Accessibility
We will cover the following questions:
- What is accessibility?
- Why be accessible?
- How do we become accessible?
What is accessibility?
For those unfamiliar with accessibility issues pertaining to Web
page design, consider that many users may be operating in contexts
very different from your own:
- They may not be able to see, hear, move, or may not be able to
process some types of information easily or at all.
- They may have difficulty reading or comprehending text.
- They may not have or be able to use a keyboard or mouse.
- They may have a text-only screen, a small screen, or a slow Internet
connection.
- They may not speak or understand fluently the language in which
the document is written.
- They may be in a situation where their eyes, ears, or hands are
busy or interfered with (e.g., driving to work, working in a loud
environment, etc.).
- They may have an early version of a browser, a different browser
entirely, a voice browser, or a different operating system.
Content developers must consider these different situations during
page design. While there are several situations to consider, each
accessible design choice generally benefits several disability groups
at once and the Web community as a whole. For example, by using style
sheets to control font styles and eliminating the FONT element, HTML
authors will have more control over their pages, make those pages
more accessible to people with low vision, and by sharing the style
sheets, will often shorten page download times for all users. (W3C
1999)
Why be accessible?
- Because it's right
- Equity of access
- It helps all your users
- Because you can
- Because you must
- disability discrimination act
- SOCOG case
- lack of "unjustifiable hardship"
How do we become accessible?
1. Standards
2. Cross platform, liquid design
- Zeldman/ALA
- Evolt.org
- WASP
3. Testing
- Validation - W3C/Bobby
- Across browsers
- Using Lynx
- Screen readers
- JAWS
- Window Eyes
- Home Page Reader
RESOURCES
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
W3C Validator
W3C Web Accessibility Initiative
WC3 Web Content Accessibility
Guidelines 1.0
Bobby (an accessibility validator)
WAVE
web page accessibility check
Disability
Discrimination Act
DDA
Web Advisory Notes
Reader’s guide to
Sydney Olympics accessibility complaint
The Olympic Failure
by Tom Worthington
Nielsen/Norman
Group reports on accessibility
Integrating
Usability & Accessibility Guidelines with Macromedia Dreamweaver
The Web Standards Project
ALPHABET
SOUP: A web designer's journey to standards and accessibility
A List Apart
Evolt.org
Dive into Accessibility
QUICK TIPS TO MAKE ACCESSIBLE WEB SITES
- 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.
- Hypertext links. Use text that makes sense when
read out of context. For example, avoid "click here."
- 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.
- Tables. Make line-by-line reading sensible.
Summarize.
- Check your work. Validate. Use tools, checklist,
and guidelines at http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG
(c) W3C (MIT, INRIA, Keio) 2001/01
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