Web Accessibility

1. Web Accessibility "The art of ensuring that, to as large an extent as possible, facilities (such as, for example, Web access) are available to people whether or not they have impairments of one sort or another." Tim Berners-Lee

2. What is Web Accessibility? An accessible Web site is one that people can fully use and interact with regardless of the range of their abilities or their browser technology. Can be used in a variety of ways that do not depend on a single sense or ability.

3. Why should we care? The Internet is often more important those with disabilities because of circumstances related to their disabilities. Using a computer and the Internet, someone who is blind or paralyzed can order groceries, read the news, download a book, communicate with others.

4. Disabilities • Visual Impairments • Deafness and Hearing Impairments • Deaf-Blindness • Mobility Impairments • Cognitive Impairments • Seizure Disorders

5. Blindness • No use of monitor or mouse • Use of screen reader or refreshable Braille Display • Label graphics (alt tags) • Describe Video • Properly mark-up Tables and Frames • Keyboard support

6. Low Vision • Screen Enlarger/Magnifier • Don’t override the users control over fonts & colors • High Contrast • Don’t rely on user being able to read “text” conveyed as an image

7. Color Blindness • Colors with most potential for confusion: reds, greens, oranges, yellows • Don’t override the users control over fonts & colors • Do not rely on color alone to convey important information • High Contrast

8. Deafness & Hearing Impairments • Amount of multimedia on Web increasing • Sound clips: have textual transcript • Video clips with sound: synchronized captioning

9. Mobility Impairments • Some can use keyboard and mouse with difficulty • Some use mouth stick or “puff-and-sip” switches • Don’t rely on ability to use a mouse

10. Cognitive Impairments • Many types of impairments, with a wide range of abilities (learning disabilities, Downs syndrome, stroke victims) • Consistent navigational structure • Text is clear and simple • Some benefit from graphics or icons that supplement text or links (not decorative)

11. Captcha and accessibility

12. Seizure Disorders • At certain rates, flickering images or videos can cause someone with a seizure disorder to have a seizure.

13. Who Does Web Accessibility Benefit? While the primary focus of Web accessibility is for those with disabilities, when you create a page that is not dependent on any one single sense or ability, it creates better access for everyone.

14. Legal Issues In Italia, per le nuove realizzazioni e le modifiche apportate dalla Pubblica amministrazione ai propri siti web, si deve tenere conto della "Legge Stanca" (2004). La legge si pone come obiettivo quello di dare attuazione al principio di uguaglianza previsto dall'art. 3 della Costituzione Italiana e quindi garantire il diritto di accesso ai servizi informatici e telematici della pubblica amministrazione e ai servizi di pubblica utilità da parte delle persone disabili.

15. WCAG 2.0 Cheklist Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are part of a series of Web accessibility guidelines published by the W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative. They consist of a set of guidelines for making content accessible. Following these guidelines will make content accessible to a wider range of people with disabilities.

16. Guideline 1.1 Text Alternatives Provide text alternatives for any non-text content. It is recommended to describe pictures in 4-6 words if possible. For example, the description "This is a picture of a dog" mostly contains redundant words. Thus, describing a picture of a dog could be as simple as "dog".

17. Guideline 1.3 Adaptable Create content that can be presented in different ways (for example spoken aloud or simpler layout) without losing information or structure. If all of the information is available in a form that can be determined by software, then it can be presented to users in different ways (visually, audibly, tactilely etc.).

18. Guideline 1.4 Distinguishable Make it easier for users to see and hear content including separating foreground from background. This guideline mostly concentrates on colors, though audio is also included. The intent is to make everything distinguishable even if people are not able to differentiate between colors, or to control audio.

19. Guideline 1.4 Examples

20. Guideline 2.1 Keyboard Accessible All functionality of the content is operable through a keyboard interface. Blind people generally cannot use a mouse because they cannot see where to click. Some individuals with neuromuscular impairments cannot use a mouse either.

21. Guideline 2.2 Enough Time Provide users enough time to read and use content. In certain cases, for security reasons, you might have to limit a session to a certain amount of time. However, some people may require more time than what you originally allow.

22. Guideline 2.3 Seizures Do not design content in a way that is known to cause seizures. Certain flashing screen effects can cause a seizure. Some people are not even aware that they can be effected by flashing until they are exposed to it. Web sites should be designed so that they do not cause seizure, by limiting flashing frequency to a range which is not harmful.

23. Guideline 2.4 Navigable Provide ways to help users navigate, find content, and determine where they are. This allows users to effectively find what they are looking for.

24. Guideline 3.1 Readable Make text content readable and understandable. For instance, people who use screen readers do not read the text; instead, they listen to it as the screen reader reads it for them. Some users may find it difficult to comprehend the meaning of a word or a phrase in a page. To prevent this scenario from happening, developers can provide definitions of terms and expansions of acronyms in the page.

25. Guideline 3.2 Predictable Make Web pages appear and operate in predictable ways. This means that pages either behave conventionally, or when the behavior is by default unexpected, warnings and instructions are provided to the user beforehand. When the same navigation features are used throughout several pages, ensure that this navigation occurs in the same order. For example, do not change the layout or the location of a menu.

26. Guideline 3.3 Input Assistance Help users avoid and correct mistakes. In a web application it is important to alert users when they made a mistake and help them correct it. The best way of avoiding mistakes is to provide information on what kind of input is needed.

27. Guideline 4.1 Compatible Maximize compatibility with current and future user agents, including assistive technologies. Most types of technologies evolve at a very fast pace. As a result, developers have to constantly work hard to keep up with these technologies.