December 2008 to be more technology-neutral

• Three compliance levels: ‘A’, ‘AA’, ‘AAA’• Based on four POUR design principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable and Robust

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WCAG 2.0 OVERVIEW

Perceivable:

• Provide text alternatives for non-text content.

• Provide captions and alternatives for audio and video content.

• Make content adaptable; and make it available to assistive technologies.

• Use sufficient contrast to make things easy to see and hear.

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WCAG 2.0 OVERVIEW

Operable:• Make all functionality keyboard

accessible. • Give users enough time to read and use content.

• Do not use content that causesseizures.

• Help users navigate and find content.

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WCAG 2.0 OVERVIEW

Understandable:• Make text readable and

understandable. • Make content appear and operate in

predictable ways. • Help users avoid and correct mistakes.Robust:• Maximize compatibility with current and future technologies.

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FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ACCESSIBILITY POLICY

• National Transition Strategy (NTS)

• Level ‘A’ by end of 2012

• Level ‘AA’ by end of 2014

• Ties in with DDA 1992 requirements, supported by AHRC

• Also requirement of UNCRPD

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STATE/TERRITORY ACCESSIBILITY POLICY

STATE/TERRITORY WCAG VERSION MINIMUM RECOMMENDED

WA 2.0 A AA

SA 2.0 A -

NSW 2.0 AA -

Victoria 2.0 A AA or AAA

Queensland 2.0 AA* (no 1.2 - AD) -

Tasmania 2.0 A AA or AAA

ACT 2.0 A -

NT 1.0 AA -

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AUDITING WEBSITES FOR ACCESSIBILITY

• Automated software that checks for WCAG compliance

• Tools can’t check everything, still good to have user testing

• Free tools: TAW, WAVE, aChecker, accessibility toolbars and extensions

• Commercial tools: Sortsite, CSE html validator

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INDUSTRY PROGRAM

• Professional Certificate in Web Accessibility

Compliance is an industry focused online program.

• Aim of the program is for participants to develop

expertise in the principles and techniques of web

accessibility in compliance with the W3C Web Content

Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0).

• Participants develop an understanding of the principles

of usability and accessibility, policy and legislative

frameworks, and knowledge and applied skill in

implementing W3C WCAG 2.0.

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GOOD DESIGN AND BAD DESIGN IN GOVERNMENT

Good: •Seniors (Federal government): www.seniors.gov.au

Bad: Webaxe Podcast and blog on practical web design accessibility tips http://webaxe.blogspot.com/2011/02/disney-other-recent-web-accessibility.html

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PDF CREATION

• AGIMO and VA study found PDFs to be largely inaccessible

• Best practice:• Follow Adobe’s PDF accessibility guidelines

• If PDF is generated from Word document, use Word 2010’s accessibility checker first then make PDF

• Always provide an accessible alternative, eg Word document (saved as 2003 .doc)

• Never create a PDF from a scan

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SOCIAL MEDIA ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES

• AbilityNet audit found:• Lack of alternative text for images

• Keyboard accessibility limitations

• CAPTCHA systems that are not accessible

• Lack of captions or transcripts for user created video

• Use of fixed font size for text

• Functions that rely entirely on JavaScript

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SOCIAL MEDIA SOLUTIONS

• Workaround: provide links to accessible alternatives such as :

• Accessible YouTube players

• Easy Chirp accessible Twitter

• Facely HD accessible Facebook iPhone app

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CURRENT RESEARCH

• MAA received ACCAN grant to provide resources on social media (release due in early 2012)

• UniSA has received Telstra grant to investigate accessibility of mobile technologies.

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THE FUTURE

• NBN holds great promise for services, needs to be accessible

• Cloud accessibility • Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure (GPII)

• Mainstream mobile technologies

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FURTHER INFORMATION

Advice is free!•E-mail: scott.hollier@mediaaccess.org.au•denise.wood@unisa.edu.au•Telephone: (08) 9311 8230 or (08) 8302 4642•Website: www.mediaaccess.org.au or www.unisa.edu.au•Twitter: @mediaaccessaus•@denise_wood