Accessibility

From USApedia
Accessibility on Wikipedia
Disability Impacts All of Us

Accessibility is the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to access" and benefit from some system or entity. The concept is often used to focus on people with disabilities or special needs and their right of access to entities, often through use of assistive technology. Accessibility is not to be confused with usability which is the extent to which a product (e.g., device, service, environment) can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use.

Accessibility is strongly related to universal design when the approach involves "direct access." This is about making things accessible to all people (whether they have a disability or not). An alternative is to provide "indirect access" by having the entity support the use of a person's assistive technology to achieve access (e.g., screen readers).

1 out of every 12 men and 1 out of every 200 women have a color vision deficiency. Across the world, approximately 300 million people are color blind.[1]

Accessibility Types

Accessibility refers to all features that make a work environment inclusive and accessible. The term accessibility encompasses five different areas:

  • Architectural - The Architectural Barriers Act requires buildings and facilities be accessible to people with disabilities if they were constructed or altered by—or on behalf of—the Federal Government, or through use of certain Federal funds, or leased for occupancy by Federal agencies, after 1968. When individuals with disabilities are unable to use a building because there are no accessible parking spaces, no curb ramps, no ramps at the entrance, no accessible restrooms, no accessible drinking fountains or no raised lettering on signs, or because other barriers exist, they may file a complaint with the Access Board.
  • Programmatic - Programmatic access refers to a program's eligibility requirements, policies, or operating procedures and whether or not they allow full access for individuals with disabilities. This includes ensuring accessibility when planning meetings or events, including sign language interpreters, as well as access to and within event facilities.
  • Technology - Technology is an extremely valuable way to increase inclusion for people with a range of disabilities. Augmentative communication devices and screen readers that "speak" what is on the computer screen are examples of personal technology used by individuals with disabilities to increase accessibility and inclusion. Remember that technology access does not always mean complex electronic devices; it can be as simple as a rubber pen grip. Technology access also requires that computers, Web sites, and telephone systems are all accessible to and useable by people with a range of disabilities including visual, hearing, mobility, and cognitive disabilities. Also see Web Accessibility below.
  • Communication - Communication access means providing the technology or services necessary to facilitate equivalent communication for persons with hearing, speech, cognitive, or learning disabilities.
  • Alternate Formats - For people with some types of disabilities, including visual impairments, written materials need to be available upon request in alternate formats including Braille, text file, large print, audiotape, or video captioning.

Web Accessibility

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Making Social Media More Accessible

Examples of website features that can help to make it accessible include the following:

  • A high contrast version of the site for individuals with low vision, and a low contrast (yellow or blue) version of the site for individuals with dyslexia
  • Alternative media for any multimedia used on the site (video, flash, audio, etc.) - Often a transcript will suffice
  • Simple and consistent navigation
  • Device Independent
  • Alternative text (alt tag) describing each photo
  • At least WAI-AA (preferably AAA) compliance with the WAI's WCAG
  • (X)HTML Validation from the W3C for the pages content
  • CSS Validation from the W3C for the pages layout

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

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Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1: What to Expect

The Web Content Accessibility GuidelinesWikipedia Logo.png (WCAG) are part of a series of web accessibility guidelines published by the Web Accessibility InitiativeWikipedia Logo.png (WAI) of the World Wide Web ConsortiumWikipedia Logo.png (W3C), the main international standards organization for the Internet. They are a set of guidelines that specify how to make content accessible, primarily for people with disabilities—but also for all user agents, including highly limited devices, such as mobile phones. The current version, WCAG 2.0, was published in December 2008 and became an ISO standard, ISO/IEC 40500:2012 in October 2012.

Standards

  • All non-text content has alternative text (alt tag)
  • All data tables have headings
  • Users can complete and submit all forms
  • Links make sense out of context
  • Media has captions and/or transcripts
  • Non-HTML content is accessible
  • Users can skip repetitive elements on the page
  • Meaning is not conveyed through color alone
  • Content is clearly written and easy to read
  • JavaScript is accessible
  • The site complies to standards

Common issues

  • No alt tag
  • No video captions or transcript

POUR principles

All online content should be:[2]

  • Perceivable - Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive (it can’t be invisible to all of their senses).
  • Operable - User interface components and navigation must be operable (the interface cannot require interaction that a user cannot perform).
  • Understandable - Information and the operation of user interface must be understandable (the content or operation cannot be beyond their understanding).
  • Robust - Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technology (as technologies and user agents evolve, the content should remain accessible).

Type of disabilities

  • permanent disability
  • temporary disability
  • situational disability

Manual testing

  • 200% Zoom - Magnification for those with low vision; check text resizing and for other issues
  • Keyboard testing
  • Screen reader
Open sources (free) options
Microsoft Narrator

Questions

  • Does the keyboard provide access to navigation, in particular the tab, arrow, and enter keys without the use of a mouse?
  • Using the keyboard for navigation, does the cursor move in a logical flow or order?
  • Do all elements (links, radio buttons, text boxes, and drop down menus) work when selected?
  • Does the link text explain and provide context?
  • Is ALT text provided for all non-text elements?
  • Are captions provided for multimedia elements?
  • Is the web page organized such that it is readable without the use of an associated stylesheet?
  • Are there color elements that cannot be identified?
  • Are data tables coded with column headings and row names in the scope?
  • Does the web page have frames?
  • If there is a timed response, are users prompted to request more time?
  • Are electronic form elements organized in a logical tab order and labeled?
  • Are links provided for applets, plug-ins, or third-party software that might be required to access content on the web page?

How to become compliant

  • add alt tags
  • create a video transcript

Tools and Tips

Create and verify PDF accessibility (Acrobat Pro)
Create Accessible PDFs - Section508.gov
Adobe PDF Test Toolkit

Accessibility Glossaries, FAQs and Resource Portals

Desktop and Portable Computers

These Section 508 technical requirements apply to personal computers (desktop, notebook, portable, including displays). These requirements also apply to handhelds, workstations, and servers.

Personal Computers, Desktop, Notebook

Functional Performance Criteria

Meetings, Conferences, and General Etiquette

Procurement

Prototyping

Self-Contained, Closed Products

Social Media

Software Applications and Operating Systems

Strategic Planning, Reporting, and Policy

Telecommunications Products

Video and Multimedia Products

Web-based Internet Information and Applications

Related

External links

References

  1. ↑ A Designer’s Life with Color Vision Deficiency/Color Blindness
  2. ↑ https://digital.gov/resources/advanced-accessibility/
  3. ↑ DOJ Confirms Websites are Covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act

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