Online Access for all POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA IN PUBLIC COMMUNICATION (New Media) Trinity & All Saints College April 2006 Bim Egan Web Accessibility Consultant Royal National Institute of the Blind Copyright © 2006 RNIB

2 Designed for accessibility The Web is potentially the most accessible communication medium ever devised. "The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect." Tim Berners-Lee - Inventor of the World Wide Web

3 Web accessibility is:  not about creating dull, boring or text only sites.  about being flexible.  about designing websites which are accessible to as many users as possible regardless of the way in which they browse the web.

4 Some statistics:  8.5 million people in the UK have some form of disability. (UK Govt)  These people have an estimated annual spending power of £80 billion. (UK Govt)  Of these 8.5 million people, 2 million have sight problems. (RNIB)

5 Just for blind people?  Other disabilities need access.  Older browsers, different platforms, new technologies  Better design and speed to download will benefit all users.  Website owners / managers benefit from reduced maintenance overheads.

6 The legal case Disability Discrimination Act 1995  The Code of Practice for section 3 (Provision of Goods & Services) includes a reference to websites as an example of a service to which the DDA applies.  Section 3 came into effect in October See and the DRC website at for more information about the DDA.

7 The business case  Greater market reach.  Easier to maintain and update the site.  Future-proofing: accessible sites are less likely to break when viewed in the next new technology to come along.  Reduced risk of expensive & damaging legal action.

8 Business case studies  Legal & General –30% increase in search engine traffic. –Content management per job 12 times faster. –90% increase in online sales.  Tesco-Access –Sales almost 10 times higher than expected. –Tesco-Access cost £35,000 to build – annual sales c£13 million.

9 Users may be unable to:  See what’s on the screen.  Hear audio files or video sound tracks.  Use a mouse / use a keyboard.  Read quickly or read moving text.  Understand complex pages or pages with nothing but text.  Use certain 'plug-ins' (e.g. Flash) or scripts (e.g. JavaScript).

10 What users can do  Adjust the PC settings  Adjust the browser settings  Install additional access technology (also called assistive technology), e.g.: –speech input, –screen magnification, –virtual keyboard & nudge switch, –Synthesized speech output / braille display.

11 Structure  Page Heading help users understand where on the page to find info  Table headers, aid orientation thru data tables  Forms with clear labels and timely instructions.  Lists that are … lists.

12 Alternatives  All images need alternative text (ALT) based on the image’s content or function.  Audio, video and visual presentations, such as Flash need non audio, non visual equivalents.  Problematic technologies, such as scripts should not be used for essential functions.

13 Flexibility  Use relative font sizes  Check that pages work if user changes the text size  Ensure good contrast with background - be aware of colour blindness issues  Avoid scrolling or blinking text (or give the user control)

14 Testing  Accessibility toolbar - Vision Australia: –Provides access to a wealth of features, validation, simulations and tools.  Vischeck (colour blindness simulator)  Firevox – an extension for the Firefox browser that behaves like a screen reader.

15 RNIB Web access centre  Developed by RNIB's Web Access team, with the support of Standard Life. –A "one-stop shop" for web accessibility. –Tools and resources to help you plan, design, build and test accessible websites. –Real life case studies. –URL: –