1. WEB ACCESSIBILITY FOR THE DISABLED
Technology
Mrs. Huddleston

2. Disabled People in the US
About 20 percent of the US population (60 million individuals) has some kind of disability (physical, mental, emotional, psychological, etc.).
About 10 percent has a severe disability.
Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

3. Types of Disabilities that Affect Internet Use
Visual impairments (blindness, color blindness, cataracts, glaucoma)
Hearing impairments (deafness)
Mobility impairments (paralysis, arthritis, MS, Parkinson’s)
Cognitive (mental) impairments (Down Syndrome, Alzheimer's)
Seizure disorders (epilepsy)
Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

4. Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled
Blindness
Blind people can’t use a mouse or monitor.
They listen to the Web through a software program that acts as a screen reader which converts text into synthesized speech.
Example
Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

5. Problems for Blind People
Images (especially when used as a link)
Always include alternate text
Always include text links along with image links
Tables
JavaScript, Multimedia
Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

6. Problems for Deaf People
Music, Video
The solution is easy, but very labor-intensive: provide: transcripts, captions or sub titles.
Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

7. Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled
Deaf & Blind People
Screen readers convert text into Braille, through a device attached to the computer. All content on the web page must be in a text format so that it can be converted to Braille.
Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

8. Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled
Mobility Impairments
The biggest problem is navigating links.
Don’t use small labels (letters of the alphabet)
Don’t have long lists of links
This may tire people out if they are using a mouth stick, head wand or “puff & sip” switch.
Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

9. Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled
Mouth Sticks
Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

10. Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled
Puff & Sip Switches
Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

11. Light Operated Mouse & Keyboard (LOMAK)
Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

12. Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled
Tongue Controller
Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

13. Cognitive (Mental) Impairments
Ways to help:
Simple and intuitive interface
Clearly worded text
Consistent navigational scheme between pages.
Use graphics or icons that supplement the text. Purely decorative graphics may not help.
Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

14. Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled
Seizure Disorders
Some banner ads flash or flicker at rates (2-55 Hz) that may induce seizures in those susceptible to them.
Don’t create pages that flicker at that rate.
Example
Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

15. Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled
US Regulations
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, is being interpreted to include Web accessibility.
Areas of concern:
Post-Secondary schools offering online registration and courses
Government sites offering many online services
Online chat rooms, discussion groups
E-commerce Next
Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

16. Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled
ADA
Created to provide access to persons with disabilities to public buildings.
Schools, Courthouses, Libraries, Hospitals, Grocery stores, Bowling alleys, Others
Required minimum number of disabled parking spaces
Required ramps/elevators, wheel-chair accessible bathrooms, aisles
Back
Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

17. Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled
Opponents to ADA
Government regulation of the Internet is intrusive and wrong.
It is detrimental to e-commerce because of the effort, time and money required to redesign sites for accessibility.
Accessible Web sites are not as appealing to users without disabilities.
Enforcement is problematic.
Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

18. Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled
Proponents of ADA
The Internet is too important an entity to be a vehicle of segregation between those with disabilities and those without.
It is not as difficult to make Web sites accessible as some people think.
Making Web sites accessible often improves Web sites for those without disabilities.
The fact that the Internet is public space makes identification of inaccessible sites simple.
Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

19. Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled
Resources
Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled