Media Accessibility

Crystal Gold, M.S.Assistant Director

Multimedia Development Services, UCTS

University College, IUPUI

What is Accessibility?

Making information usable and understandable for EVERYONE

Ensure potential audience pool is as large as possible

Why is this important to us?

Over 234 million Americans are using the Internet (2007)

About 49.7 million Americans have some level of disability

Organizations receiving federal funding are governed by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requiring compliance with specific guidelines

Why is this important to us?

The success of an online initiative depends on it being used. Why would you want to restrict use? Open the

potential pool of users as wide as possible! Ethically, it is good practice to make information

useful for everyone - without limitations Accessibility goes beyond federal regulations

Accessible sites tend to convert to the new technologies faster and easier (PDAs, Cell phones, etc.)

What is Section 508?

Section 508 Information Technology and People with Disabilities

amendment to the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 “Section 508 requires Federal departments and agencies

that develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology to ensure that Federal employees and members of the public with disabilities have access to and use of information and data, comparable to that of the employees and members of the public without disabilities–unless it is an undue burden to do so."

What technology is affected?

The following that is created by or for Federal departments and agencies: Software Applications and Operating Systems Web-based Intranet and Internet Information and

Applications Telecommunications Products Video and Multimedia Products Self Contained, Closed Products Desktop and Portable Computers

So we need to make media work for vision and hearing problems, right?

That is just the start! There are many other disabilities that affect someone’s use of electronic technologies Cognitive disabilities Difficulty reading Poor vision Difficulty with motor skills Physical disabilities that make typing difficult or

impossible Inability to differentiate between certain colors

Don’t forget old and new technologies!

People using non-color displays People with limited or slow access may not

have all of the latest plug-ins or technology Slow connections can make page loading

difficult People on most PDAs, cell phones, and other

small devices require a “stripped down” version of a page for best viewing

So, why don’t we have an “Alternate Site”?

Alternate “Text-Only” sites used to be considered a great way to get information to those with older technology and slow connections, as well as those with disabilities.

UCTS has opted NOT to take this route because: We do not want to force others to a “separate” area due to

their differences It does not meet the spirit of the regulations, just the word

of the law

Basic Guidelines (from W3C)Provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content

Can a user read the same information that is provided in that voice-over?

Can a person use adaptive technologies to read the text to them that is provided on the page?

Basic Guidelines (from W3C) Don't rely on color alone

What does it look like when in black and white? Helps ensure that

contrast is appropriate and that color is not being used to convey information.

Basic Guidelines (from W3C)Clarify natural language usage

Help adaptive technologies read the text Use correct pronunciation Spell out abbreviations

Basic Guidelines (from W3C)Ensure user control of time-sensitive content changes

People may need more time to read text that is actively moving; allow them to pause or even rewind.

Basic Guidelines (from W3C)Use interim solutions

Be aware of the limitations of adaptive technologies and do your best to work around them Podcasts are too small for captioning and do not,

at this time, provide auto-caption like some video. We do not yet know how to make them truly compliant.

Basic Guidelines (from W3C)Use W3C technologies and guidelines

Try to stay away from technologies that require additional plug-ins (like PDFs). Allow users to pick how they would like to receive

information (provide PDF and Word files for download)

But, I don’t know about media design…

If you hire someone to create ANY media piece for you, it is still your responsibility to make sure that they are skilled in ADA compliance. Are they knowledgeable about this topic? Do they share a commitment to making

everything available to everyone?

Where are we now?

We are doing GREAT for blind/auditory-only users!

Where are we now?

We are doing AWFUL for low vision users!

Where are we now?

These results support the changes in ADA testing. New technology now allows us to test for low

vision and see areas we need to improve. We are focusing on improving our site for low

vision users in the new redesign of the UCOL website

Where can I get more information?

World Wide Web Consortium - http://www.w3.org/

Scenarios - http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-Use-Web/#usage

ONLINE SEARCHES: ADA Compliance ADA Guidelines Web Accessibility

References

World Wide Web Consortium – http://www.w3.org/

http://www.access-board.gov/ http://www.internetworldstats.com http://www.dol.gov/odep/faqs/people.htm