Users with disabilities
frequently rely on hardware and software to successfully interact with
web content. These tools, otherwise known as assistive technologies,
range from screen readers to touch screens and head pointers
Blind users of the Web frequently use software called a screen reader to
read the contents of a web page out loud. Screen readers allow users
to hear the contents of a web page rather than read them. However, a
screen reader can only read text, not images or animations. Thus, it
is important that images and animations have text descriptions associated
with them for a screen reader to use. This text is called alternative
text, or "alt" text. Two common screen readers are JAWS from Freedom
Scientific3 and Home Page
Reader from IBM4.
Touch screens and head pointers replace the functionality of a mouse for
users with mobility issues. These tools allow users with little or no
use of their hands to interact with the computer. A user operates a
stick or other implement to activate links, complete forms or write
e-mail on the keyboard or touch screen. In these cases, it is very important
that essential components of the page work without a mouse. Rollovers,
dropdown menus and interactive simulations are all examples of elements
that are typically dependent on the mouse for user interaction. Testing
a page for use without a mouse is quite simple. In Internet Explorer,
pressing the Tab key moves the focus of the browser between links on
the page. Pressing the Enter key activates links much like clicking
a mouse. Testing a page with these two keystrokes provides a quick and
easy test of a page's reliance on (or independence from) a mouse.
In addition to the efforts of users and designers to make web content accessible,
there are several standards on which to base web design.
Accessibility Standards
Accessibility standards help web designers identify and address accessibility
issues. The World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Content Accessibility
Guidelines5 (WCAG) were
the first major effort to establish guidelines for design. This standard
consists of 14 guidelines, each with three levels of checkpoints. Priority
One checkpoints are those that the web developer must satisfy to insure
that the page itself is accessible. Priority Two checkpoints are those
that the web developer should satisfy to ensure that certain groups
will be able to access information on the web page. Priority Three checkpoints
are those the web developer may do to ensure that all content on the
page is completely accessible. The WCAG is not a legal mandate, but
rather a comprehensive set of guidelines to ensure accessibility.
In addition to the WCAG guidelines, there are emerging legal mandates for
accessibility. Currently, there is no direct legal mandate for K-12
or university web sites, but there is strong precedent. Indeed, many
states and universities are developing their own standards based on
the WCAG. In the United States Section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation
Act6 sets standards
for web pages designed or maintained by federal agencies. The regulations
referred to as Section 508 are actually an amendment to the Workforce
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 508 requires that electronic and
information technology that is developed or purchased by the federal
government is accessible by people with disabilities.
Section 508 does not directly apply to the private sector. While many institutions
have adopted the standard outlined in Section 508 as part of their accessibility
policy, they are not required to do so under the current law. However,
there is widespread expectation that similar laws may be passed in the
future regarding the publication of web sites in organizations that
receive federal funds. Predicting future legislation is a tricky endeavor
at best, though it seems inevitable that accessibility policy will be
more broad-based some point in the future.
Why is Accessibility Important?
Accessibility represents an important step toward independence for individuals
with disabilities and it also guarantees broader access for all users
of the web. Accessible web pages provide access to a broader range of
employment and educational opportunities by providing individuals with
other means of communicating via distance or face-to-face. Accessible
web pages allow users with disabilities to participate in day-to-day
activities many of us take for granted, such as reading a newspaper
or buying a gift for a loved one.
As with many improvements intended for individuals with disabilities, the
enhancements of accessible design offer benefits for all users of the
Web. Anyone who has pushed a shopping cart out of a grocery store can
attest to the value of automatic doors and ramps cut into curbs. Similarly,
accessible Web design creates pages that are often easier to read, easier
to navigate and faster to download. This allows for a larger participating
audience of more people in more situations.
Accessible design is based on the premise that pages must work with browsers
other than Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer. A page must be accessible
whether using a screen reader, refreshable Braille display or a head
pointer. At the same time, this often makes the same pages available
to other Internet devices such as WAP-enabled phones or hand held PDAs.
The following examples illustrate how accessible design benefits all.
Hearing Impairment
For users with hearing impairments, auditory content needs to be provided
as text. Most people are familiar with captioning. With the growing
availability of video on the web, surprisingly little of this content
is captioned. This severely restricts the ability of people with hearing
impairments to take advantage of video delivered over the web.
A student with a hearing impairment is working on a history project on
civil rights speeches. The student is using the Internet for research
on this topic and locates a site that contains a library of key civil
rights speeches. On this particular site, all the speeches are only
stored in an audio file format, such as .wav or real media. Because
of the singular format of the speeches, the student is unable to utilize
any of the information on this site. The information is only available
in an audio format. A solution to this problem would be including a
text transcript of the speeches. The student could then read the text.
From a more general perspective, this solution makes the site more usable
- a better and more functional site for all. The inclusion of a text
transcription helps those individuals who might have difficulty understanding
the audio such as students for whom English is a second language. The
presentation of material in multiple formats benefits students who learn
better by reading rather than by hearing, or want to more closely study
specific aspects of the text. The inclusion of different technology
(text and audio) benefits those students who don’t have the technological
resources to access the audio. These resources include necessary bandwidth,
a computer with a soundcard, speakers (or headphones if they are in
a library), and the necessary plug-in software to make the audio work.
On a related note, many computers that are placed in classrooms are
administratively locked to prevent the installation of software (usually
games or file sharing software like Morpheus). This lockdown often also
collaterally prohibits the installation of needed plug-ins such as RealPlayer,
Shockwave, QuickTime, and HyperStudio. Finally, the inclusion of text-based
version of the speeches opens the site up to referencing by search engines.
The automated tools that scan the Internet for content cannot (at this
writing) transcribe audio, but they do scan text. This broadens the
audience for the site and makes the content more accessible for everyone.
