RSI Sufferers Webpage Click Here 100 Times

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ENG 568 08/FAAshley FlitterDana Livesay

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Overview

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Accessible adj. Merriam Webster Online

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What does it Mean?

• Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can use the Web. Specifically, it means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, contribute to, and interact with the Web.

• Web accessibility also benefits others, including older people with changing abilities due to aging.

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World Wide Consortium (W3C) and Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Definition

• 1997 - World Wide Consortium launched the WAI – all accessibility philosophy.

• Leaders in comprehensive resources and guidelines.

• Accessibility should be an integral part of the design philosophy of web developers.

• Able to be navigated and read by everyone regardless of being able-bodied, or the type of computer technology available.

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Started Here…

• Section 504 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act of 1973

• Disability rights are a form of civil rights

• Covered by 14th Amendment of theU.S. Constitution

• The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

• Extends requirements of Rehabilitation Act to all public and commercial facilities, not just those that received federal funding.

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Americans with Disabilities

Telecommunication Act of 1996

• Department of Justice states that ADA covers government entities on the Internet, as well as providers whose services are deemed to be “ public accommodation.” Manufacturers must ensure products be designed and fabricated as

• "readily available“ to persons with disabilities.

1998 Amendment

• Federal websites must be accessible to employees and the public without causing an “undue burden” to the site owner.

• Accessibility standards developed by Architectural and Transportation Barriers Board for the Web and other areas of information technology.

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Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Proposed Standards 1998 amendment to Section 508 of the U.S.

Rehabilitation Act of 1973 published standards for Web Pages in December 2000.

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No one I know is Disabled• Half of all Americans 65 and older has a disability,

with one-third of U. S. families affected because a member has a disability.

• That’s a population of 54 million people with:

– Low, limited, or no Vision

– Color blind

– Deaf or hearing impaired

– Physical, mobility issues

– Neurological problems (Parkinson’s, MS, seizures)

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Why even “able-bodied” People Can’t Access the Web:

• May not have or be able to use a keyboard or mouse,

• Have a small screen or slow Internet connection,

• Might have an older version of a browser, or worse – an operating system other than Windows or Mac,

• Perhaps they can’t read, speak, or understand the language in which an online document’s written.

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Recent Lawsuits

Sued• 1996 TARGET: site not

accessible to blind shoppers

• 1999-America Online: failed to alter its inaccessible software to allow compatibility with screen readers.

• 2000 - Bank of America: difficulty with use of ATM’s

By Action• National Federation of the

Blind. 1998, $600,000.00

• NFB on behalf of blind student. Suit dropped when AOL 8.0 released; also put accessibility policy on site.

• BOA installed over 2500 talking ATM’s and made screens compatible with screen readers.

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Leading Expert on Web Usability

• Jakob Nielson, Ph.D., is world renowned as the Usability King, respected author, User Advocate and principal of the Nielson Norman Group.

• Authors a comprehensive newsletter on accessibility and usability.

• Dr. Nielsen invented several usability methods, including heuristic evaluation . Dr. Nielson holds 79 United States patents, mainly on ways of making the Internet easier to use.

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Other Advocates and Lawsuits

• Microsoft Accessibility Training• National Federation for the Blind• Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)• Section 508.gov• What Does MNSU DO?

• Lawsuits - Social Policy Initiative

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Cool Ways to Check your Site

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MAKING YOUR SITE ACCESSIBLE

Tips for

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Document Structure

• Developers should determine how they want their documents to be structured before they determine how they will be presented.

• Developers should not use structural elements to create presentation effects (i.e. html)

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Using Text Equivalents

• Supplement images and other non-textual elements with text where possible.

• Test your textual supplements by reading your page out loud. If you can “read” your images and other multi-media elements, then you have used textual supplements appropriately.

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Browser Compatibility

• Place in-line text descriptions of images immediately after the image.

• Create “D-links”, or links that contain longer text descriptions of images, on the same page or in a separate file for easy access.

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Provide Alternative Pages

• Provide access to pages that use accessible characteristics if you cannot create accessible main pages. These pages should be updated as often as the inaccessible pages.

• Provide links at the top or bottom of each of the pages so that the user can move between them easily.

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Alternative Pages Continued

• Design alternative pages for users that do not have access to a mouse or other pointer device.

• Create image map links and keyboard shortcuts.

• Makes links accessible through tabbing order.

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Navigation and Comprehension

• Create a consistent page presentation through navigation structure.

• Use clear and simple language.

• Use accurate headings and link descriptions.

• Do not use automatic page refresh settings unless you can also provide a static page equivalent.

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Testing Through User Scenarios

• Rather than doing full usability studies, you can test the accessibility of your site by :– Testing your pages with a text-only browser.

– Use multiple graphic browsers.

– Use new and old versions of the same browsers.

– Use other tools that may be used by disabled users, such as a self-voicing browser, a screen reader, or an alternative keyboard.

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Questions?

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