This is the document I prepared sometime back to do a small workshop about Web Accessibility.

What is Web Accessibility?

Web accessibility refers to the practice of making websites usable by people of all abilities and disabilities.

For example, when a site is coded with semantically meaningful HTML, with textual equivalents provided for images and with links named meaningfully, this helps blind users using text-to-speech software and/or text-to-Braille hardware. When text and images are large and/or enlargable, it is easier for users with poor sight to read and understand the content.

When links are underlined (or otherwise differentiated) as well as coloured, this ensures that colour blind users will be able to notice them. When clickable links and areas are large, this helps users who cannot control a mouse with precision.

When pages are coded so that users can navigate by means of the keyboard alone, or a single switch access device alone, this helps users who cannot use a mouse or even a standard keyboard.

When videos are closed captioned (subtitles) or a sign language version is available, deaf and hard of hearing users can understand video.

Make flashing effects avoid or optional.

The needs that Web accessibility aims to address include:

• Visual: Visual impairments including blindness, various common types of low vision and poor eyesight, various types of colour blindness;
• Motor/Mobility: e.g. difficulty or inability to use the hands, including tremors, muscle slowness, loss of fine muscle control, etc., due to conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, stroke;
• Auditory: Deafness or hearing impairments, including individuals who are hard of hearing;
• Seizures: Photoepileptic seizures caused by visual strobe or flashing effects;
• Cognitive/Intellectual: Developmental disabilities, learning disabilities (dyslexia, dyscalculia, etc.), and cognitive disabilities of various origins, affecting memory, attention, developmental “maturity,” problem-solving and logic skills, etc.;

Assistive technologies used for web browsing

Disabled users use assistive technologies such as the following to enable and assist web browsing:

• Screen reader software, which can read out, using synthesised speech, either selected elements of what is being displayed on the monitor (helpful for users with reading or learning difficulties), or which can read out everything that is happening on the PC (used by blind and vision impaired users).
• Braille terminals, consisting of a Refreshable Braille display which renders text as Braille characters (usually by means of raising pegs through holes in a flat surface) and either a QWERTY or Braille keyboard.
• Screen magnification software, which enlarges what is displayed on the computer monitor, making it easier to read for vision impaired users.
• Speech recognition software that can accept spoken commands to the computer, or turn dictation into grammatically correct text – useful for those who have difficulty using a mouse or a keyboard.
• Keyboard overlays, which can make typing easier and more accurate for those who have motor control difficulties.

Example for a court case

In 2000, an Australian blind man won a court case against the Sydney Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (SOCOG). This was the first successful case under Disability Discrimination Act 1992 because SOCOG had failed to make their official website, Sydney Olympic Games, adequately accessible to blind users.

Web Accessibility checkpoints

Basic checkpoints;

1. Validate HTML and CSS
2. No frames, please
3. Automated accessibility checking tools
4. Images and alternative text
5. Make sure that JavaScript is unobtrusive
6. Increase text size
7. Look for semantic markup
8. Disable CSS
9. Use Fangs to emulate a screen reader

Digging deeper;

1. Colour contrast
2. Document titles
3. Link text
4. Non HTML formats
5. Platform discrimination
6. Keyboard navigation
7. Data tables
8. Form controls and labels
9. Use a screen reader
10. Don’t overlook the content
11. Further reading on other experiments & articles

Standards, guidelines & Government regulations

1. The W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG 1.0)
2. Disability Discrimination Act UK
3. Section 508 – requires U.S. government web sites to be accessible
4. Disability Act 2005 Ireland
5. National Disability Authority Ireland

If anyone need to add anything to this or if I have missed anything, please put those as a comment.