Dhananjay Bhole, Coordinator, Accessibility Research Group, Department of Education and Extension, University of Pune. Introduction to accessible computing

Topics to be covered  What is accessible computing,  How people with disabilities use computational services  Various accessibility standards & guidelines  Desktop Accessibility standards  Web accessibility  Non HTML Content Accessibility  Important laws  Why to invest in web accessibility  key principles of web accessibility

Topics To be covered (Continued)  Accessibility myths.  Approaches for accessibility implementation.  Benefits of accessibility.

What is accessible computing In human-computer interaction, computer accessibility or Accessible computing refers to the accessibility of a computer system to all people, regardless of disability or severity of impairment.

How people with disabilities use computational services People with visual impairment use screen reader program and people with low vision use screen magnifier to access computer. People with motor disabilities use special key bord and special mouse. People with Auditory disabilities and speech impairment require graphical communication to access computer. Dept. blind people use refreshable braille display

Various accessibility standards & Guidelines Various organizations like W3C, Microsoft, Apple computers, Adobe, Oracle, Linux foundation etc have designed standards and guidelines for their products.

Desktop accessibility Standards : Microsoft active accessibility Microsoft UI automation GNOME accessibility standards Apple OSX Accessibility.

Web accessibility guidelines  Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.  Accessible Rich Internet Application.  Authoring tools accessibility Guidelines.  User Agent accessibility Guidelines.

Non HTML Content Accessibility Guidelines Flash Accessibility design Guidelines. Flex Accessibility Best Practices. PDF Accessibility.

Important laws:  Section 508 of US rehabilitation act  UNCRPD  National electronics access policy(MCIT gov of India)  Rights of persons with disabilities bill 2011(amended PWD act, gov of India)

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0

Definition  defines how to make Web content more accessible to people with disabilities  developed through the W3C process  Consists of internationally recognized principles, guidelines, and success criteria

Principle 1: Perceivable  Non-text content should have text equivalents  Color contrast should be properly identified  Avoid using color as the sole means of conveying information  Provide a means to stop/play audio in a page  Provide a means to resize text in a page

Principle 2: Operable  All functionality should be available via the keyboard  During sessions where there is a time limit, provide a means to extend the time  Do not design content in a way that is known to cause seizures (content that flashes more than three times per second)  Provide a means to bypass repetitive blocks of content

 title should describe the page’s content or purpose  Users should be able to follow the correct sequence of web content  text link should describe the link’s purpose  Headings and labels should describe topic and purpose

Principle 3: Understandable  Define the language of the page  Provide a way to determine the meaning of unusual words  Provide the expanded form of abbreviations at least once.  Try to make text easy to read and understand  Make web pages operate in predictable ways  Enable users to easily determine errors they have made

Principle 4: Robust  Ensure that the site can be displayed properly by most if not all browsers  Perform web page validation whenever necessary

Relation of WCAG and MWBP  Introduction  Similar barriers  Similar solutions  Doing Both

Accessibility myths  Text-Only Versions Are an Acceptable Solution  Accessibility Makes Sites Dull and Boring  Accessibility Is Expensive and Hard  Accessibility Is the Sole Responsibility of Web Developers  Accessibility Is for People Who Are Blind  Evaluation Tools Can Determine Accessibility and Conformance to Standards  Guidelines Are Not Sufficient for Accessibility

Approaches to Web Accessibility implementation  Start by Understanding the Issues  Involve People with Disabilities in Your Project  Recruiting People with Disabilities  Learning from People with Disabilities  Understand the Relationship Between Accessibility and Usability  Understand the Vital Role of Guidelines  Accessibility Barriers on Existing Sites

Business case for web accessibility  It depends on various factors:  Social factors  Technical factors  Financial factors  Legal and policy factors

Social factors  Benefits for without Disabilities:  Older people  People with low literacy and people not fluent in the language  People with low-bandwidth connections to the Internet and those using older technologies  New and infrequent web users

Technical factors  Technical Benefits :-  Reduced Site Development and Maintenance Time  Reduced Server Load  Improved Interoperability  Prepared for Advanced Technologies

Finantial factors  Financial Benefits:  Search Engine Optimization  Increased Website Use  Direct Cost Savings

Legal factors  Identifying Legal and Policy Factors for a Specific Organization Identifying Legal and Policy Factors for a Specific Organization  Determining Applicable Policies Determining Applicable Policies  Addressing Multiple Standards Addressing Multiple Standards  Understanding Risks for Non- Compliance Understanding Risks for Non- Compliance

References  Principles of Accessible Design   Adobe accessibility resource centre.

Other Resources  WebAIM WebAIM Introduction to Web Accessibility WebAIM articles WebAIM newsletter  Web Accessibility Initiative. Web Accessibility Initiative.