Building Accessible Web Sites

November 18, 2004 Assistive Technology Day

San Luis Obispo Society for Technical Communication15 November 2004

Mary E. Meyer

Accessibility Section 508 Who is affected by a disability? What is a disability? Vision Disabilities, Hearing Disabilities, Dexterity

Disabilities Learning Disabilities, Age Related Disabilities Standard Web Site View Text Version Web Site View Quick Tips for Accessible Web Sites Tools & Examples Why Accessibility? WIA - Accessibility Resource For More Information

Section 508 In the standards established by the Rehabilitation Act of 1998 and

succeeding amendments (Section 508), the Federal government identified specific engineering design requirements and features that must be present in telecom and information systems developed, procured, leased, maintained, or used by the government. In early 2001, the government implemented Section 508 compliance requirements into the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to reinforce these disability access directives.

The goal is twofold: to ensure that disabled government employees can access the

government's internal electronic communication and information systems

and to verify that disabled people in the general public can use the government's public access systems.

All Federal agencies must ensure that electronic and information technology (E&IT) is accessible to employees and members of the public with disabilities to the extent it does not pose an undue burden, unless the E&IT falls within one of the exemptions specified at paragraph 1194.3 of the Standards.

For more on Section 508 legislation, go to: Government Section 508 Home Page Government Section 508 Frequency Asked Questions

Who is affected by a disability?

The range of disabilities is very broad, and includes approximately 54 million Americans. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, after age 55 the proportion of Americans who have a sensory disability doubles (as a percentage of the total number of people with disabilities).

Among adult computer users in the United States:

1 in 4 has a vision difficulty 1 in 4 has a dexterity difficulty 1 in 5 has a hearing difficulty

Source: Study Commissioned by Microsoft Corporation and Conducted by Forrester Research, Inc., in 2004

What is a disability? Visual Difficulties and Impairments

Dexterity Difficulties and Impairments

Hearing Difficulties and Impairments

Language and Speech Difficulties and Impairments

Learning Difficulties and Impairments

Tips for the Awkward Age of Computing

Vision Disabilities Color Blindness

Alternative Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) Low Vision Blindness

Screen Enlargers, Screen Readers, Voice Recognition, Speech Synthesizers, Refreshable Braille Displays, Braille Embossers, Talking Word Processors, and Large-Print Word Processors all provide assistive technology possibilities.

Hearing Disabilities There are no specific assistive

technology products for individuals who have hearing difficulties and impairments or who are deaf because they can interact with computers by receiving information visually or adjust sounds and volume options to meet their hearing needs. Sound options are built into Windows, making technology accessible to people with hearing difficulties and impairments.

Dexterity Disabilities Individuals with dexterity difficulties experience pain,

discomfort, or complete loss of feeling in their fingers, hands, wrists, or arms, making it difficult to use a standard keyboard or mouse. Among adult computer users in the United States, 1 in 4 (26%) have a dexterity difficulty. Dexterity difficulties and impairments can be caused by a wide range of common illnesses and accidents such as carpal tunnel, arthritis, stroke, cerebral palsy, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, loss of limbs or digits, spinal cord injuries, and repetitive stress injury, among others.

Assistive Technologies include: Speech recognition systems On-screen keyboard programs Keyboard filters Touch screens Alternative input devices

Learning Disabilities Disabilities can result from conditions

such as dyslexia, ADD, and brain damage. Assistive technologies may include the

following: Word Prediction Programs Reading Comprehension Programs Reading tools Speech Synthesizers Speech Recognition Systems

Age-Related Disabilities Baby boomers are able to customize their computers to

counter the effects of aging. Windows XP incorporates the following technologies to assist:

Increase Icons and text size Magnifier to open a floating window similar to a magnifying glass Speech Recognition to minimize typing Sound Sentry provides a visual warning for system sounds Narrator or use of a screen reader to read the page Cursor Options let you adjust the size and look of the cursor so it

doesn’t get ‘lost’ Many styles of mice to choose from, or use Mouse Keys to take the

place of navigation with a mouse Sticky Keys replaces need to use two or more keys at the same

time, such as Ctrl-B Filter Keys adjusts for finger quiver on a keyboard Adjust screen resolution and/or contrast to compensate for images

that appear blurry

Standard Web Site ViewAssistive Technology ProductsAssistive technology products are specialty products designed to provide additional accessibility to individuals who have physical or cognitive difficulties, impairments, and disabilities. When selecting assistive technology products, it is critical to find products that are compatible with the computer operating system and programs on the particular computer.

•     Types of Assistive Technology Products

•     Search for Assistive Technology Products

•     Information for Assistive Technology Manufacturers

Text Version Web Site View

Assistive Technology Products:

Assistive technology products are specialty products designed to provide additional accessibility to individuals who have physical or cognitive difficulties, impairments, and disabilities. When selecting assistive technology products, it is critical to find products that are compatible with the computer operating system and programs on the particular computer.

[image: *] Types of Assistive Technology Products

[image: *] Search for Assistive Technology Products

[image: *] Information for Assistive Technology Manufacturers

Quick Tips for Accessible Web Sites 1 Images & Animations

Use the alt attribute to describe the function of each visual.

Image Maps Use the client-side map and text for

hotspots Multimedia

Provide captioning and transcripts of audio, and descriptions of video.

Quick Tips for Accessible Web Sites 2 Hypertext Links

Use text that makes sense when read out of context.

Page Organization Use headings, lists, and consistent

structure. Use CSS for layout and style where possible.

Graphs & Charts Summarize or use the longdesc attribute.

Scripts, Applets, & Plug-ins Provide alternative content in case active

features are inaccessible or unsupported. Frames

Use the noframes element and meaningful titles. Consider CSS rather than frames.

Tables Make line-by-line reading sensible.

Summarize.

Quick Tips for Accessible Web Sites 3

Tools & Examples

Add option to skip navigation

Why Accessibility? An editorial from April 2000 ZDNet web site entitled "The

disabled community is potentially a big market. So why is it ignored?"www.zdnet.com/pcweek/stories/news/0,4153,2505714,00.html

Webable site on accessibility services, including a searchable database of accessibility resources.www.webable.com

Alliance for Technology Access, whose mission is to connect children and adults with disabilities to technology tools.www.ataccess.org

Web Accessibility Initiative through the World Wide Web Consortiumwww.w3.org/WAI/

WIA – Accessibility Resource

For More Information The STC Usability SIG's accessibility page

http://www.stcsig.org/usability/topics/accessibility.html

The STC Usability SIG's archive of newsletters http://www.stcsig.org/usability/newsletter/newsletter-archives.html (especially see the April 2003 issue, which was all about accessibility)

The STC AccessAbility SIG http://www.stcsig.org/sn/index.shtml