The Practicalities of Accessibility

2. The Practicalities of Accessibility What lack of accessibility can mean to many users Sue King, 16th February 2007

3. Benefits of new technology • independent access to information and services • improved communication • better access to education • increased employment opportunities • more fun

4. Ethical view • disabled people deserve to be included in mainstream society • their interests are much the same as everyone else’s • they also have money to spend

5. The legal implications • Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) - UK • US Govt Section 508 • Australian DDA and the Sydney Olympics

6. Accessibility v. usability • many sites about accessibility • usability must not be forgotten • a site can be accessible but unusable • accessibility and usability often overlap

7. Some people affected by new technology Those with: • visual impairment • motor control • brain injury • stroke • deafness • cognitive difficulties

8. Three main visual impairment groups • screen reader users – who may also use Braille • magnification users • those who change browser and/or PC settings

9. Deafblind users • small group but most in need as few alternatives • tend to be hidden and isolated in community • technology can aid daily quality of life immeasurably

10. Khaled Alvi’s ‘Indian Family’ Khaled is deafblind

11. What all users need to be able to do • find out where they are on the site/product • easily navigate the entire site – no ‘mystery’ areas • use all the functions, ie search box

12. Screen reader users • the screen is read from top left to bottom right • users get no overview • graphics and movies should have text description • access to entire site and functions must be possible by keystrokes

13. Reading a website Skills and knowledge required: • good listening skills - and patience • good Braille skills • be able to touch type • be able to use the Braille display • know how to surf the internet • know how to use the browser

14. Barriers to accessibility - screenreaders • poor or absent Alt text • ‘click here’ links • constant repetition • inaccessible tables and forms

17. Links list (1) • mfabut • banner • banner • banner • banner • advanced search

18. Links list (2) • search tips • images/bullet • home page • images/bullet • Israeli Missions homepage • images/bullet

19. Links list (3) • related links • images/bullet • feedback • images/bullet • Ministry of Foreign Affairs (English) • images/bullet

20. Links list (4) • Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Hebrew) • data/108830 • data/108826 • for more information, including details of specific events • click here for the calendar and details

21. Links list (5) • data/104618 • culture@london.mfa.gov.il • data/107574 • please click here • data/107576 • data/107588 and so on …

22. Partially sighted users • may use magnification software • may change screen resolution • may change PC or browser settings to reverse/change colours or increase/decrease font size

23. Magnification users • may magnify from x2 to x6 + • can see only part of the screen • must keep scrolling across and down - tiring

28. Checking your site • consider accessibility from start • keep checking your site • don’t rely on automatic validators • ask real users to try it • there is no convenient generic user so assume nothing

29. Emerging technology • products becoming more complex and smaller • websites becoming more interactive • users are becoming contributors

30. ‘People’ first, ‘Disabled’ second Accessibility should be part of the natural development cycle from the start - not an afterthought. If the legal and ethical reasons don’t really interest you then do it for selfish ones. But do it.