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Web accessibility refers to the practice of making Web pages accessible to people using a wide range of user agent software and devices, not just standard Web browsers. This is especially important for people with disabilities such as visual impairment. In order to access the Web, some users require special software or devices in addition to a standard web browser, or specially designed web browsers. Design for accessibility is a sub-category of good design for usability. The categories of disabilities that Web accessibility aims to deal with include: Benefits of Web accessibility Designing websites with accessibility in mind can often enhance usability for all users. Good design can also deliver easier access for automated software programs that read website content, such as search engines. One important aspect of accessibility is to let people access content in their preferred way. This can also benefit all users not just those disabilities: for example, some users may wish to alter the presentation of information because they are using a very small display on a mobile phone, to adjust text sizes depending on their viewing circumstances, or may need to use keystrokes to control their because they do not have a mouse or prefer not to use one. Search engines, like blind people, generally cannot make much use of graphics. Different sites will require different degrees of concern for accessibility. For example: a site providing information specific to ADHD needs to be easily accessible by people with ADHD; a government site of general interest or a resource directory for people in crisis would need to take into account as many disabilities as possible in order to be available to all citizens. Many people with partial visual impairments or dyslexia will want to change the colours of text or the background to make it easier to read. Users with dyslexia or ADHD will want to stop moving images on the screen whilst they are reading, as they are easily distracted. People with ADHD may also be confused or distracted by link-rich sites: they can have difficulty when presented with so many options. For example, hyperlinks that can only be followed by clicking on them with a mouse are impossible to use for those who can only use a keyboard or screen reader to interact with their computer. Information provided only in audio format can't be accessed by people who are deaf, and if provided only in graphic format information is invisible to people who are blind. Designing sites in accordance with Web accessibility principles is necessary to enable access for all users. A set of guidelines * and two accessible* web portals designed for people developing reading skills are peepo.com * — try typing a letter with your keyboard for more — and peepo.co.uk * with enhanced graphics, unique style controls and improved interactivity (requires SVG supported browser). User agent devices The standard Web browser on a PC is by far the most common type of user agent, but there are others. People accessing Web content on a PDA or a mobile phone, or search engines accessing Web content via a web spider are just a few other examples. A wide range of techniques and technologies are available to facilitate Web access for people with disabilities, or for users in general. These can be divided into two (non-exclusive) classes: enabling technologies, which circumvent a major disability such as blindness; and assistive technologies for lesser impairments. Enabling technologies include: Assistive technologies In addition to dedicated Web content user agents, a wide range of assistive technologies is available to help people with computer accessibility. These technologies can greatly assist access to Web content for people with disabilities. Examples include: Software which can automatically translate content from one natural language to another is called machine-translation software. This is exemplified by Alta Vista's Babel Fish, a Web site which can translate blocks of text or other Web pages back and forth between English and major European languages. These translations are generally imperfect. Commercial software packages which do a better job can be bought and installed locally on the user's personal computer. However, in order for these technologies to be fully effective when users are browsing the Web, it is essential that websites are designed to be accessible. The quest for universal Web accessibility is an ongoing attempt to develop Web content so that it is accessible via all user-agent devices for all people. The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), part of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), was established to oversee the development of Web accessibility. The WAI develops guidelines for Web accessibility; support materials to help understand and implement Web accessibility; and Web accessibility resources. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines In 1999 the WAI published the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 1.0. These are generally accepted as the definitive guidelines on how to create accessible websites. Since 2003, the WAI has been working on the second edition of these guidelines, the WCAG 2.0. This is currently at the Working Draft stage. Philippines As part of the Web Accessibility Initiatives in the Philippines, the government through the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons (NCWDP) board approved the recommendation of forming an adhoc or core group of webmasters that will help in the implementation of the Biwako Millennium Framework set by the UNESCAP. The Philippines was also the place where the Interregional Seminar and Regional Demonstration Workshop on Accessible Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) to Persons with Disabilities was held where eleven countries from Asia - Pacific were represented. The Manila Accessible Information and Communications Technologies Design Recommendations was drafted and adopted in 2003. United Kingdom In the UK, the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) in collaboration with BSI have published Pas 78 which outlines good practice in commissioning accessible websites. Legally required web accessibility A growing number of countries around the world have introduced legislation which either directly addresses the need for websites and other forms of communication to be accessible to people with disabilities, or which addresses the more general requirement for people with disabilities not to be discriminated against. U.S. In the U.S., the Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that Federal agencies and their contractors give disabled employees and members of the public access to information (including web sites) that is comparable to the access available to others; the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability; and Section 225 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires suppliers to make telecommunications products and services accessible unless not requiring significant difficulty or expense. It is complicated, and dependent on case law, exactly how the latter two apply to Web site accessibility. On September 7, 2006, Judge Marilyn Hall Patel ruled in National Federation of the Blind v. Target Corporation that a retailer with a physical storefront may be sued if its website is inaccessible to the blind. Australia In Australia, the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 was used successfully by a blind man in 2000 who took SOCOG, the Sydney Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, to court because they had failed to ensure that the official website of the Sydney Olympic Games was adequately accessible to blind users. Ireland In Ireland, the Disability Act 2005 was supplemented with the National Disability Authority's Code of Practice on Accessible Public Services in July 2006. It is a practical guide to help all Government Departments and nearly 500 public bodies to comply with their obligations under the Disability Act 2005. United Kingdom In the UK, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) does not refer explicitly to website accessibility, but makes it illegal to discrimate against people with disabilities. The DDA applies to anyone providing a service; public, private and voluntary sectors. The Code of Practice: Rights of Access - Goods, Facilities, Services and Premises document published by the government's Disability Rights Commission to accompany the Act does refer explicitly to websites as one of the "services to the public" which should be considered covered by the Act. Website accessibility audits A growing number of organisations, companies and consultants offer website accessibility audits. These audits, a type of system testing, identify accessibility problems that exist within a website, and provide advice and guidance on the steps that need to be taken to correct these problems. A range of methods are used to audit websites for accessibility: Each of these methods has its strengths and weaknesses: Ideally, a combination of methods should be used to assess the accessibility of a website. See also Standards and guidelines Government regulations Resources for users Resources for designers Web accessibility checkers Disability/Impairment Simulators and Other Tools Web browser accessibility features | |||||||
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