Website Accessibility

What is Website Accessibility?

Making information on the internet usable and understandable for EVERYONE, including those with disabilities

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

Being sure that the potential audience pool is as large as possible

Why is this important to me?

By 1999 over 100 million Americans were using the Internet, with roughly 55,000 new users each day.

About 54 million Americans have some level of disability.

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 Federal departments and agencies or contractors providing services or products to Federal 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

But I am not a Federal agency…

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.)

So I need to make the site work for vision and hearing problems, right?

That is just the start! There are many other disabilities that affect someone’s use of online 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 PDAs, cell phones, and other

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

So, what if I just make an “Alternate Site”?

An alternate “Text-Only” site was once considered a great way to get information to those with older technology and slow connections, as well as those with disabilities. There are problems with this, however: Alternate sites OFTEN do not stay as updated as the main

site Do you want to force others to a “Separate” area? There

are very negative feelings about separating people due to their differences

It does not meet the spirit of the regulations, just the word and law

What are the basics? (from W3C)

Provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content. Don't rely on color alone. Use markup and style sheets and do so properly. Clarify natural language usage Create tables that transform gracefully. Ensure that pages featuring new technologies transform gracefully. Ensure user control of time-sensitive content changes. Ensure direct accessibility of embedded user interfaces. Design for device-independence. Use interim solutions. Use W3C technologies and guidelines. Provide context and orientation information. Provide clear navigation mechanisms. Ensure that documents are clear and simple.

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

“Provide content that, when presented to the user, conveys essentially the same function or purpose as auditory or 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

“Ensure that text and graphics are understandable when viewed without color” What does the page look like when printed on a

black and white printer? This will help you ensure that your contrast is appropriate and that you are not using only color to convey information

Basic Guidelines (from W3C)Use markup and style sheets and do so properly

“Mark up documents with the proper structural elements. Control presentation with style sheets rather than with presentation elements and attributes” Not using appropriate mark up elements can

cause adaptive technologies to fail

Basic Guidelines (from W3C)Clarify natural language usage

“Use markup that facilitates pronunciation or interpretation of abbreviated or foreign text” Clarifying what language is being used helps

adaptive technologies read the text Using correct pronunciation and spelling out

abbreviations helps adaptive technologies read the text

Basic Guidelines (from W3C)Create tables that transform gracefully

“Ensure that tables have necessary markup to be transformed by accessible browsers and other user agents” Tables should be limited for data use, not for

layout Proper headers are necessary to direct the

adaptive technologies as to what order to read the information

Basic Guidelines (from W3C)Ensure that pages featuring new technologies transform gracefully

“Ensure that pages are accessible even when newer technologies are not supported or are turned off” Be sure that there is an alternative way to use the

page effectively if older browsers or older adaptive technology does not support the new cutting edge items

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

“Ensure that moving, blinking, scrolling, or auto-updating objects or pages may be paused or stopped” Don’t FORCE someone to watch that blinking text

if it affects them negatively! They WON’T come back to your site if you do!

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

Basic Guidelines (from W3C)Ensure direct accessibility of embedded user interfaces

“Ensure that the user interface follows principles of accessible design: device-independent access to functionality, keyboard operability, self-voicing, etc” If an interface is added to a webpage (for

example, a movie or audio player), it must also be accessible

Basic Guidelines (from W3C)Design for device-independence

“Use features that enable activation of page elements via a variety of input devices” Don’t set up to page to restrict users to only using

a mouse. Allow use of Keyboards (tabbing through navigation elements) Head wands Voice

Make sure that the flow of the information makes sense to someone using a keyboard to navigate. Set a form’s “Tab” order to make the most sense

Basic Guidelines (from W3C)Use interim solutions

“Use interim accessibility solutions so that assistive technologies and older browsers will operate correctly” Be aware of the limitations of adaptive

technologies and do your best to work around them

Basic Guidelines (from W3C)Use W3C technologies and guidelines

“Use W3C technologies (according to specification) and follow accessibility guidelines. Where it is not possible to use a W3C technology, or doing so results in material that does not transform gracefully, provide an alternative version of the content that is accessible” Try to stay away from technologies such as PDF,

Shockwave and others that require additional plug-ins. This helps people with older hardware and software

Allow users to pick how the would like to receive information (provide PDF and Word files for download)

Basic Guidelines (from W3C)Provide context and orientation information

“Provide context and orientation information to help users understand complex pages or elements” Label frames and offer information about how

they relate Be sure that labels are associated with their

elements

Basic Guidelines (from W3C)Provide clear navigation mechanisms

“Provide clear and consistent navigation mechanisms -- orientation information, navigation bars, a site map, etc. -- to increase the likelihood that a person will find what they are looking for at a site” Don’t change the location of the navigation from page to

page Make navigation elements stand out Provide various means of navigation

Navigation Bar Site Map Search Bread Crumb Trails (to tell users where they are in the site)

Basic Guidelines (from W3C)Ensure that documents are clear and simple

“Ensure that documents are clear and simple so they may be more easily understood” The general rules of good design still apply

Use a consistent design throughout the site Page layout Navigation Recognized graphics

Use clear and understandable language

But, I don’t know about web design…

There are many resources online that can help you learn the basics of compliance and even web design.

If you pay for someone to design for you, make sure they are skilled in creating ADA compliant pages. Are they knowledgeable about the topic and

needs? Do they share a commitment to making

everything available to everyone?

What technologies are available?

Examples include: Output Devices

Screen Readers JAWS

Speakers Monitors

Input Devices Mouse Keyboard Head Wand Voice Command

Where can I get more information?

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

WEBXACT – http://webxact.watchfire.com/

ONLINE SEARCHES: ADA Compliance ADA Guidelines Web Accessibility

References

World Wide Web Consortium – http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/

The Access Board - http://www.access-board.gov/indexes/pubsindex.htm