Date or reference Web Accessibility - an introduction Patrick H. Lauke ISI presentation - 22/11/2004

22/11/20042 Introduction What we’ll cover today: some of the misconceptions about accessibility reasons why accessibility is important highlight some web accessibility guidelines Q&A at the end, but please shout out any questions.

22/11/20043 So why am I here? involved in web since early 90s university webmaster since 2001 responsible for writing and enforcing web strategy and guidelines involved in global discourse on accessibility

22/11/20044 Some misconceptions What is accessibility? “making sure our web site works for the blind…” There is a wide range of disabilities: visual impairments auditory impairments mobility impairments cognitive disabilities

22/11/20045 Some misconceptions Why bother? Marketing executive: “such a small market is not worth the hassle” Web designer: “no time to create a separate accessible site” Site owner: “blind people won’t be using my web site”

22/11/20046 Some misconceptions Marketing executive: “such a small market is not worth the hassle” It is estimated that there are 7 million disabled people in the UK and that around 19% of the working age population has some form of disability. Source: Disability Rights Commission – Disability briefing January 2004Disability Rights Commission – Disability briefing January 2004

22/11/20047 Some misconceptions Web designer: “no time to create a separate accessible site” In majority of cases, no need for special “disabled only access” site. Inclusive design, not segregation Separation of content and presentation, using web standards, structural markup: single site, accessible to all Accessibility included in planning stage, not as an afterthought “Text only” is not a solution

22/11/20048 Some misconceptions Site owner: “blind people won’t be using my web site” Accessibility not just about the blind, but… A possible scenario: visually impaired customer buying photographs or paintings for a sighted relative?

22/11/20049 Legal requirements If the ethical / moral and financial reasons were not enough, there are legal requirements: UK - Disability Discrimination Act 1995 provision of goods and servicesDisability Discrimination Act 1995 Australia – Disability Discrimination Act 1992Disability Discrimination Act 1992 USA – Americans with Disabilities ActAmericans with Disabilities Act USA – Section 508 of Rehabilitation Act procurement policy for federal government agenciesSection 508 Other countries have similar legislation. Cases are being brought to court: SOCOG, RNIB, Ramada/Priceline…SOCOG Ramada/Priceline

22/11/ Access for all More importantly Accessibility is not just about users with disabilities Provisions and changes made for accessibility can benefit all users “Real world” example: access ramps With regards to web: benefits to users of alternative browsing devices (PDAs, web phones, etc) Google: world’s largest “disabled user” Crossover between usability and accessibility

22/11/ W3C Guidelines So…what’s a web designer to do? World Wide Web Consortium World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) committed to accessibility "The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.“ Tim Berners Lee, W3C Director W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) produced Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)Web Accessibility Initiative Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

22/11/ W3C Guidelines WCAG 1.0, 5 May guidelines (general principles), broken down into checkpoints Checkpoints categorised into 3 priority levels [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.

22/11/ W3C Guidelines 1.Provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content. 2.Don't rely on color alone. 3.Use markup and style sheets and do so properly. 4.Clarify natural language usage 5.Create tables that transform gracefully. 6.Ensure that pages featuring new technologies transform gracefully. 7.Ensure user control of time-sensitive content changes. 8.Ensure direct accessibility of embedded user interfaces. 9.Design for device-independence. 10.Use interim solutions. 11.Use W3C technologies and guidelines. 12.Provide context and orientation information. 13.Provide clear navigation mechanisms. 14.Ensure that documents are clear and simple. Not going to go through all, but give a few examples

22/11/ WCAG examples An example that may be “closer to home”: accessing the web on an old laptop. 1) Provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content. 2) Don’t rely on color alone 6) Ensure that pages featuring new technologies transform gracefully 9) Design for device-independence

22/11/ WCAG examples 1) Provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content. ALTernate text for images

22/11/ WCAG examples 1) Provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content. Captions and transcripts for audio/video files

22/11/ WCAG examples 2) Don’t rely on color alone Coloured buttons without any additional information

22/11/ WCAG examples 2) Don’t rely on color alone Coloured links surrounded by normal text

22/11/ WCAG examples 6) Ensure that pages featuring new technologies transform gracefully Java-based navigation

22/11/ WCAG examples 6) Ensure that pages featuring new technologies transform gracefully Javascript popups bar Replace with something like bar

22/11/ WCAG examples 9) Design for device-independence Mouse Keyboard Voice activation Switches Headwands Don’t rely on mouse, e.g. onmouseover/onmouseout javascript event handlers. Choose device- independent alternatives instead: onfocus/onblur

22/11/ WCAG examples 9) Design for device-independence Ensure sensible tab order (links, form elements, etc)

22/11/ WCAG examples …and many, many more.

22/11/ Conclusion Hopefully, what you’ll take away from this presentation: Accessiblity not just about “the blind” Moral, financial and legal reasons to ensure web sites are accessible Accessibility can benefit all users W3C WAI WCAG and some examples Worth noting: accessibility not about rote mastery of a few guidelines. Many cases where there is no one single solution – requires judgement and compromise.

22/11/ Resources W3C Web Accessibility Initiative Accessify Accessifyforum WebAIM: Web Accessibility In Mind Isolani Dive into Accessibility