Web accessibility for an ageing population OZeWAI Conference 30 November 2011 Andrew Arch Assistant Director, Web Policy – Accessibility 1 Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO)

Ageing in Australia Intergenerational Review 2010 (Treasury) Acknowledges: Population is ageing Increased spending required on health, age- pensions, aged-care Age-care policies need to enable people to stay in the community as long as possible

Extended working career Age Commissioner: “A recent Deloittes report on the looming national skills shortage asked the question that should be on the lips of most businesses: Where is your next employee coming from?” Commissioner Ryan said. “Their answer was clear – your next employee is retired or about to retire.”

Ageing in Europe EC funded projects around ICT for ageing well Smart homes Smart appliances E-health Monitoring Independent living

DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES Draws on

De vel op ed wit h ma teri al fro m W3 C We b () / Global demographic changes Year65+ years 80+ years %1.5% %1.9% %2.3% %3.3% %4.3% United Nations global demographic forecast Source: UN World Population Prospects

European situation Demographic forecast for the EU Source: EuroStat Year65+ years 80+ years %5% %6% %7% %8% %12%

Japanese situation Demographic forecast for Japan Source: Japanese Statistics Bureau Year65+ years % % % % %

Australia’s situation Demographic forecast for Australia Source: ABS Population Projections Year65+ years 80+ years %1.8% %2.1% %2.4% %3.5% %4.4%

CHANGING ABILITIES

Ageing and hearing loss Impact: Audio can be difficult to discern Higher pitch sounds can be missed Prevalence: 47% of people 61 to 80 years 93% of people 81+ years

Ageing and vision decline Impact: Decreasing ability to focus on near tasks Changing colour perception and sensitivity Decreasing contrast sensitivity Prevalence: (significant vision loss) 16% of people years 19% of people 75 – 84 years 46% of people 85+ years

Ageing and physical decline Impact: (Motor skill decline can result from many conditions including arthritis and Parkinson's Disease) Difficulty using mouse or keyboard Difficult to click small areas Strain from non- ergonomic tasks Prevalence: (Conditions commonly reported) Arthritis At least 50% of people over 65 affected Essential tremor Affects up to 20% of people over 65 Parkinson's Disease Approximately 4% of people over 85 affected

Ageing and cognitive decline Impact: Navigation, comprehension, and task completion can be affected by: Short term memory problems Difficulty with concentration Distraction from movement or irrelevant material Difficulty coping with information overload Prevalence: (Conditions commonly reported) Dementia: 1.4% of people yrs 24% of people 85+ yrs Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is more common: Around 20% of people over 70 years are estimated to experience MCI

OLDER PEOPLE ONLINE

Unprecedented opportunities for: Social interaction and communication Access to information Access to eCommerce Access to government services and civic participation Training and learning opportunities Employment, research, and access to workplace applications

“Older Australians and the Internet” Participants awareness of and interest in the internet

“Older Australians and the Internet” Barriers identified: Don’t know how to use it Confused by the technology Concern about security and viruses Don’t know what it does Rely on friends & family

Numbers online (2006)

ACCESSIBILTY FOR OLDER PEOPLE

Observations from the literature Many studies seemed unaware of the W3C/WAI work Information overload was commonly identified Less technical, more usability, requirements predominated Accessibility options were not appreciated by users Adaptive strategies were seldom considered Assistive technology was not discussed Hearing as an impairment was ignored Draws on

Roger Hudson’s survey (2010) Common problems “Silly little picture about nothing” “Fancy stuff that keeps moving” “Finding what I’m after” “Too many navigation choices” Text size or colour Text size sometimes a problem for 48% Colour mentioned by 23% /

ROLE OF WAI GUIDELINES

Components of web accessibility

Accessible web content Requirements include: Readable and understandable text Identifiable and understandable links Clear and identifiable headings Good orientation and navigation WCAG 2.0 addresses these

Usability improvements Usability improvements especially help older people and people with disabilities: Page layout and design - provide consistency and avoid overload Text presentation - use left justification, increase line spacing & margins, avoid italics and underlining Forms - avoid complexity and provide clear guidance Menus and links - provide predictability and consistency WCAG 2.0 also addresses these

Role of web browsers Browsers are the entry-point to the Web: Many older users are overwhelmed by the functionality Accessibility features are often not easy to configure Some browsers do not work with assistive technology People who are new to the Web are especially affected UAAG helps address these

Web authoring Older people contribute to the Web: Using content management systems for work- related publishing Using social media applications such as FaceBook, blogs, and forums Developing Web sites professionally or for leisure ATAG helps address these issues

WAI-AGE OUTCOMES

WAI-AGE goals Raising awareness of Web accessibility for older people Better explaining the applicability of the WAI guidelines for older people Avoiding potential fragmentation through reinvention of requirements Encouraging participation of older people in W3C/WAI standardization

WAI-AGE resources Revision of existing WAI resources, including: Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your OrganizationDeveloping a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization Before and After Demonstration (BAD) website Involving Users in Web Projects for Better, Easier AccessibilityInvolving Users in Web Projects for Better, Easier Accessibility Developing Web Accessibility Presentations and Training Developing Web Accessibility Presentations and Training

WAI-AGE resources New WAI resources: Better Web Browsing - Tips to customize your computerBetter Web Browsing - Tips to customize your computer Contacting Organizations about Inaccessible WebsitesContacting Organizations about Inaccessible Websites Developing Websites for Older People How to Make Presentations Accessible to All

Websites for Older People: How WCAG 2.0 Applies Perceivable Text size Text style and text layout Color and contrast Multimedia Text-to-speech (speech synthesis)Text-to-speech (speech synthesis CAPTCHA Operable Links Navigation and location Mouse use Keyboard use and tabbing Distractions Sufficient time Understandable Page organization Understandable language Consistent navigation and labeling Pop-ups and new-windows Page refresh and updates Instructions and input assistance Error prevention and recovery for forms Robust Older equipment/software older-users/developing

Accessible presentations

AUSTRALIAN ACTIVITIES

National Seniors Australia report Older people will be online for : e-Health Social networking Adult learning Shopping & banking

Initiatives Australia Web Accessibility National Transition Strategy National Broadband Network Digital Communities UK Silver Surfers Day/week Race Online 2012

NTS timeframes Implementation WCAG 2.0 by Australian Governments in accordance with agreed work plan Level A by December 2012 Level AA by December 2014 Bottom line - websites that are not accessible are not fit for purpose

Discussion Contact details