Course Title: Web Accessibility Initiative

Identifying the difficulties impaired users have when using the internet and what can be done to correct them.

Brief Course Description:

We all rely on the internet for information, news, entertainment, communication, and various other ways for personal uses and to improve your performance at work. Have you ever stopped to wonder if using the internet is as easy for people with disabilities as it is for you? Websites historically have not been written with the disabled in mind, therefore it has not been easy for them to obtain the same benefits from this great technology - you might be surprised at how difficult it is for a disabled user to obtain the same information you find easy to get and understand.

Instructors Name Anne-Marie Fiore John Femia Contact Information afiore@ceuschool.com jfemia@ceuschool.com Years of Experience: 20 10 Academic Qualifications

Masters of School Administration Cambridge College Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies Bentley College B.S. Education Boston Conservatory of Music

BS Business Administration Villanova University MBA Pepperdine Unversity

Certifications: Approved Cisco Certified Academic Instructor

Approved Instructor Cisco Fundamentals of Web Design Program

Brief Bio: Anne-Marie Fiore Anne-Marie has been teaching in elementary education in the Somerville MA public school system for the over 20 years. Her broad range of experience includes teaching music, technology, and special education programs as well as developing the technology curriculum at the middle school level. She is also a Professor at Middlesex Community College. She is a Cisco Certified Academic Instructor, and serves a consultant on the Curriculum Support Team. Miss Fiore is also the owner of CyberSpace Design, a web development and hosting company.. John Femia John is a full time Professor at Middlesex Community College where he has been teaching Economics and Technology courses for the past 8 years. He serves as the Web Department Coordinator for the college, and has written and developed degree program curriculums at the college. His latest endeavors have been concentrating on helping students to identify career paths and including workplace behaviors into the classroom. He is a certified instructor for the Cisco Fundamentals of Web Design Program. One of the first participants to complete the Distance Learning Initiative training at the college, his on-line courses are designed to encourage participation and critical thinking.

Course Objectives: After taking this course you should be able to:

• Recognize that websites have not been designed for impaired users and can be difficult to use for many different populations

• Define the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)

• Identify a series of scenarios that explain why these potential populations may have accessibility issues

• Identify the visual, auditory, physical (or motor), speech, cognitive, and neurological challenges users face when using the world wide web and offer suggestions to improve accessibility for each specific disability

• Identify the 3 Priority Levels designers should strive to achieve in order to meet ADA guidelines, and know that:

Priority 1 - A Web content developer must satisfy this checkpoint. Priority 2 - A Web content developer should satisfy this checkpoint. Priority 3 - A Web content developer may address this checkpoint

• Test a website (using http://www.cast.org/bobby/ ) for accessibility and communicate changes needed to appropriate webmasters to improve site accessibility

• Interview a disabled person and identify individual accessibility issues based on the individual’s impairment

• Offer recommendations of assistive devices based on an analysis of a user’s impairment

• Review a web page and consider how text, color, images, navigation, or other potential design aspects may cause accessibility issues

• Communicate the importance of meeting accessibility guidelines to authoritative persons within an organization in order to avoid discriminatory practices

• Use the many different resources on the world wide web to pinpoint accessibility issues and offer solutions based on appropriate research

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

1.1 Users with Disabilities

1.2 WAI – the Web Accessibility Initiative

1.3 Visual disabilities

1.4 Auditory disabilities

1.5 Motor disabilities

1.6 Cognitive disabilities

1.7 Speech disabilities

1.8 Assistive Technologies

1.9 Legal issues

1.10 Section 508

1.11 A Case in Point

1.12 Additional Resources

APPENDIX A - WAI Guidelines appendix with Priority Checkpoints

REFERENCES

Introduction

"The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect." -- Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide Web

The World Wide Web is displacing traditional sources of information and interaction --

schools, libraries, previously printed materials, and information exchange in the

workplace are all increasing their dependence on accessibility to the web. . Although

some of the traditional resources were accessible; some were not, and so the

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was born. With regard to the WWW, under ADA

guidelines an accessible Web means accommodated access to information for people

with disabilities.

Web Accessibility is a major issue not only in the United States, but worldwide - at least

10% of the population in most countries have some type of impairment or disability,

which may be as small as color blindness or as big an obstacle as a loss of a limb

required to use a mouse. Visual, auditory, physical, speech, and cognitive or

neurological disabilities can all affect access to the Web. Persons with recognizable

cognitive and physical impairments are not the only populations affected. Sometimes

people thought of as in the mainstream of the population are affected as well. The

average age of the population in many countries is increasing. An aging population can

sometimes result in various combinations of accessibility issues such as vision &

hearing changes, changes in dexterity, and memory abilities. Most of us at some time

in our lives will experience visual impairment (inability to read small print or

colorblindness, for example) and/or hearing impairment (most people 50 years or older

experience some hearing loss).

1.1 Users with Disabilities There are over 750 million disabled persons worldwide. You know how much easier it

can be to shop or obtain information online compared with the problems inherent in

visiting the mall or the local library. Users with impairments appreciate the convenience

of the Internet just as much as the unimpaired user.

There is some pressure on browser developers to include support for accessibility

guidelines, particularly in the U.S. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) currently

requires all government subsidized websites to meet these guidelines, and may

eventually require that these guidelines be followed by all web designers because of the

extensive use of the web in the workplace and commercial enterprise. Consider a

disabled worker who is prevented from accessing information he or she requires to

perform his duties because of his disability. If other co-workers have the ability to obtain

the information and no effort has been made by the employer to provide access to the

disabled worker, a discriminatory situation has occurred.

There are many types of disabled people. Below is a short list of scenarios for you to consider:

1. An online shopper with color blindness 2. A reporter with repetitive stress injury 3. An online student who is deaf 4. An accountant who is blind 5. A student with dyslexia 6. A retiree with aging-related conditions trying to manage personal finances 7. A supermarket assistant with cognitive disabilities 8. A teenager with deaf-blindness, seeking entertainment

Many people have disabilities, handicaps, or impairments. The following definitions will

help distinguish between the 3:

Impairment: A "loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological, or anatomical

structure or function". Impairments are disturbances at the level of the organ and

include defects, loss of limb, organ or other body structure and defects or loss of mental

function.

Disability: Any restriction or lack of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within

the range considered normal for a human being.

Handicap: A disadvantage for a given individual resulting from an impairment or a

disability that limits or prevents the fulfilment of a role that is normal for that individual.

Handicap is a classification of role reduction resulting from circumstances which place

an impaired or disabled person at a disadvantage compared to other persons.

When discussing web accessibility, we will include all three definitions and consider

persons with disabilities, impairments, or handicaps as those who require an

accommodation or intervention that equals the ability of that person to perform an

activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being; or that

helps to ensure the fulfillment of a role that is considered normal.

Supplemental Activity: Interview someone you know with disabilities about their experiences using the internet.

1.2 – WAI – The Web Accessibility Initiative

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is the governing body for establishing

protocols for how web pages are written and how they will be interpreted by internet

browsers. W3C has adapted the WAI, or the Web Accessibility Initiative in order to

increase accessibility for all users of the internet.

Why is Web Accessibility an Issue? The Web is becoming a key resource for:

• News, information, commerce, entertainment

• Classroom education, distance learning

• Job searching, workplace interaction

• Civic participation, government services Web accessibility includes:

1. Web sites and applications that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with.

2. Web browsers and media players that can be used effectively by people with disabilities, and that work well with assistive technologies that some people with disabilities use to access the Web.

3. 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.

There are several reasons why Web accessibility is important:

• The use of the Web is spreading rapidly into all areas of society

• There are many barriers on the Web for all types of disabilities

• Some Web sites are required by employers to be accessible

• Web accessibility has carry-over benefits for users other than the disabled

The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

publishes guidelines to make access to the World Wide Web available to all. Web

designers are encouraged to follow these guidelines. The following are guidelines that

web designers should follow in order to make websites accessible from both the original

guide and the latest proposals:

Provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content - If you are using

sound or graphics, include text descriptions and employ HTML-based aids, such as the

alt attribute in images.

Do not rely on color alone - Ensure that all information conveyed with color is also

available without color. Foreground and background color combinations should provide

sufficient contrast.

Design for ease of comprehension - Write clearly and simply. Use summaries or

divide large blocks of information into more manageable units. This guideline is

especially important for visually impaired users who rely on screen readers. If your

website contains needless text, those who rely on screen readers would have to endure

listening to it before they would hear the important information. This can be extremely

frustrating and may cause that user to leave your site and go to elsewhere for

information.

Design for device-independence - Create a logical tab order through links, form

controls, and objects. Provide keyboard shortcuts to important links.

Provide clear navigation mechanisms - Navigation and interaction features should be

consistent. Links should be clearly identified and logically organized.

Ensure user control of time-sensitive content changes - Provide the ability to stop

or slow the flow of data.

Ensure direct accessibility of embedded user interfaces - Provide access to the

interface, by aids such as screen readers, for an embedded object such as an applet. If

this is not possible, provide ALT text.

Provide context and orientation information - Present the information simply and

group similar ideas, particularly for frames and forms. Provide headings to allow for

reader scanning. And provide the ability to stop or slow the loading of a page while

making sure the content is still accessible when half loaded (e.g., a page consisting of

only images will not display when loaded halfway).

The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

publishes guidelines to make access to the World Wide Web available to all, and web

designers are encouraged to follow these guidelines. A full listing of Priority

Checkpoints designers should follow when designing web pages and web sites is

included in Appendix A at the end of your reading.

Online Activity

Please visit the Web Accessibility Initiative and read more about the importance of accessibility:

http://www.w3.org/WAI/ 1.3 Visual disabilities Since most web pages are highly visual, they are not user-friendly to those who are

visually impaired. The definition of blindness is the visual acuity of not greater than

20/200 in the better eye with correction or a field not subtending an angle greater than

20 degrees. The general misconception of the definition of blindness is that a person

“cannot see”, but a interpreting further and expanding on the difficulties in using the web

accessibility does not mean legally blind by definition but must include having a severe

visual impairment. A visually impaired person may be able to distinguish shapes or be

able to distinguish some forms of light. A person who has a severe sensitivity to light

such that they may be unable to keep their eyes open because of the pain that it causes

may be able read an eye chart – this person is not considered “legally blind”, yet has a

visual impairment. There is some evidence that in the United States the percentage of

people who have some form of color blindness (or being unable to distinguish one or

more chromatic colors) could be as high as 15%.

Those who are blind can utilize synthetic voice or digital audio technology. Those who

have limited vision will benefit from screen magnification and large text fonts. The

following information describes several difficulties encountered by the visually impaired

user and suggestions for improvement in design.

Text

Pages that are mostly text are reasonably easy to access for blind or visually impaired

users because the text can be fed to a screen reader that will read the text aloud

through a synthesizer. However, long pages of text are undesirable since they would

take the screen reader a long time to read, thus causing the user some difficulties in

extracting information or understanding concepts.

Color

The use of color can affect how the web page is viewed. Designers should consider

that colored backgrounds that do not strongly contrast with the color of the text make

reading text very difficult for users, particularly those with limited vision. Some

combinations of background and text colors can make a page virtually unreadable to

color-blind users. To minimize these problems, designers should provide high contrast

between background and text colors. Also, web sites should be reviewed by at least one

red-green color-blind user, since it is the most common form of colorblindness.

Graphics

You should provide an alternative method for "displaying" your images to people who

cannot see them. The main solution to this problem is for designers to use the ALT

attribute. Typical HTML code used to insert an image in a web page might read as

follows:

<IMG SRC="dog.jpg" WIDTH="250"HEIGHT="100" ALT="photo of a dog">

Users who cannot see the photo will see or hear the alternative text "photo of a dog"

instead. A visually impaired user would at least know what type of image is on the

page. Some accessibility specialists advocate using descriptive language to help

explain what the sighted user is seeing. For example, the photo of the dog could be

described as "photo of a small, shaggy, tan dog with pointed ears." To insure

accessibility for the visually impaired user, describe everything in text before you decide

what visual images you will design.

Science and Math Notations

Web content containing science or math notations is often inaccessible to a blind

person. Not all languages contain characters that clearly represent the intended

notation. The W3C has made advances in the Mathematical Markup Language:

MathML. While this is an improvement, many problems have yet to be resolved. HP

EzMath is an application that simplifies the coding of mathematical expressions.

More information on HP EzMath can be found at: http://www.w3.org/People/Raggett/EzMath/ CAST eReader

CAST eReader is a text-to-speech software tool designed to support users who have

difficulty seeing or reading. The flexible user interface enables users to choose between

limited or fully equipped toolbars as well as customize the look and feel for ease of use.

eReader is available in both Macintosh and Windows versions.

Reasons to Use a Text to Speech Tool Like eReader.

For people with learning disabilities, visual disabilities, and reading impairments, print-

based text can be completely inaccessible. While in recent years software developers

have created electronic screen readers that convert text to speech, few of these

programs offer effective control over how the text is displayed and read, nor do they

provide flexible reading features that allow teachers to both support and challenge their

students. Therefore, for those with learning disabilities, visual impairments, reading

disabilities, or language proficiency problems, even electronic text can be difficult to

decipher. The World Wide Web poses additional barriers. While the Web provides a

great deal of useful, educational information, its reading levels, page design, and

emphasis on graphics can make it inaccessible, or even unusable, for some.

Online Activity: Download and try the eReader3.0 30-day Demo to see how the eReader might help an

impaired user interpret web pages by turning text to speech: http://www.cast.org/udl/index.cfm?i=211

1.4 Auditory disabilities The web is a highly visual medium. Sound is rarely needed to understand a web page.

The usability of a site almost always stays the same when the sound is turned off.

However, the trend is toward more multimedia. Regardless of whether sound is

gratuitous, sites should be designed with a hearing impaired audience in mind. In

particular, transcripts should be made available of spoken audio clips, and videos

should be made available in versions with subtitles.

For more detailed information on implementing closed captioning, see: http://ncam.wgbh.org/richmedia/tutorials/captioning.html The website above refers to WBGH, a Boston based PBS affiliate which runs the

National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM). They suggest that you inform users that

you have implemented closed captioning and that the method used to inform them is

based on text. As a rule of thumb, this is a good suggestion for any messages you wish

to communicate.

Web Links General information on closed captioning is available at: http://www.captions.org/

Online Activity: Go to http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/genome/program.html

Watch a short clip from the NOVA series with the closed captioning turned off. Turn the closed captioning on and watch it again. Compare and contrast the two experiences.

1.5 Motor disabilities Many users have difficulty using the mouse for detailed movements or holding down

multiple keys simultaneously. Users without the use of their hands or those who have

limited mobility in their hands may find some tasks impossible. For example, moving a

mouse so that the cursor can hover over a pull-down menu and the user can then

choose an item from that list requires steady and precise control of the mouse. Some

physically disabled users utilize head pointing devices or eye trackers. Head and eye

movement are not always easy for these users, so keep the design simple and provide

easy controls for navigation.

Many of these issues are addressed by improved browser design. But the designer

should be careful not to design elements into the website which would impede impaired

users. Also, applets and flash files which are generally used in design for interactivity

and/or artistic issues should be implemented to allow operations that do not require a

mouse as well. These features are standard with both Java and ActiveX, so it is simply

a matter of implementing the code correctly according to the official guidelines from Sun

Microsystems, Microsoft, and other software tool vendors.

An access problem that is not so readily obvious involves kiosk-based websites. These

kiosks are almost everywhere worldwide. They can be found in airports, hotels, coffee

shops, stores and a multitude of other places. Imagine the frustration of a physically

handicapped person who attempts to utilize this wonderful service and cannot because

the facility or the computer station is not wheelchair accessible. Providing accessibility

is a mindset that must anticipate all venues.

Key Concepts: Motor Impairments

Challenges Solutions Users may not be able to use the mouse

Designs need to be sure that all functions are available from the keyboard (try tabbing from link to link).

Users may not be able to control the mouse or the keyboard well.

Web Designers need to be sure that all pages are error-tolerant (e.g. ask "are you sure you want to delete this file?"), do not create small links or moving links.

Users may be using voice-activated software.

Voice-activated software can replicate mouse movement, but not as efficiently as it can replicate keyboard functionality, so all functions need to be available from the keyboard.

Users may become fatigued when using "puff-and-sip" or similar adaptive technologies.

Designers should provide a method for skipping over long lists of links or other lengthy content.

Christopher Reeve was an avid internet user. In an online chat he was quoted as saying:

“{The Internet is] an essential tool. And, literally, a lifeline for many disabled people. I have Dragon Dictate. And while I was in rehab, I learned to operate it by voice. And I have enjoyed corresponding with friends and strangers with that system. Many disabled people have to spend long hours alone. Voice-activated computers are a means of communication that can prevent a sense of isolation."

Online Activity:

Visit the following website and see how Christopher Reeves describes his experiences using the world wide web:

Visit http://www.christopherreeve.org/ 1.6 Cognitive disabilities

Cognitive disabilities are the least understood and least discussed type of disability

among Web developers. People with ADD, or dyslexia are examples of cognitive

disabilities. As a result, developers rarely design Web content to be accessible to

people with cognitive disabilities. This is unlikely to change overnight, because the

amount of research related to the accessibility of Web content is relatively scarce.

Without a large body of research, the information about designing for people with

cognitive disabilities is more speculative, vague, and much more difficult to implement.

To complicate matters, many cognitive disabilities are ill-defined domains for research.

Such disabilities are sometimes difficult to diagnose and characterize because of the

wide variance between the characteristics of people who have similar cognitive

disabilities.

In light of the problematic nature of defining and categorizing cognitive disabilities it

should come as no surprise that the cognitive disability sciences have not yet

yielded a well-defined set of recommendations for Web developers. This isn't to

say that no recommendations exist. Some recommendations have been incorporated

into the W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Others have been suggested

elsewhere. The problem is that the scarcity of supporting research for these

recommendations casts a shadow of doubt on their accuracy and completeness.

Recommendations for Making Web Content Accessible to People with Cognitive Disabilities

1. Allow fonts to be enlarged.

2. Provide all content in a text format so that it can be read aloud by text-to-speech synthesizers.

3. Illustrate concepts with drawings, diagrams, photos, audio files, video clips,

animations, and other non-textual media.

4. Provide synchronized captions and transcripts for audio.

5. Use softer colors (e.g. pastels) for graphical elements, rather than sharply contrasting colors.

6. Limit or eliminate the use of italics or ALL CAPS.

7. Avoid complex or "busy" visual backgrounds

The Web Accessibility in Mind website can be found at http://webaim.org/

Online Activity Go to http://webaim.org/techniques/cognitive/

See why people with cognitive disabilities have trouble using the world wide web

1.7 Speech disabilities It may also not be readily obvious why we should consider speech ability when

designing websites. Certainly in the present there is little need for speech when

accessing the Internet or surfing the web. How long will it be, however, before speech

input is a requirement? The application that comes immediately to mind is in chat

rooms. The chat system may become speech based relatively soon since speaking is

the natural approach to conversation for most people.

When speech recognition interfaces become common, those with speech impairment

will need alternative access. Any chat system that relies on speech should retain the

possibility for non-speaking users to participate utilizing typed text. Internet telephony

products should integrate voice and text to allow each party in the conversation to

communicate in whichever manner is easiest. Everyone would benefit from having a

text channel available to supplement a voice conversation at times. Transmitting URLs

and other code or providing the correct spelling of a name would be handled more

accurately in text.

1.8 Assistive Technology Assistive technology includes devices and software that help disabled users access the

Web. The following is a partial list of tools for people with disabilities, and discussion

regarding problems inherent in using these tools, that can be aided by proper

accessibility design:

Screen Magnifiers - software based assistive technology for enlarging the images on

the screen. Also used are large text fonts; this requires the designer to provide code for

scaling fonts.

Screen Readers - relies on descriptive text in order to adequately interpret images,

image maps and multi-media features. It has difficulty with multiple frames as it is only

able to interpret one frame at a time. Screen magnification is software used primarily by

individuals with low vision that magnifies a portion of the screen for easier viewing. At

the same time screen magnifiers make presentations larger, they also reduce the area

of the document that may be viewed, removing surrounding context . Some screen

magnifiers offer two views of the screen: one magnified and one default size for

navigation.

Refreshable Braille Display - Braille is a system using six to eight raised dots in

various patterns to represent letters and numbers that can be read by the fingertips.

Braille systems vary greatly around the world. Some "grades" of braille include

additional codes beyond standard alpha-numeric characters to represent common letter

groupings (e.g., "th," "ble" in Grade II American English braille) in order to make braille

more compact. An 8-dot version of braille has been developed to allow all ASCII

characters to be represented. Refreshable or dynamic braille involves the use of a

mechanical display where dots (pins) can be raised and lowered dynamically to allow

any braille characters to be displayed. Refreshable braille displays can be incorporated

into portable braille devices with the capabilities of small computers, which can also be

used as interfaces to devices such as information kiosks.

Voice Recognition - Not all allow speech with normal inflection; those with speech

disabilities can probably not utilize this device. Simple devices have special commands,

which the user must learn. Speech (or voice) recognition is used by people with some

physical disabilities or temporary injuries to hands and forearms as an input method in

some voice browsers. Applications that have full keyboard support can be used with

speech recognition. Speech synthesis or speech output can be generated by screen

readers or voice browsers, and involves production of digitized speech from text. People

who are used to using speech output sometimes listen to it at very rapid speeds

Keyboard and Mouse Alternatives - Head pointing devices and eye trackers are two

popular alternatives to keyboard and mouse input for users with physical disabilities.

Imagemaps, which require precise mouse positioning, create problems for these

alternatives; client-side image maps with ALT tags are the easiest to access. Alternate

keyboards or switches are hardware or software devices used by people with physical

disabilities, that provide an alternate way of creating keystrokes that appear to come

from the standard keyboard. Examples include keyboard with extra-small or extra-large

key spacing, keyguards that only allow pressing one key at a time, on-screen

keyboards, eyegaze keyboards, and sip-and-puff switches. Web-based applications that

can be operated entirely from the keyboard, with no mouse required, support a wide

range of alternative modes of input.

Scanning software - adaptive software used by individuals with some physical or

cognitive disabilities that highlights or announces selection choices (e.g., menu items,

links, phrases) one at a time. A user selects a desired item by hitting a switch when the

desired item is. highlighted or announced

Text browsers Text browsers such as Lynx are an alternative to graphical user

interface browsers. They can be used with screen readers for people who are blind.

They are also used by many people who have low bandwidth connections and do not

want to wait for images to download.

Visual notification - Visual notification is an alternative feature of some operating

systems that allows deaf or hard of hearing users to receive a visual alert of a warning

or error message that might otherwise be issued by sound.

Voice browsers - Voice browsers are systems which allow voice-driven navigation,

some with both voice-input and voice-output, and some allowing telephone-based Web

access.

Web Links One of the best sources of information about assistive technology software is the Trace Center at: http://trace.wisc.edu/world/computer_access/ Connect Outloud, a reader specifically for Internet Explorer 5+, is available at: http://www.hj.com/Connect/CO.html JAWS is a full Windows reader for reading web content, Excel, Word, etc. It is available at: http://www.hj.com/Main.html

On Your Own:

Download one of the products above: Try it on your computer.

1.9 Legal issues It is estimated that there are 54 million people with one or more disabilities in the United

States alone. Nationally, and internationally, it has become apparent that new legislation

is needed and existing legislation must be enforced in order to guarantee access to the

web community by the handicapped. In this section, we will discuss the current legal

requirements for access to the Internet by the physically disabled user.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is probably the most important piece of

legislation for providing the disabled community guarantees of non-discrimination

regarding information technology and services. ADA guarantees "reasonable

accommodation" and "effective communication." Without this, people with disabilities

are denied the ability to compete on a level playing field. ADA was the first legislation

specifically aimed at enforcing web access for the disabled. It requires that the

alternative information accessed must be equal in quality to the original information. In

addition, information must be provided indicating that the alternative accessibility is

there and discussing how to obtain it. This law has teeth; all employers in the United

States with 15 or more full-time employees are required to comply with its requirement

or face a potential lawsuit for discrimination by their employees.

Individuals and agencies are filing suit against employers, both private companies and

government agencies, who do not realize that the information posted on the web is

public knowledge and that EVERYONE has a RIGHT to access it. The National

Federation for the Blind is the principal plaintiff in a lawsuit filed against AOL in 1999

alleging that it is inaccessible to the blind population and violates ADA. Around the

world, similar legislation exists that opens the door for international lawsuits against web

providers who do not insure complete accessibility to the population.

ADA is not the only legislation that addresses this issue. Section 508 of the

Rehabilitation Act specifically states that people with disabilities must be provided with

access, or an alternative means, to electronic and information technology produced by

every Federal department or agency.

1.10 Section 508

Section 508, part of the 1998 Amendments of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, requires

that electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by

the Federal government be accessible to people with disabilities. Many states are now

requiring that sites developed for use by the state government also meet Section 508.

This includes state colleges, community colleges, public schools, and universities.

Also, when electronic or information technology is procured by these departments or

agencies, accessibility must be guaranteed by the provider.

In addition, the Federal government establishes equal rights for all with the following:

The Telecommunications Act - requires accessibility to equipment and services for

those with disabilities and is overseen by the Federal Communications Commission

(FCC).

The Assistive Technology Act - provides Federal funding to states that promote

utilization of assistive technology and to programs that assist the disabled community in

obtaining assistive technology equipment and services.

International support for these laws is already in place. Several countries, including

Australia, Canada, and Britain, have initiated their own legislation. It is no longer a

question of whether accessibility must be programmed in but how can we do it better to

compete in the market. The next section provides a case history which will help illustrate

the problems encountered by disabled Internet users. Keep in mind the legal

requirements presented in this section as you read the case study.

Web Links For more information on ADA, go to: http://janweb.icdi.wvu.edu/kinder/ Also available are many sites which provide legal advice. Two of these sites are: ADA Technical Assistance - http://www.adata.org Internet Lawyer - http://www.internetlawyer.com/index.htm For more information on Section 508, visit: http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/508standards.htm http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/508/web.htm http://access.idyllmtn.com/section508/

On Your Own – Go to http://www.cast.org/bobby/

Enter your favorite url into the url box. See if your favorite website meets with Bobby approval. Remember, for government and school sites, section 508 Guidelines should

be met to ensure equal access for all.

1.11 A Case in Point

Steven Normandin is a student at Middlesex Community College in Bedford

Massachusetts where he is enrolled in the Web Development Certificate Program, and

he is expecting to receive his certificate in 2005. Steven is confined to a wheelchair due

to cerebral palsy. Although he can see a little, he is legally blind and has difficulties

reading computer monitors without assistive devices. His cerebral palsy limits his motor

skills, and because of his disability he cannot type and has difficulty using a mouse.

Steven has been working in the Information Technology field since the 1980s. He has

designed websites for Janco Contracting, Sullivan Farms Homemade Ice Cream,

Cellular Nation, Putnam Camps, and Samanthabusfield.com. His other information

technology projects include computer maintenance and consulting for the Chelmsford

(MA) Public school system, where he recently upgraded the graphics lab at the high

school, and he provides technical support to the lab today. He specializes in consulting

with people on how to apply technology to provide solutions that will work for them, and

loves to solve problems. His motto is that “the customer’s vision is my own”.

Steven is very motivated to make a career for himself in the information technology field

despite his disabilities. Steven needs extensive assistive devices that help him to design

websites and retrieve information on the internet. He has been using software that

reads aloud to him since 1983. The years Steven has spent on the Internet give him a

unique perspective on how the web is no longer as user-friendly for those who are

visually impaired. Steven has seen the web grow and change from a text-based utility to

the highly graphical environment it is today.

Currently, Steven browses the web using a screen reader known as ASAW, which is

combined with a text-to-speech engine that uses his computer's audio capabilities to

read what is onscreen. He uses Internet Explorer with the images turned off.

Here's what Steven has to say about his experiences on the web:

In the early days of the web on a 14.4 connection was easy for me. Since the web was text-based, documents were easy to read, links were clearly specified, and navigating those links was fairly simple. Generally speaking, page content was helpful, interesting, and provided what you wanted quickly. The web was better organized then than now. Everything has become harder to find.

I usually use the web to look for product information, get technical support, and read about computer hardware and software. Most of these sites tend to be easy to use. However, I also want entertainment such as movies, TV, and humor sites. These tend to be very flashy. I can't use the web for news, because news sites tend to be very flashy. The columniation of pages makes using these sites extremely difficult for me. It seems that informational sites still pay attention to text. For example, it's reasonably easy to find general reference material. Where I run into problems is fining current information from sites that contain information but are designed to be artistic without the disabled user in mind. When I get frustrated on the internet, I'm more likely to turn on the TV on than use the internet. My impression of the people who code pages is that they either don’t consider disabled people or possibly just don't care about people with impairments. Designers seem more interested in artistic impressions with little or no regard to the way a person navigates through a website to find information. Web designers determine the look of a site without considering what all types of visitors need.

Web designers and developers need to realize that their sites are being used by people

of all different ages and abilities. The world wide web is a great innovation that has

improved lifestyles, increased productivity, and made information gathering easier for

many people. Establishing a presence on the web and conveying an image is important

to designers, and making sites that are accessible for all people should be foremost in

all design concepts. Even the most active page can offer up viable alternatives to users

with special needs.

Because of ADA mandates, accessibility is improving all the time. Buildings are now

accessible for people in wheelchairs. Sporting events, concerts, and other

entertainment venues have special accommodations for handicapped users. The

internet must become more accessible for all people. The WAI guidelines provide the

means by which individuals such as Steven can achieve a better experience using the

world wide web.

You can visit Steven Normandin at his website. http://www.steven-normandin.com

1.12 Additional Resources

www.cast.org/bobby/ This free service will allow you to test web pages and help expose and repair barriers to accessibility and encourage compliance with existing accessibility guidelines, such as Section 508 and the W3C's WCAG.

http://www.w3.org/WAI Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). The authority on Web Accessibility, details the initiatives being implemented pursuant to the ADA and section 508.

http://validator.w3.org/ The W3C Markup Validation Service is a free service that checks Web documents in formats like HTML and XHTML for conformance to W3C Recommendations and other standards

www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT Lists all of the current guidelines for designers to meet accessibility initiatives

http://www.cast.org CAST is a nonprofit organization that works to expand learning opportunities for all individuals, especially those with disabilities, through the research and development of innovative, technology-based educational resources and strategies

www.webaim.org WebAIM has found that few teacher training and certification institutions across the U.S. teach the issues and strategies of Web accessibility. Instructors of these courses may be more likely to embed accessibility if they have access to content, simulations, assignments, and evaluation tools. The WARP is designed for this purpose, as well as any other teaching opportunities that involve Web accessibility.

www.delorie.com/web/wpbcv.html provides a number of free services to the web community to assist web authors who wish to make their information available to the largest audience. These tools provide alternate ways of viewing your pages, so that you can ensure that your content is received properly by all viewers

www.microsoft.com/enable/ The Microsoft Accessiblity Web site provides information on the accessibility of Microsoft products and related resources including sections on Products.

APPENDIX A From http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/full-checklist.html:

When designing websites, developers have 3 priority levels to meet in order to meet

ADA guidelines. The following is a summary of these priority levels based on the Web

Accessibility Initiatives set by W3C:

If you have any control over assigning an inside or outside organization to develop your

website, you should ensure that these guidelines are followed and met for at least

Priority 1 and Priority 2, with a goal of meeting as many as possible of Priority 3 to so as

not to discriminate against any group of users:

Priorities

Each checkpoint has a priority level assigned based on the checkpoint's impact on

accessibility.

[Priority 1]

A Web content developer must satisfy this checkpoint. Otherwise, one or more groups will find it impossible to access information in the document. Satisfying this checkpoint is a basic requirement for some groups to be able to use Web documents.

[Priority 2]

A Web content developer should satisfy this checkpoint. Otherwise, one or more groups will find it difficult to access information in the document. Satisfying this checkpoint will remove significant barriers to accessing Web documents.

[Priority 3]

A Web content developer may address this checkpoint. Otherwise, one or more groups will find it somewhat difficult to access information in the document. Satisfying this checkpoint will improve access to Web documents. Some checkpoints specify a priority level that may change under certain (indicated) conditions.

Priority 1 Checkpoints In General (Priority 1)

• Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element (e.g., via "alt", "longdesc", or in element content). This includes: images, graphical representations of text (including symbols), image map regions, animations (e.g., animated GIFs), applets and

programmatic objects, ascii art, frames, scripts, images used as list bullets, spacers, graphical buttons, sounds (played with or without user interaction), stand-alone audio files, audio tracks of video, and video.

• 2.1 Ensure that all information conveyed with color is also available without color, for example from context or markup.

• 4.1 Clearly identify changes in the natural language of a document's text and any text equivalents (e.g., captions).

• 6.1 Organize documents so they may be read without style sheets. For example, when an HTML document is rendered without associated style sheets, it must still be possible to read the document.

• 6.2 Ensure that equivalents for dynamic content are updated when the dynamic content changes.

• 7.1 Until user agents allow users to control flickering, avoid causing the screen to flicker.

• 14.1 Use the clearest and simplest language appropriate for a site's content.

• And if you use images and image maps (Priority 1) o Provide redundant text links for each active region of a server-side image

map. o 9.1 Provide client-side image maps instead of server-side image maps

except where the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric shape.

• And if you use tables (Priority 1) o 5.1 For data tables, identify row and column headers. o 5.2 For data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column

headers, use markup to associate data cells and header cells.

• And if you use frames (Priority 1) o 12.1 Title each frame to facilitate frame identification and navigation.

• And if you use applets and scripts (Priority 1) o 6.3 Ensure that pages are usable when scripts, applets, or other

programmatic objects are turned off or not supported. If this is not possible, provide equivalent information on an alternative accessible page.

• And if you use multimedia (Priority 1) o Until user agents can automatically read aloud the text equivalent of a

visual track, provide an auditory description of the important information of the visual track of a multimedia presentation.

o For any time-based multimedia presentation (e.g., a movie or animation), synchronize equivalent alternatives (e.g., captions or auditory descriptions of the visual track) with the presentation.

• And if all else fails (Priority 1) o 11.4 If, after best efforts, you cannot create an accessible page, provide a

link to an alternative page that uses W3C technologies, is accessible, has

equivalent information (or functionality), and is updated as often as the inaccessible (original) page.

Priority 2 Checkpoints In General (Priority 2)

• 2.2 Ensure that foreground and background color combinations provide sufficient contrast when viewed by someone having color deficits or when viewed on a black and white screen. [Priority 2 for images, Priority 3 for text].

• 3.1 When an appropriate markup language exists, use markup rather than images to convey information.

• 3.2 Create documents that validate to published formal grammars.

• 3.3 Use style sheets to control layout and presentation.

• 3.4 Use relative rather than absolute units in markup language attribute values and style sheet property values.

• 3.5 Use header elements to convey document structure and use them according to specification.

• 3.6 Mark up lists and list items properly.

• 3.7 Mark up quotations. Do not use quotation markup for formatting effects such as indentation.

• 6.5 Ensure that dynamic content is accessible or provide an alternative presentation or page.

• 7.2 Until user agents allow users to control blinking, avoid causing content to blink (i.e., change presentation at a regular rate, such as turning on and off).

• 7.4 Until user agents provide the ability to stop the refresh, do not create periodically auto-refreshing pages.

• 7.5 Until user agents provide the ability to stop auto-redirect, do not use markup to redirect pages automatically. Instead, configure the server to perform redirects.

• 10.1 Until user agents allow users to turn off spawned windows, do not cause pop-ups or other windows to appear and do not change the current window without informing the user.

• 11.1 Use W3C technologies when they are available and appropriate for a task and use the latest versions when supported.

• 11.2 Avoid deprecated features of W3C technologies.

• 12.3 Divide large blocks of information into more manageable groups where natural and appropriate.

• 13.1 Clearly identify the target of each link.

• 13.2 Provide metadata to add semantic information to pages and sites.

• 13.3 Provide information about the general layout of a site (e.g., a site map or table of contents).

• 13.4 Use navigation mechanisms in a consistent manner.

• And if you use tables (Priority 2) o 5.3 Do not use tables for layout unless the table makes sense when

linearized. Otherwise, if the table does not make sense, provide an alternative equivalent (which may be a linearized version).

• 5.4 If a table is used for layout, do not use any structural markup for the purpose of visual formatting.

• And if you use frames (Priority 2) o 12.2 Describe the purpose of frames and how frames relate to each other

if it is not obvious by frame titles alone.

• And if you use forms (Priority 2) o 10.2 Until user agents support explicit associations between labels and

form controls, for all form controls with implicitly associated labels, ensure that the label is properly positioned.

o 12.4 Associate labels explicitly with their controls.

• And if you use applets and scripts (Priority 2) o 6.4 For scripts and applets, ensure that event handlers are input device-

independent. o 7.3 Until user agents allow users to freeze moving content, avoid

movement in pages. o 8.1 Make programmatic elements such as scripts and applets directly

accessible or compatible with assistive technologies [Priority 1 if functionality is important and not presented elsewhere, otherwise Priority 2.]

o 9.2 Ensure that any element that has its own interface can be operated in a device-independent manner.

o 9.3 For scripts, specify logical event handlers rather than device-dependent event handlers.

Priority 3 Checkpoints In General (Priority 3)

• 4.2 Specify the expansion of each abbreviation or acronym in a document where it first occurs.

• 4.3 Identify the primary natural language of a document.

• 9.4 Create a logical tab order through links, form controls, and objects.

• 9.5 Provide keyboard shortcuts to important links (including those in client-side image maps), form controls, and groups of form controls.

• 10.5 Until user agents (including assistive technologies) render adjacent links distinctly, include non-link, printable characters (surrounded by spaces) between adjacent links.

• 11.3 Provide information so that users may receive documents according to their preferences (e.g., language, content type, etc.)

• 13.5 Provide navigation bars to highlight and give access to the navigation mechanism.

• 13.6 Group related links, identify the group (for user agents), and, until user agents do so, provide a way to bypass the group.

• 13.7 If search functions are provided, enable different types of searches for different skill levels and preferences.

• 13.8 Place distinguishing information at the beginning of headings, paragraphs, lists, etc.

• 13.9 Provide information about document collections (i.e., documents comprising multiple pages.).

• 13.10 Provide a means to skip over multi-line ASCII art.

• 14.2 Supplement text with graphic or auditory presentations where they will facilitate comprehension of the page.

• 14.3 Create a style of presentation that is consistent across pages.

• And if you use images and image maps (Priority 3) o 1.5 Until user agents render text equivalents for client-side image map

links, provide redundant text links for each active region of a client-side image map.

• And if you use tables (Priority 3) o 5.5 Provide summaries for tables. o 5.6 Provide abbreviations for header labels. o 10.3 Until user agents (including assistive technologies) render side-by-

side text correctly, provide a linear text alternative (on the current page or some other) for all tables that lay out text in parallel, word-wrapped columns.

• And if you use forms (Priority 3) o 10.4 Until user agents handle empty controls correctly, include default,

place-holding characters in edit boxes and text areas. For a current listing of techniques web designers should look to when designing for the web, go to : http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT-TECHS/#Techniques REFERENCES

http://access.idyllmtn.com/section508/ http://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/about.jsphttp://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/icon.jsp http://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/index.jsp http://trace.wisc.edu/world/computer_access/

http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/508standards.htm http://www.adata.org http://www.captions.org/ http://www.hj.com/Connect/CO.html http://www.hj.com/Main.html http://www.internetlawyer.com/index.htm http://www.section508.gov http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/508/web.htm http://www.w3.org/People/Raggett/EzMath/ http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/full-checklist.html: http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT-TECHS/#Techniques http://www.w3.org/WAI/ http://www.w3c.org/WAI/IG/ http://www.wgbh.org/wgbh/pages/ncam/ webaccess/captionedmovies.html http://trace.wisc.edu/world/computer_access/

Test Questions

1. ___How many people world-wide have disabilities? a) 100,00 b) 250,00 c) Over 750,000

2. ___What is the role of the WAI? a) publishes guidelines to make access to the World Wide Web available to all. b) Polices the World Wide Web for Accessibility c) Fines Web Designers who don’t conform to web site accessibility guidelines

3. ___What does an “alt attribute” do for users with visual impairments? a) nothing b) Users who cannot see the photo will hear the alternative text c) Speak in different languages

4. ___Which TV station runs the National Center for Accessible Media? a) ABC b) NBC c) PBS

5. ___Who is the author of this quote: “Many disabled users have to spend long hours alone. Voice-activated computers are a means of communication that can prevent a sense of isolation.” a) Tim Berners-Lee b) Bill Gates c) Christopher Reeves

6. Which of the following is NOT a guideline for users with cognitive disabilities? a) Allow fonts to be enlarged. b) Provide synchronized captions and transcripts for audio. c) Use complex or busy visual backgrounds

7. Which application will use speech over the internet?

a) Chat Room b) Message Board c) User Groups

8. Which of the following is NOT an example of assistive technology? a) Screen Magnifiers b) Screen Readers c) Screen Recognition

9. Which group put forth the most important piece of legislation for providing the disabled community guarantees of non-discrimination regarding information technology and services.

a) ADA b) WAI c) W3C

10. What is Section 508? a) requires that electronic and information technology developed, procured,

maintained, or used by the Federal government be accessible to people with disabilities

b) all employers in the United States with 15 or more full-time employees are required to comply with its requirement or face a potential lawsuit for discrimination by their employees.

c) guarantees reasonable accommodation and effective communication.