Showing papers on "Web accessibility published in 2000"

Web Accessibility for People with Disabilities

Abstract: From the Publisher: Web Accessibility for People with Disabilities is a vital tool for Web site developers and administrators who need to understand the law, the requirements of the disabled, and the processes of site evaluation and implementation. It includes an authoritative compendium of development tools and utilities, and is packed with examples demonstrating techniques for adjusting HTML tags, scripts, and other code to improve accessibility. Readers will learn answers to the challenges ahead, including how to: deliver highly graphic and visual content to the blind; provide access to Internet kiosks for the physically challenged; enable nonverbal users to "speak" to devices with voice recognition interfaces. This is a critical resource in helping companies comply with the "effective communication" requirement of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Core Techniques for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0

Abstract: This document describes techniques for authoring accessible content that apply across technologies. It is intended to help authors of Web content who wish to claim conformance to "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0" ([WCAG10] [p. 18] ). While the techniques in this document should help people author Web content that conforms to "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0", these techniques are neither guarantees of conformance nor the only way an author might produce conforming content. This document is part of a series of documents about techniques for authoring accessible Web content. For information about the other documents in the series, please refer to "Techniques for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0" [WCAG10-TECHS] [p. 18] .

Techniques for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0

Abstract: This document provides techniques for implementing the checkpoints defined in "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0". This document is part of a series of accessibility documents published by the Web Accessibility Initiative.

Evaluating web resources for disability access

Abstract: A majority of Web based information, facilities and services is unnecessarily inaccessible to people with certain disabilities, largely due to a lack of awareness of accessibility issues on the part of developers. This paper argues that currently available accessibility evaluation methods are unsatisfactory in the scope and presentation of their results. Consequently, there is a need for a meta- method which utilises the strengths of current methods, but which also bridges their weaknesses. The paper discusses a comprehensive, yet usable methodology for evaluating web sites for accessibility. Using this methodology, a semi- automatic accessibility evaluation tool is proposed, which will guide evaluators through the auditing process and produce a set of tailored recommendations for making the subject site accessible.

Accessible accessibility

Abstract: This paper discusses the need for an all-encompassing methodology for determining the level of accessibility of web resources, and the requirement that the results of such a procedure are as meaningful as possible to developers. It is argued that current accessibility evaluation methods are unsatisfactory in the scope and presentation of their results. An alternative meta-method of accessibility assessment is then described.

Accessibility of Fitness Facilities for Persons with Physical Disabilities Using Wheelchairs

Abstract: This study was conducted to evaluate the accessibility of fitness facilities in Topeka, Kansas, using the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG). ADAAG identifies the specifics of architectural accessibility mandated by Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Eight facilities were evaluated using an 83-item checklist adapted from Figoni et al. (1998). Most facilities had at least one barrier in each area surveyed. Only one facility was close to meeting the accessibility standards in the areas of restrooms and access to exercise equipment. Noncompliance with ADAAG can create significant barriers for wheelchair users and limit engagement in physical activity. Research increasingly shows the importance of physical activity for this population in preventing secondary conditions, such as deconditioning and depression.

Enhancing Web accessibility via the Vox Portal and a Web-hosted dynamic HTML←→VoxML converter

Abstract: Interactive voice browsers offer an alternative paradigm that enables both sighted and visually impaired users to access the World Wide Web. In addition to the desktop PC, voice browsers afford ubiquitous mobile access to the World Wide Web using a wide range of consumer devices. This technology can facilitate a safe, `hands-free' browsing environment which is of importance both to car drivers and various mobile and technical professionals. By providing voice-mediated access, information providers can reach a wider audience and leverage existing investment in their World Wide Web content. In this paper we describe the Vox Portal, a scaleable VoxML client, and a World Wide Web Server-hosted dynamic HTML⋚VoxML converter.

Measuring the Accessibility of Public Library Home Pages.

Abstract: The home pages of Hennen's one hundred great American public libraries were evaluated for accessibility by people with disabilities. Library selection was based on HAPLR (Hennen's American Public Library Rating) Index Scores. Of the one hundred libraries, seventy-four maintained Web sites and fourteen of those Web sites were categorized as accessible by the Bobby online evaluation service. Libraries with larger service populations and those with lower HAPLR scores were more likely to have accessible Web sites. Guidelines and resources for creating and evaluating accessible Web pages are included. Approximately 54 million Americans, more than 20 percent of the general population, live with varying levels of disabilities. Disabilities include specific physical conditions (e.g., heart disease, arthritis, asthma, diabetes, and cancer) as well as orthopedic impairments of lower and upper extremities, mental disorders, learning disabilities and mental retardation, and visual and hearing impairments.[1] The Internet and the Web represent an open and continually expanding virtual information environment, where growing numbers of services are becoming available and new styles of learning, information sharing, and information creation are taking place. Grimaldi and Goette's 1999 study suggests that persons with physical disabilities who use various Internet services (e.g., e-mail, Telnet, and FTP) feel a greater sense of independence.[2] Unfortunately, with its highly graphical, visual, and increasingly aural content, the Web frequently may be inaccessible to this very significant population, particularly to those persons with visual disabilities, hearing disabilities, mobility impairments, and learning disabilities. Potential obstacles to Web access caused by specific disabilities are summarized in table 1.[3] Table 1 Barriers to Web Access Related to Disability Type of Disability Common Barriers Visual Hearing Web required use of visual screen display and/or visual cues * Cluttered screen display * Poorly chosen colors * Required use of mouse and/or keyboard * Aural information and/or sound cues * Vocal input or output * Graphical user interfaces * Poor site design or unclear directions Type of Disability Common Barriers Mobility Learning Web required use of visual screen display and/or visual cues Cluttered screen display * * Poorly chosen colors * Required use of mouse and/or keyboard * Aural information and/or sound cues * Vocal input or output Graphical user interfaces * * Poor site design or unclear directions * Accessible Web Design It's Not Just a Good Idea, It's the Law The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), enacted in 1990, applies to state and local government entities. Title II, under which public libraries are covered, "prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in all programs, activities, and services of public entities."[4] Furthermore, the United States Department of Justice has determined that ADA accessibility requirements apply to the Web: Entities subject to title II or III of the ADA must provide effective communication to individuals with disabilities, and covered entities that use the Internet to provide information regarding their programs, goods or services must be prepared to offer those communications through accessible means. Such entities may provide Web page information in text format that is accessible to screen reading devices that are used by people with visual impairments, and they may also offer alternative accessible formats that are identified in a screen-readable format on a Web page. …

A tool to evaluate universal Web accessibility

Abstract: The Web Accessibility Visual Evaluator (WAVE) is a tool that, in addition to performing automated checks, helps users perform the human judgments essential for evaluating if a web page is universally accessible to people with and without disabilities. For example, the WAVE (a) inserts the information accessed by people who are blind (e.g. alternative text, structural markup, reading order) into the representation seen by people who are sighted; (b) flags audio content requiring equivalents for people who are deaf; and (c) flags objects requiring continuous motor control that require equivalent discrete access for people with motor disabilities; thus helping the user evaluate whether access by people with and without disabilities is functionally equivalent.

Making the World Wide Web Accessible to All Students

Abstract: Two recent events induced me to think about accessibility to the World Wide Web: A student in a Web research and publishing class I was teaching had a vision problem that made viewing material on a computer screen difficult, and I learned that the U.S. government has directed that soon Web pages of government agencies must comply with federal regulations regarding accessibility. The first problem was solved by increasing the font size in the browser, but what if the student had been totally blind? My instructional Web page containing material used in the class had not been created with visual impairments in mind. How can we make instructional Web pages accessible to all people? Do we not have an obligation, absent government mandates, to make our Web pages accessible? This exploratory study examined the accessibility of Web sites belonging to 80 colleges of communications and schools of journalism in the United States and Canada by subjecting them to a computer-generated test (the Bobby test) that examines the hypertext markup language (HTML) used to format the pages. This paper suggests ways to revise the markup of pages to make them more accessible to students with vision, hearing, and mobility problems. Additionally, it lists resources for keeping abreast of the latest developments in accessibility standards and tools. Instruction via the Internet and through Web pages to enhance face-toface classes is becoming more common. Some scholars compare the magnitude of increased dependence on computerbased instruction to the effect created by the introduction of the textbook during the Middle Ages (Gibbons & Fairweather, 1998). However, to blind students, "it's not necessarily good news that more universities are putting course materials online these days. For them, the Web threatens to become the equivalent of a classroom building without an access ramp" (Young, 1998). The National Federation of the Blind (1999) estimates that about 750,000 people in the United States are blind, and each year 50,000 more will become blind. Institutions are using the Web to market themselves. Increasing numbers of journalism and mass communication faculties are embracing new technology (Sutherland & Stewart, 1999). Many of us are enhancing our courses with Webbased syllabuses and other course materials, and we probably are doing this without considering that some students may have difficulty retrieving this information. The blind, for example, use screen readers and special software to decipher the visual display of a Web page into an aural or Braille version. As more and more audio files are placed on the Web, another group is getting locked out - the hearing-impaired. A problem arises when Web page creators are not aware of the pitfalls they are throwing in the way of those with impairments. Kirsanov (1997), who provides advice on creating Web pages, said there are "precious few situations" that pose really tough challenges to accessibility. He concluded, "In the great majority of cases, inaccessible Web pages are a result not of the technologies applied, but of their incor rect implementation and lack of proper care" (paragraph three). It is time to examine how we can make our Web pages more accessible to those with visual problems, hearing problems and motor and cognitive disabilities. Waddell (1998) said, "Unless a Web site is designed in an accessible format, significant populations will be locked out as the World Wide Web rapidly advances from a text-based communication format to a robust, graphical format." Background Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, (29 U.S.C. 794) prohibits discrimination on the basis of handicap in federally assisted programs and activities. Most activities of state and local governments, because they receive federal funding, are covered by this Act. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which was signed into law on July 26, 1990, (http://www. …

Accessibility of Schools and Colleges of Education Home Pages for Students with Disabilities

Abstract: Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) and Colleges of Education (COEs) use the World Wide Web (WWW) to disseminate and gather information. On-line barriers limit the accessibility of the WWW for students with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accessibility of COE home pages. Two hundred and fifty Web sites were randomly selected for evaluation. A software program was used to quantify the number of accessibility errors at each site. The results indicated that most (79%) colleges of education home pages had accessibility problems, and the majority of these problems (67%) of the errors were severe problems that should be given a high priority for correcting. The good news is that the majority (74%) of the errors can easily be corrected. The work reflects a need for COEs to examine the accessibility of their home pages. Direction for improving accessibility is provided. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 provides the same civil rights protection to individuals with disabilities that apply as a result of race, gender, national origin, and religion (Button & Wobschali, 1994). Title III of the ADA directs that public facilities make reasonable modifications to control discrimination and support accessibility in policies, practices, and procedures (Council for Exceptional Children, 1994). As a result of this landmark legislation, accessibility alterations like providing ramps to elevated areas and providing accessible signage through height adjustments and raised lettering have become commonplace across the country. Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) have participated in efforts to make public and private facilities, and work done in them, more accessible. For example, Osfield (1993) provided a report regarding access by individuals with disabilities to the programs, services, and activities provided to students, staff, faculty, and the community-at-large. Literature guiding libraries in efforts to offer services that comply with the ADA was also examined. In particular, articles by Mendle (1995) and Chalfen and Farb (1996) describe adaptive computing technology guidelines that were applied in the design of the online information system at the University of California Los Angeles. The World Wide Web (WWW) is an important information resource for COEs. Accessibility across platforms and geographic distance makes the WWW an ideal universal medium for collecting and disseminating information. Wang (1997) discussed use of the Internet for increased self advocacy by individuals with physical impairments and disabilities. Approximately 8% of all WWW users have a disability (Capozzi~ 1998). While technical developments have enhanced and provided new exciting opportunities for the WWW, they have, at the same time, complicated and limited the accessibility of the content and resources for individuals with disabilities. Physical barriers are obvious accessibility concerns confronting students with disabilities. Web page developers need to be just as aware that on-line barriers can create significant accessibility problems for some users. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that all organizations make reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. Using the WWW as a resource for distributing information is no exception. It is important that COE Web page developers use and follow standards that allow accessibility to all WWW risers. A variety of disabilities can reduce accessibility to the WWW. Visual, hearing, movement, cognitive, speech, and other impairments can limit availability of information. Assisted technologies or accessibility aids, such as Braille output systems, modification of keyboards, screen enlargement utilities, voice output utilities, and other technologies allow students with disabilities to access information on the WWW. However, because of the complexity of many Internet resources, some information cannot be accessed with these aids. …

The mobile agent technology to support and to access museum information

Abstract: The global scenario put together by communication networks determines new opportunities towards the realization of Internetbased distributed services in many complex and composite application areas, such as the access to museum information. Solution complexity mainly stems from the heterogeneous representation formats of data, their geographical distribution, the large number of data sources involved, and the user requirements for personal customization and optimization of the accessed services. The paper claims that the realization of flexible museum information access services require a middleware-level approach and the implementation of a distributed support infrastructure. Within the MOSAICO project, we have realized the VM (Virtual Museum) framework on top of the SOMA (Secure and Open Mobile Agent) programming environment. Mobile agents have been chosen for their intrinsic properties of autonomy, asynchronicity, dynamicity of distribution, and adaptability to available system resources. We have designed the VM to accommodate different usage scenarios: VM users can play different roles with different expertise levels; they can ask the VM infrastructure for differently complex features, from simple Web accessibility to user accounting for data resource consumption, from data customization via user profiling to automatic update of subscripted query results. The first prototype, apart from the feasibility of the approach, has already shown the potential and the flexibility of the mobile agent infrastructure to adapt to both different user requirements and different resource availability.

Good design principles for the library website: a study of accessibility in UK university libraries

Abstract: To ensure access to information is available for all, consideration of the different needs of people must be taken into account. This paper considers accessibility issues in terms of content provision and the design of webpages and focuses on issues relating to blind and visually impaired users. It reviews the current situation in UK higher education libraries with regard to the provision of accessible library webpages and considers policy and legislation which should have an impact on web designers who are addressing accessibility issues. The paper then goes on to describe work undertaken for a Disability and Information Systems in Higher Education (DISinHE) study on the accessibility of university library websites and the current levels of awareness of accessibility issues among university library web designers. Finally, it identifies a number of useful resources and advice for the design of accessible websites.

Web Page Accessibility at Twenty-four U.S. Universities. 2000 Survey Data

Abstract: Comparative study of the web page accessibility on the various U.S. campuses. A "Accessible Web Page Design Resources" Page is included.

Web Page Accessibility on 24 U.S. Campuses. 2000 Survey Data

Abstract: Comparative study of the web page accessibility on the various U.S. campuses. A "Accessible Web Page Design Resources" Page is included.

Adapting the Web Development Environment for Accessible and Usable Application Construction

Abstract: Web application accessibility requires the enforcement of a set of rules on the content written or generated with the help of Web Development Environments. W3C Consortium’s Web Accessibility Initiative is the most significant normative effort in this direction, and provides an evolving corpus of accessibility recommendations for HTML and, in the future, for other Web languages. In this paper, we describe a practical and extensible approach to integrate those recommendations in commercial Web Development Environments by using a rule database.

Software Usability and Accessibility Standards: Progress, Issues, and Implications:

Abstract: The successful development of software ergonomics standards requires a range of technical, organizational, and consensus-building issues to be addressed. These issues include: inhibition of technic...