WEB ACCESSIBILITY FOR THE DISABLED Technology Mrs. Huddleston

Disabled People in the US About 20 percent of the US population (60 million individuals) has some kind of disability (physical, mental, emotional, psychological, etc.). About 10 percent has a severe disability. Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

Types of Disabilities that Affect Internet Use Visual impairments (blindness, color blindness, cataracts, glaucoma) Hearing impairments (deafness) Mobility impairments (paralysis, arthritis, MS, Parkinson’s) Cognitive (mental) impairments (Down Syndrome, Alzheimer's) Seizure disorders (epilepsy) Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled Blindness Blind people can’t use a mouse or monitor. They listen to the Web through a software program that acts as a screen reader which converts text into synthesized speech. Example Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

Problems for Blind People Images (especially when used as a link) Always include alternate text Always include text links along with image links Tables JavaScript, Multimedia Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

Problems for Deaf People Music, Video The solution is easy, but very labor-intensive: provide: transcripts, captions or sub titles. Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled Deaf & Blind People Screen readers convert text into Braille, through a device attached to the computer. All content on the web page must be in a text format so that it can be converted to Braille. Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled Mobility Impairments The biggest problem is navigating links. Don’t use small labels (letters of the alphabet) Don’t have long lists of links This may tire people out if they are using a mouth stick, head wand or “puff & sip” switch. Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled Mouth Sticks Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled Puff & Sip Switches Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

Light Operated Mouse & Keyboard (LOMAK) Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled Tongue Controller Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

Cognitive (Mental) Impairments Ways to help: Simple and intuitive interface Clearly worded text Consistent navigational scheme between pages. Use graphics or icons that supplement the text. Purely decorative graphics may not help. Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled Seizure Disorders Some banner ads flash or flicker at rates (2-55 Hz) that may induce seizures in those susceptible to them. Don’t create pages that flicker at that rate. Example Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled US Regulations The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, is being interpreted to include Web accessibility. Areas of concern: Post-Secondary schools offering online registration and courses Government sites offering many online services Online chat rooms, discussion groups E-commerce Next Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled ADA Created to provide access to persons with disabilities to public buildings. Schools, Courthouses, Libraries, Hospitals, Grocery stores, Bowling alleys, Others Required minimum number of disabled parking spaces Required ramps/elevators, wheel-chair accessible bathrooms, aisles Back Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled Opponents to ADA Government regulation of the Internet is intrusive and wrong. It is detrimental to e-commerce because of the effort, time and money required to redesign sites for accessibility. Accessible Web sites are not as appealing to users without disabilities. Enforcement is problematic. Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled Proponents of ADA The Internet is too important an entity to be a vehicle of segregation between those with disabilities and those without. It is not as difficult to make Web sites accessible as some people think. Making Web sites accessible often improves Web sites for those without disabilities. The fact that the Internet is public space makes identification of inaccessible sites simple. Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled

Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled Resources http://www.webaim.org http://www.itc.virginia.edu/desktop/web/accessibility/simulation.html http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/websites2.htm Huddleston - Web Accessibility for the Disabled