Transcript Web Accessibility PowerPoint Slides

Web Accessibility
John Rochford
UMMS Shriver Center
Director, INDEX Program
Rich Caloggero
WGBH National Center for Accessible Media
MIT Adaptive Technology Information Center
Introductions
• Names
• Backgrounds
• Experiences related to people with disabilities
using the web (or computers in general)
Simple Definition
• Web accessibility means that people with
disabilities can use the Web
• Source: World Wide Web Consortium
• Web accessibility applies to design & content
Importance
• provides equal access and opportunity
• helps people participate in society
• is required by laws and policies
• benefits people without disabilities
– Source: World Wide Web Consortium
Making the Web Accessible
• Assistive tech compatibility: screen readers,
single-switch devices, text-to-speech, etc.
• Web software has to be accessible: browsers;
media players; development tools; content
and learning management systems
Making Your Website Accessible
Easy and low cost if done from beginning.
Fixing later requires significant effort and costs.
Source: World Wide Web Consortium
Evaluating Website Accessibility
• Automated evaluation tools can catch mostcommon web or app accessibility problems.
• Tenon, WAVE, etc.
• People with disabilities must test a web site or
app to determine it is actually accessible.
How To Evaluate Websites
• Is there alternative (alt) text for images?
• Are there content headings?
• Is the content (tab) order logical?
• Use a free, web-based tool to check
• Tenon, WAVE, etc.
U.S. Laws
• Starts with Section 504, Rehab Act of 1973.
• Section 508 of Rehab Act, as amended in 1998,
requires all electronic and information
technologies be accessible.
• Source: U.S. Health and Human Services
Standards
• U.S. Federal Section508.gov
• Established in 2000
• Synced to world standards on January 12, 2017
• World
– WCAG 2.0 (As of December, 2008)
WCAG 2 Principles
• Perceivable - Information and user interface
components must be presentable to users in
ways they can perceive.
• Operable - User interface components and
navigation must be operable.
• Understandable - Information and the operation
of user interface must be understandable.
• Robust - Content must be robust enough that it
can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of
user agents, including assistive technologies.
– Source: World Wide Web Consortium
Using the Web
• How do people with disabilities use the web…
– without a keyboard?
– without a mouse?
– without speakers?
– without a monitor?
• Job Access With Speech (JAWS) demo
Accessible Content
• Almost all accessible websites focus on design.
• Many pay no attention to semantic markup:
– headings, lists, bold-versus-strong, etc.
• Examples of what they do not use:
– plain language
– multi-modal presentation
– default large print (& responsive design)
Cognitive Web Accessibility
• Clinical Cognitive Disabilities
– learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, TBI, ASD,
Schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s, depression, aging, etc.
• Functional Cognitive Disabilities
–
–
–
–
cannot understand non-simple, textual content
are easily distracted
are flummoxed by inconsistent interfaces
do not recover easily from errors
Cognitive Accessibility Resources
• W3C Cognitive Accessibility Task Force
• Clear Helper
– Web Site
– Blog
– Twitter
• Web AIM
– Articles
– Cognitive Web Accessibility Checklist
Summary
• Websites should be Perceivable, Operable,
Understandable, Robust (POUR)
• Accessibility can be easy & low cost
• Making websites accessible makes them easy
to use for everyone