Transcript Access for all - IdeasMerchant.com

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
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
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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.
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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)
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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.
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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 1999.
See www.disability.gov.uk/dda/ and the DRC website
at www.drc-uk.org for more information about the
DDA.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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)
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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.
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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: www.rnib.org.uk/webaccesscentre/
– Email: [email protected]
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