web accessibility
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Web Usability and Accessibility 2
Content• Web Accessibility• Disabilities• Vision impairment• Hearing impairment• Mobility impairment• Cognitive Impairment• Learning impairment• Assistive Technologies • Web Accessibility Standards
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Web Accessibility“Accessible” means that people are able to use your website even under limiting conditions.
To be accessible, your website must be:• Perceivable (see, hear, touch)
• Operable (device independent)Making your website accessible is like providing a wheelchair ramp for your building.
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Vision impairment• Blind low vision, color blindness• Challenges:– Inability to view images or videos– Inability to understand and navigate organization of Web
page
• What can you do to help?– Provide alt tags for all images– Provide headers and descriptions for tables– Provide audio explanations for complicated diagrams and
images
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Hearing impairment• Deaf or hard of hearing• Challenges:– Listening to audio/video clips– Difficulty participating in real-time audio chats
• What can you do to help?– Provide transcripts for audio– Provide captioning for video– Provide closed captioning or try access for live chats
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Mobility impairment• Difficulty using fingers, hands, or arms• Challenges:– Unable to use mouse– Unable to select small buttons or icons– Unable to participate in real-time text chat
• What can you do to help?– Make buttons and links reasonably large– Provide keyboard alternatives for anything that requires a
mouse– Provide audio alternatives for text requirements
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Cognitive Impairment• Developmental disabilities• Cognitive disabilities– Affecting memory– Attention– Developmental maturity– Problem-solving– Logic skills etc.
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Learning impairment• Effects the learning process involving one or more
abilities– speaking– Listening– Reading, writing and spelling– Reasoning and organizing
• Challenges:– Getting lost in navigation– Inability to understand cluttered content or worded clearly
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Assistive Technologies
It is a generic term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and includes the process used in selecting, locating, and using them.
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Examples of AT• Screen Readers and magnifiers• Refreshable Braille display.• Captioning SW• Voice Recognition SW• Touch Screens• Switches and pointer sticks
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Web Accessibility Standards
• W3C WCAG – Worldwide Web Consortium Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
• Federal Section 508 – Web-based Intranet and Internet Information and Applications (1194.22)
• Commonwealth of Massachusetts Web Accessibility Standards, version 2.0
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Web Accessibility Standards 2.0• HTML markup – A state agency web page must use HTML
markup tags according to industry standards. [1.1]• Forms – Forms designed to be completed online and other
interactive elements must be accessible by people using assistive technology. [1.5]
• Text Equivalents – A state agency web page must provide a text equivalent for every non-text element. [3.1]
• Multimedia – A state agency web page must provide synchronized auditory and readable text descriptions of the important information on the visual track of a multimedia presentation. [3.2]
• Audio – A state agency web page must provide a text equivalent for information provided in audio format. [3.3]
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Web Accessibility Standards 2.0(continued)
• Color – A state agency must ensure that the use and selection of color do not affect the information conveyed on a page. [3.5]
• Document File Formats – All information published on a state agency web page must be published in HTML, whenever possible, to eliminate the need for additional software. [4.1]
• File Size Optimization – A state agency must optimize files to improve download time. [5.1]
• Web Accessibility Statement – A state agency web site must provide a link to a web accessibility statement. [6.1]
• Website Validation – A state agency must validate web content against these Standards prior to posting and at regular intervals after posting. [7.1]
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Testing Tools
• Testing tools include:– SW used by disabled (e.g. JAWS)– Emulators (e.g. Fangs)– Compliance checkers
• Remember that tools are not people
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Design Tips• Layout and Structure
– Use headings in content consistently– Use the captions, summaries, and row and column headers for
tables– Use appropriate metadata
• Navigation– Use clear, descriptive text for hyperlinks– Set hyperlinks to open in new window– Use meaningful text for page titles
• Color– Avoid using color as only indicator– Avoid using red
• Text– Use clear, simple language
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Design Tips• Forms and tables• Images– Add meaningful alt text to all images– For complex images, add a description link– Avoid flickering images and unnecessary animated images– Avoid using images of text
• Multimedia– For audio clips, use a description link– For video clips, use captioning or use a description link– For video clips, provide a link to an audio file– Provide a link to download appropriate audio/video player
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Benefits
Making your website accessible:• Helps people with disabilities use the web.• Separates content from presentation, making the
website easier to manage and web pages quicker to download.
• Increases your site’s usability.• Increases your websites visibility in search engines.• Provides good publicity and addresses questions of
possible liability(responsibility).