Transcript Making Web Pages Accessible - University of Saskatchewan

Making Web Pages Accessible
Teaching and Learning: Research and
Scholarship Symposium
(May 13 2003, 10:30am)
Accessibility is really about being
polite to ALL your visitors.
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Don’t insult them for not using the
browser you think they should use.
Don’t assume they are lazy if they don’t
upgrade their browsers.
Use the <noscript> <noframes> etc. tags
to help people, not to insult them.
Not just a good idea, it’s the law.
What does “Accessible” mean?
Accessible Web Site:
Visitors
can access the
information on the site.
What makes a site Inaccessible?
Causes of Inaccessibility
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Site relies on physical abilities the visitors
do not have. (hearing, sight, mobility,
cognitive problems)
Site only works using technology the
visitors do not have. (no support for slow
modems, limited hardware like PDAs,
older browsers)
Accessibility vs Usability:
Two sides of the same coin.
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Accessibility is the ability to get at the
information on the site.
Usability is how easy it is to use the
information once you access it.
A site can be accessible, but not usable.
What makes a site less usable?
Causes of Poor Usability
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Complex Navigation
Unclear Wording / Labelling
Centred on one mode of access (visual
and mouse), with less thought to other
modes of access (aural, keyboard, etc.)
Who’s visiting your site and
what accessibility problems
could they have?
Who’s accessing your site?
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People with older browsers / hardware.
People with wireless PDAs
Automated programs like search engines
which don’t understand multimedia.
Oh, right, people with Disabilities.
Lets Meet Some Visitors
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Georgia State Division of Distance &
Distributed Learning Video
Simulations of Disabilities
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Cognitive Simulation (Dyslexia)
Screen Reading Simulation
Low Vision Simulation
Colour Blindness Simulation
Search Engine Simulation
Mobility simulations
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Don’t use mouse
Use mouse with secondary hand
Type with one hand
Tools in MS-Windows XP
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MS-Word Dictation and Voice Recognition
Accessibility options (Start -> All Programs
-> Accessories -> Accessibility)
Accessibility control panel
Organizations
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W3C Web Accessibility Initiative
WebAIM
Viewable with Any Browser
Accessibility Testing Tools
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Bobby
Lynx viewer
Macromedia Dreamweaver 508
Accessibility Suite
Others
Checklists
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WAI Quick List Reference Card
Other WAI Resources
Other Guidelines
Resources
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All items listed in this talk can be found at:
http://www.usask.ca/web_project/uwebd/
links/design/accessibility/
(Visit the Site)
Conclusion
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Accessibility is not just for people with
disabilities, it’s for search engines, people
with PDAs, etc.
An accessible site is not a bland “lowest
common denominator” site.
Most accessibility options are easy to add
to a web site, and the benefits are
enormous for everyone.