Showing papers on "Web accessibility published in 2019"

Online e-learning and cognitive disabilities: A systematic review

Abstract: For decades now, as the issue of social progress has come to the fore, the drive to improve access to education has been behind the growth in research into e-learning. The current systematic literature review raised the question of the existence of studies addressing the specific needs of persons with cognitive impairments. Indeed, e-learning is expected to be one of the critical tools for improving access to education and ultimately aiding social inclusion. The systematic literature review was performed through a four-step process including an exhaustive search of scientific literature databases, the selection of studies through exclusion and inclusion criteria, and literature analysis and synthesis. The main results are: 1) a lack of e-learning studies addressing the issue of accessibility for people with cognitive impairments (N = 29) with a purpose dominated by design guidelines rather than effectiveness assessment; 2) a weak inclusion of accessibility standards (N = 5) and 3) a weak inclusion of special education findings (N = 3), with a focus on specific neuropsychological disorders or syndromes (dyslexia, ADHD, etc.) rather than on impairments of cognitive function (attention, memory, etc.) as promoted by the International Classification of Functioning (World Health Organization, 2001); 4) the identification of five families of accessibility function (adaptive systems, game elements, accessible content, virtual agents and accessible interfaces or environments) and their dependency with activity-domain of learning. Results are discussed in terms of both design and assessment recommendations, promoting a multi-disciplinary approach combining educational sciences, cognitive sciences and computer science to develop more accessible e-learning systems.

Usability and accessibility evaluation of Libyan government websites

Abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the usability and accessibility of Libyan government websites. A total of ten government websites in Libya were analyzed according to the criteria of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.0, and one of them was selected for further analysis based on usability criteria. The results showed that the evaluated website had significant number of usability problems. More than half of the usability problems were rated as major and catastrophic. Visibility of system status, user control and freedom, and user help recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors were the most violated heuristic items. All Libyan government websites did not pass accessibility evaluation using the AChecker tool with the exception of the website for Management of Scholarships, and all failed using the TAW tool. Providing text alternatives for each non-text element was the most frequently violated success criterion for Libyan government websites.

Tools for Web Accessibility Evaluation

Abstract: The objective of Web accessibility evaluation is to verify that all users are able to use the Web, this means that they can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with it (Henry 2018a). Since the manual verification of the fulfilment of guidelines that specify accessibility requirements can often turn out to be difficult and cumbersome, it is crucial to have appropriate computer tools available to assist this activity. There exist numerous applications that perform diverse types of automatic accessibility evaluations. On the other hand, on-site and remote evaluations with users can also be supported by specific tools. Even manual evaluations may be supported by crowdsourcing-based tools. All these innovations may have crucial importance in the advancement of Web accessibility. This chapter studies the need for tools in this field, reviews the main characteristics of the tools used for Web accessibility evaluation, and reflects upon their future.

Web users with autism: eye tracking evidence for differences

Abstract: Anecdotal evidence suggests that people with autism may have different processing strategies when accessing the web. However, limited empirical evidence is available to support this. This paper pre...

A Heuristic Method to Evaluate Web Accessibility for Users With Low Vision

Abstract: Checking the accessibility of a website is a significant challenge for accessibility experts. Users who suffer from age-related changes, such as low vision, poor hearing, and diminishing motor skills, among others, have problems accessing the services offered by the web. Currently, there are qualitative and quantitative methods to check if a website is accessible. Most methods apply automatic tools because they are low cost, but they do not present an ideal solution. Instead, heuristic methods require manual support that will help the expert to assess accessibility by establishing severity ranges. This research used a modification of the Barrier Walkthrough method proposed by Giorgio Brajnik considering the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1. The modification consisted of including persistence to determine the severity of an accessibility barrier. This method enabled the measurement of the accessibility of websites to test a new heuristic process and to obtain sample data for analysis. The method was applied to 40 websites, including those of 30 universities in Latin America, according to the Webometrics ranking, and 10 websites among the most visited, according to Alexa ranking. With this heuristic method, the evaluators concluded that although a website is in a high-ranking position, this does not imply that it is accessible and inclusive. However, the manual method takes too long, and it is therefore too costly to solve accessibility problems. This research can serve as a starting point for future studies related to web accessibility heuristics.

Introduction to Web Accessibility

Abstract: With raised awareness and accessibility laws emerging around the world, understanding what inclusive access to the Web means is becoming necessary knowledge for anyone who produces digital content. Much of the current information on Web accessibility requires some technical understanding, and may be difficult to consume for the average person. This book will “interpret” the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1), to make it easier to understand for a general audience. You will have an opportunity to experience barriers firsthand, then experience that content with the barriers removed, developing a practical understanding of web accessibility.

Development of the AASPIRE Web Accessibility Guidelines for Autistic Web Users

Abstract: Websites figure predominantly in everyday life. However, many websites remain inaccessible to autistic people, and existing efforts to improve accessibility are in early stages, do not directly inc...

Effects of New Supportive Technologies for Blind and Deaf Engineering Students in Online Learning

Abstract: Contribution: A redesign of the Moodle platform to adapt digital educational content [learning objects (LOs)] to the specific needs of students with disabilities. The approach, extendable to a range of disciplines, was empirically tested with blind and deaf engineering students. Background: Previous studies identified difficulties that blind and deaf students face in accessing digital content for learning. General guidelines and specific tools are available to help educators adapt digital content and existing learning platforms for access by students with varying abilities/capacities. Such tools are usually for a specific disability rather than a range of capacities, and few provide empirical evidence of effectiveness. Intended Outcomes: The engineering-related digital content adapted using the techniques described in this paper should enable blind and/or deaf students to use an oscilloscope, understand communication channels, and distinguish the different types of telecommunication networks. Application Design: The Moodle learning platform was adapted using existing e-learning accessibility standards so that digital LOs could be automatically presented in formats accessible to blind and/or deaf students. This model is extendable for other types of disabilities, helping educators adapt existing content for access by students with differing capacities. The teacher adds content (in non-auditory and non-visual formats to describe content otherwise inaccessible to deaf or blind students) and students upload reusable profiles/metadata describing their specific accessibility needs to connect to suitably adjusted content. Findings: Learning improvement with the adjusted platform was evaluated via multiple choice pre- and post-tests. Students’ learning performance improved significantly across all groups: blind (45%), deaf (46.25%) and deaf-blind (87.5%).

Digital accessibility: Challenges and opportunities

Abstract: This round table is focussed on outlining barriers to digital accessibility, solutions, and possible next steps to ensuring digital accessibility. In setting the context of the round table discussion, the article first outlines what accessibility involves, accessibility standards and guidelines, and spells out barriers to accessibility, including the limitations posed by the institutional context and the technology context. It also discusses the status of digital accessibility in India. The article then reports on a panel discussion in which diverse stakeholders discussed several of the issues outlined above.

Web accessibility in Turkey: awareness, understanding and practices of user experience professionals

Abstract: Ensuring web accessibility for all is not an easy task and requires the awareness, understanding and practices of people with different roles. User experience professionals (UXPs) play an important role in ensuring web accessibility for all. However, in Turkey, there is no research concerning the status of the awareness, understanding and common practices of UXPs. The overall goal of the present work was to offer an assessment of the current situation in Turkey to suggest areas of improvement and changes to advance web accessibility practices. To meet this goal, we conducted an online survey. The results of this survey show that UXPs believe they have enough training and education in web accessibility; however, they are not familiar with web accessibility standards and assistive technologies used by people with disabilities. They do not work with people with disabilities in their studies on usability, and they do not consider web accessibility in their projects. Our findings also show that UXPs have a top-down approach to web accessibility and they think that it is the responsibility of project managers to make web applications accessible. In brief, the study showed that UXPs in Turkey need to be better educated and trained on web accessibility, and organizations need to realize that both top-down and bottom-up approaches are required to ensure accessibility of the web for all.

Developing Accessible Services: Understanding Current Knowledge and Areas for Future Support

Abstract: When creating digital artefacts, it is important to ensure that the product being made is accessible to as much of the population as is possible. Many guidelines and supporting tools exist to assist reaching this goal. However, little is known about developers' understanding of accessible practice and the methods that are used to implement this. We present findings from an accessibility design workshop that was carried out with a mixture of 197 developers and digital technology students. We discuss perceptions of accessibility, techniques that are used when designing accessible products, and what areas of accessibility development participants believed were important. We show that there are gaps in the knowledge needed to develop accessible products despite the effort to promote accessible design. Our participants are themselves aware of where these gaps are and have suggested a number of areas where tools, techniques and guidance would improve their practice.

Moving toward a universally accessible web: Web accessibility and education

Abstract: The World Wide Web is an extremely powerful source of information, inspiration, ideas, and opportunities. As such, it has become an integral part of daily life for a great majority of people. Yet, for a significant number of others, the internet offers only limited value due to the existence of barriers which make accessing the Web difficult, if not impossible. This article illustrates some of the reasons that achieving equality of access to the online world of education is so critical, explores the current status of Web accessibility, discusses evaluative tools and methods that can help identify accessibility issues in educational websites, and provides practical recommendations and guidelines for resolving some of the obstacles that currently hinder the achievability of the goal of universal Web access.

Documenting the accessibility of 100 US bank and finance websites

Abstract: Digital access to banking and financial systems is no longer merely a way to augment physical transactions or experiences. It is now the primary way that consumers interact with banking and financial services. As a result, it is essential and equitable that full digital access to these services be provided for people with disabilities. Building on a recently published survey that investigated the accessibility issues within banking and financial systems for blind users, this evaluation of 100 banking and financial websites in the USA provides a current analysis of the broader state of banking and finance website accessibility for people with disabilities. The results of our research not only document these current findings as an accessibility baseline for banking and finance websites but also reveal common problems and strategies that may benefit the banking and finance industries.

Website Accessibility of Portuguese Travel Agents

Abstract: This study aims to analyse the website accessibility of travel agents (TA)located in the Central Region of Portugal. A sample of 182 websites was analysed based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)2.0 and using the AccessMonitor and TAW automatic evaluation tools. This analysis was made considering the AAA conformance level of WCAG. Results reveal that website accessibility of the travel agents analysed is low. Moreover, several problems and warnings were identified and perceivable and robust principles emerged as the most critical. These results suggested that web designers should incorporate web accessibility guidelines in TA websites to make information available to all people independently of their needs, preferences, skills and personal situation or conditions of access.

Evaluating Accessibility and Usability of Airline Websites

Abstract: The website has become an important factor in digitization. In recent years the airline industry has moved to online channels to increase customer base and provide timely information and services to the users. Persons with cognitive, mental, physical, sensory impairment also access these websites. To make these websites equally accessible to these disabled people, website designers should include the accessibility options in their design. An accessible website not only increases the participation of the disabled person in the digital environment but also make it more usable to everyone. Web quality parameters like usability and accessibility play an important role in customer attraction and retention. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to evaluate the quality of websites of airlines based in India. The evaluation is done on the basis of accessibility, usability, and readability of the website using online automated tools. Usability of the Indian airline websites is evaluated on various parameters of the website such as page size, page load time, number of broken links on the page. Accessibility evaluation of the website is done by checking the compliance of Indian airline website with web accessibility guideline 2.0 and evaluating the color contrast errors which makes the website inaccessible to cognitively disabled persons. Finally, the mobile-friendliness of websites is evaluated using online tools. The result of the study shows that none of the Indian airline websites satisfies the WCAG 2.0 accessibility guidelines and suffers from serious usability issues.

Inclusive Web Empirical Studies in Remote and In-Situ Settings: A User Evaluation of the RemoTest Platform

Abstract: Web accessibility evaluation requires tests to be carried out with real users with disabilities performing real tasks or activities. To recruit an appropriate group of users and to observe their performance in the real world is difficult. For this reason we have developed RemoTest, a platform that assists researchers designing experiments, conducting remote and in-situ experimental sessions and analyzing the data gathered while the users are accessing the Web. Although this tool is oriented to experimenters, it is necessary to check whether the evaluation environments created by RemoTest are accessible or not to the users that participate in the tests. To this end, we conducted formal in-situ evaluations with 36 users with diverse characteristics. For this assessment, the participants were asked to install the platform, to fill in some automatically created questionnaires and to carry out several web navigation tasks. From the data gathered we analyzed the ease of the installation process, the acc...

Web Accessibility Evaluation Methods: A Systematic Review

Abstract: In this paper, we present the results of a systematic review involving the techniques or methods of web accessibility currently used, the domains that have been covered and the disabilities that were focused. The search strategy identified 343 studies, where only 20 were finally selected for the review. We found that automatic tools are the most frequent techniques used to evaluate web accessibility. In addition, most studies performed in the educational domain and the majority of studies do not focus on a special disability.

Improving User Experience of Eye Tracking-Based Interaction: Introspecting and Adapting Interfaces

Abstract: Eye tracking systems have greatly improved in recent years, being a viable and affordable option as digital communication channel, especially for people lacking fine motor skills. Using eye tracking as an input method is challenging due to accuracy and ambiguity issues, and therefore research in eye gaze interaction is mainly focused on better pointing and typing methods. However, these methods eventually need to be assimilated to enable users to control application interfaces. A common approach to employ eye tracking for controlling application interfaces is to emulate mouse and keyboard functionality. We argue that the emulation approach incurs unnecessary interaction and visual overhead for users, aggravating the entire experience of gaze-based computer access. We discuss how the knowledge about the interface semantics can help reducing the interaction and visual overhead to improve the user experience. Thus, we propose the efficient introspection of interfaces to retrieve the interface semantics and adapt the interaction with eye gaze. We have developed a Web browser, GazeTheWeb, that introspects Web page interfaces and adapts both the browser interface and the interaction elements on Web pages for gaze input. In a summative lab study with 20 participants, GazeTheWeb allowed the participants to accomplish information search and browsing tasks significantly faster than an emulation approach. Additional feasibility tests of GazeTheWeb in lab and home environment showcase its effectiveness in accomplishing daily Web browsing activities and adapting large variety of modern Web pages to suffice the interaction for people with motor impairment.

The Value of Being Different

Abstract: A single common characteristic of disability is difference---sufficient difference from the hypothetical average that many things are not made to fit your needs. How do we move from a common accessibility checklist to a system that recognizes our individual differences, our entangled complex lives, and inevitable change? What are the risks and what are the possibilities? How will this benefit the Web? Note: The following is a summary of a keynote delivered in first-person narrative at the Web4All conference, in conjunction with the World Wide Web Conference, during the 30th anniversary of the World Wide Web.

Refining our conceptions of ‘access’ in digital scholarly editing: Reflections on a qualitative survey on inclusive design and dissemination.

Abstract: In this paper we explore layered conceptions of access and accessibility as they relate to the theory and praxis of digital scholarly editing. To do this, we designed and disseminated a qualitative survey on five key themes: dissemination; Open Access and licensing; access to code; web accessibility; and diversity. Throughout the article we engage in cultural criticism of the discipline by sharing results from the survey, identifying how the community talks about and performs access, and pinpointing where improvements in praxis could be made. In the final section of this paper we reflect on different ways to utilize the survey results when critically designing and disseminating digital scholarly editions, propose a call to action, and identify avenues of future research.

Web Accessibility Policy and Law

Abstract: This chapter provides an overview of law and policy concepts related to web accessibility. Laws and policies can include a broad range of methods and documents, including national, regional, and provincial statutes, national and more local regulation, case law, policy, enforcement action, as well as treaties and human rights documents. The chapter continues by discussing the coverage of these laws and policies: what types of organizations, what types of disabilities, and what types of content are covered by the laws? Technical standards, user involvement, and transparency are also discussed. The concluding sections discuss future directions in web accessibility law and policy, what is currently needed, and some of the actions that we can individually take as members of the accessibility community.

Easy to Read as Multimode Accessibility Service

Abstract: Media accessibility is becoming mainstream. While it cannot compete for popularity with the two original fields –architecture and design accessibility– it is slowly gaining acknowledgment. Subtitling was and still is the most popular media access service. In recent years, more services have been joining the alternative possibilities to access information. New technologies have also increased the number of services, and Easy to Read is proposed in this article as a new candidate to join the list of services. This article will start by describing Easy to Read, and understand its approach as: a translation modality, a linguistic variation or as a service. The second part of the article presents many accessibility services and Easy to Read features. In the third part, new hybrid services are proposed. These are the result of adding to existing access services a layer of Easy to Read creating a higher degree of accessibility. Any accessibility service aiming to facilitate comprehension will improve and optimize its function by leaning on Easy to Read. The article finishes offering many examples to secure a rapid uptake of the service across the different accessibility fields, from design to web accessibility or transport.

Spatial Accessibility and Social Inclusion: The Impact of Portugal's Last Health Reform.

Abstract: Health policies seek to promote access to health care and should provide appropriate geographical accessibility to each demographical functional group. The dispersal demand of health-care services and the provision for such services at fixed locations contribute to the growth of inequality in their access. Therefore, the optimal distribution of health facilities over the space/area can lead to accessibility improvements and to the mitigation of the social exclusion of the groups considered most vulnerable. Requiring for such, the use of planning practices joined with accessibility measures. However, the capacities of Geographic Information Systems in determining and evaluating spatial accessibility in health system planning have not yet been fully exploited. This paper focuses on health-care services planning based on accessibility measures grounded on the network analysis. The case study hinges on mainland Portugal. Different scenarios were developed to measure and compare impact on the population's accessibility. It distinguishes itself from other studies of accessibility measures by integrating network data in a spatial accessibility measure: the enhanced two-step floating catchment area. The convenient location for health-care facilities can increase the accessibility standards of the population and consequently reduce the economic and social costs incurred. Recently, the Portuguese government implemented a reform that aimed to improve, namely, the access and equity in meeting with the most urgent patients. It envisaged, in terms of equity, the allocation of 89 emergency network points that ensured more than 90% of the population be within 30 min from any one point in the network. Consequently, several emergency services were closed, namely, in rural areas. This reform highlighted the need to improve the quality of the emergency care, accessibility to each care facility, and equity in their access. Hence, accessibility measures become an efficient decision-making tool, despite its absence in effective practice planning. According to an application of this type of measure, it was possible to verify which levels of accessibility were decreased, including the most disadvantaged people, with a larger time of dislocation of 12 min between 2001 and 2011.

Integration of accessibility design patterns with the software implementation process of ISO/IEC 29110

Abstract: The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines was developed by World Wide Web Consortium with a goal of providing a single shared standard for web content accessibility that meets the needs of individuals, organizations, and governments. Given that there is a large percentage of very small entities that develop software who also utilize the ISO/IEC software process standard, the purpose of this study is the development of software design patterns for users with visual disabilities. As a result, four accessibility design patterns are defined: Authentication adapter, Blindness adapter, Dichromatic color vision adapter, and Blurry vision adapter. These patterns will help to improve the design of the web applications built using them while being compliant with the ISO/IEC 29110 standard. The use of design patterns also enables the transfer of design experience to programming practices and improves the software documentation. To validate the set of patterns, an online course for Spanish speakers was developed, and the evaluation was carried out using simulators, automated tools, experts, and users. Simulators and automated tools showed no accessibility errors and experts evaluated 10 heuristics principles and did not identify any severity issues. Taken together, our results provide positive evidence that users with visual disabilities could benefit from the proposed features.

What Methods Software Teams Prefer When Testing Web Accessibility

Abstract: Accessibility has become an important focus in software development; the goal is to allow as many people as possible, regardless of their capabilities, to use software. We have investigated the methods that software teams prefer when testing the accessibility of their software. We conducted a large-scale study to evaluate six methods, using a sample of 53 people who work on various software teams. We present a detailed breakdown of the results for each testing method and analyze the differences between the methods. Our findings show that there are statistically significant differences in team members’ preferences, particularly for those with different roles. This implies that a software team should not choose a single method for all team members.