Transcript webconferencing-at-ahg2014

WEB CONFERENCING
ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES
Norm & Beth Coombs
1
WHAT WE WILL COVER
•
•
•
•
•
Types of Web conferencing systems
System power and complexity
Typical system features
Accessibility problems and typical solutions
Which Webinar features create access problems
for which disability groups
• Role of the presenter in whether or not a
Webinar is accessible
2
WEBCASTING VERSUS WEB
CONFERENCING
• Webcasting is a one-way broadcast with no
audience interaction
• Web conferencing or a Webinar involves a
virtual room on the Internet with live
interaction between the presenter and the
audience
3
WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR A WEB
CONFERENCE TO BE ACCESSIBLE?
An accessible Web conference can have 3 parts:
• The Web conferencing technology has to
conform to accessibility guidelines and
standards
• The content must also meet accessibility
standards and be clear and well organized
• The attendee who has a disability may need
special software and familiarity in using it
4
PLATFORM COMPATIBILITY
ISSUES
• Different Web conferencing systems have been
created using different technologies and each
needs to interface readily with a variety of user
software systems and applications
• The user should not be required to understand
or manipulate unfamiliar methods to permit the
user’s computer and the Webinar software to
interface easily and seamlessly
5
IS MORE ALWAYS BETTER?
• The power and capabilities of technology is
increasing faster and exponentially
• Designers want to have the most feature-rich
applications available
• Complexity can be confusing and distracting
and also creates new accessibility issues
6
LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF WEB
CONFERENCING
• Federal Government Section 508 of the
Rehabilitation Act
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
• The Americans with Disabilities Act
• Any relevant state legislation
7
DIFFERENT DISABILITIES CAN
COMPLICATES ACHIEVING
ACCESSIBILITY
• Different disabilities often have different
accessibility needs:
Visual impairments
Cognitive impairments
Hearing impairments
Motor impairments
• Features that aid one disability may only
exacerbate problems for others
8
SAMPLE FEATURES & IMPACT ON
DISABILITY GROUPS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Co-browser (showing slides or Web pages)
Playing recorded audio
Playing recorded video
White board
Desktop sharing
Text chat (both individual and public)
Voice chat (both individual and public)
Polling
Emoticons for reactions
File sharing
9
USABILITY ISSUES FOR
DISABILITY GROUPS
• Accessible content may create usability
difficulties
• Users with various disabilities may not be able
to keep up with fast-paced text chat
• Users with visual impairments may not be
able to simultaneously follow the presenter
and the screen reader vocalizing content both
from the co-browser and from the text chat
10
ACCOMMODATING VISUAL
IMPAIRMENTS
• Content should be readable by screen readers
including alt text
• Controls should be keyboard accessible
• User defined color/contrast themes
• Audible notifications of key events:
hand raised
incoming chat message
• Content should be scalable to accommodate
screen magnification
11
ACCOMMODATING USERS
WITH HEARING IMPAIRMENTS
•
•
•
•
•
All audio content should be captioned
Font size should be adjustable
Captioning window can be modified
Captions can be saved
Recording includes the captions
12
ACCOMODATING MOTOR
IMPAIRMENTS
• All navigation is keyboard accessible
• All controls are large enough to be readily
manipulated by users with limited motor
skills
• Short cut keys to facilitate navigation
13
ACCOMODATING COGNITIVE
PROCESSING IMPAIRMENTS
• Foreground and background colors
adjustable by the user
• Font size and type adjustable by the user
• User can simultaneously access both the
captions and the audio
• Whiteboard can be saved to study later at
user’s own pace
• User can obtain the recording to study later
14
ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES OF THE
WHITEBOARD
• The whiteboard provides a place for the
presenter to either draw or to write
• It is actually displayed as an image even
when it includes text
• It is inaccessible to screen reader software
• Presenters talking about that content can
compensate for its inaccessibility
15
ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES OF
DESKTOP SHARING
• In desktop sharing, a digital image of the
desktop is displayed and is constantly
refreshed as it is used
• It cannot be accessed by a screen reader
• When the presenter talks while using the
desktop, that provides a kind of accessibility
16
THE PRESENTER IS KEY
• How the presenter delivers content will
impact content accessibility
• The presenter frequently cannot know the
audience’s abilities or disabilities or the
user’s distractions
• Presentations require simplicity and clarity
regardless of any disabilities of the user
17
PREPARING A
PRESENTATION
• Good color contrast in documents and slides
• Documents use Sans Sarif font of 10 or 12
points and in slides use 28 or 32 points
• Add alt-text for images
• Do not pack text too densely
18
ADDING ALT TEXT TO AN IMAGE
• Example: PowerPoint
• Step 1: Click on the image
• Step 2: Right clicking on the image. Choose
“Format Picture” or “Size & Position” option
• Step 3: Click on the "Alt Text" tab, then enter
your description of the image.
19
USING MULTIMEDIA IN A WEB
CONFERENCE
• Various multimedia formats interact with the
Web conference system differently
• Various multimedia formats interact with the
user’s computer differently and may require
that it have specific players
• Instruct participants in advance regarding use
of any multi‐ media so that they can ensure
they are using the most up to date version
• Ensure that videos are captioned and audio also
has a text transcripts
20
DISTRACTING
CONFERENCING TOOLS
• In a small group, using hand raising, voting,
emoticons text or voice chat can add vitality to
a presentation
• In a larger group, these same interactions can
become highly distracting for users who do or
do not have a disability
• Some presenters strictly limit audience
interactions till a specific time
21
PREPARE PARTICIPANTS IN
ADVANCE
• New users to any Web conference application
may be overwhelmed by all of its features and
will benefit from preliminary instructions
• Users with disabilities will find understanding
and navigating the complex interface daunting
and need tips on its accessibility features
• Different disability groups may want to use
some features and ignore others
22
PROVIDING HANDOUTS &
A RECORDING
• Handout materials which are provided before
or after the event, enable participants with or
without disabilities information to maximize
their experience
• A recording allows participants to review the
conference in a comfortable setting and work
at her/his own pace
• Both must be provided in accessible formats
23
PRESENTERS: KEEP IT
SIMPLE!
• Unless the Webinar’s purpose is entertainment,
the focus should be communication
• Don’t use features just to impress the audience
• Restrict the features being used only to those
that enhance the message and limit extraneous
distractions
24
TIPS IN SELECTING A WEB
CONFERENCING SYSTEM
How do you select which car to buy?
• A 2-seater sport convertible
• Basic 4-door sedan
• Jeep with 4-wheel drive
• Truck
• BMW or Mercedes
• SUV
25
CHECK EASI WEBINARS
• chedule of EASI Webinars is online at:
• http://easi.cc/clinic.htm
26