1. Web Accessibility: It’s Not Just a
Good Idea, It Is the Law!
Dilip Barman, dilip@us.ibm.com,
WebSphere Business Integration UCD Lead
SHARE session 8746, Tue. August 12, 2003, 6:00-7:00p
Marriott Wardman Park Hotel – Wardman Tower, Nathan Hale
...opening the door to a new world

2. Session 8746 AbstractSession 8746 Abstract
IT Issues: Web Accessibility: It's Not Just a Good Idea,
It Is the Law!
Designing Web interfaces? If so, have you considered the obstacles that people
with disabilities face when trying to use your web based application or access
your web page to obtain information about your business? Recent United
States federal legislation governing computer and Web accessibility will change
the way that your applications are used by the end user. Are you ready to have
your electronic information technology implement the updates to public law 99-
506, section 508? Do you even know what this law is? What is the impact if
your applications do not meet the new requirements? One possible impact is
that you will not be able to sell to U.S. Federal agencies.
In addition to providing you will the latest information related to public law 99-
506, section 508, the speaker will discuss the design issues and obstacles
people with disabilities face on the web. The information presented will provide
you with an improved understanding of web browsers and the design issues
associated with making your business information accessible to all. Further
resources, including checklists and information from W3C Web Accessibility
Initiative recommendations, such as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, will
be presented.

3. Agenda / ObjectivesAgenda / Objectives
• Why is Accessibility so Important?
• Guidelines and Tools
• UCD and Usability Testing
• Further References

4. Why is Accessibility So Important?Why is Accessibility So Important?

5. Hearing / SpeechVisual Cognitive / LearningMobility
DefinitionsDefinitions
• Accessibility
– Solutions that provide access to IT for all people
– Ability to use technology under temporarily unfavorable
operating conditions
• Assistive technology (AT) tools minimize barriers
– Software/hardware
– Text-to-speech conversion
– Transcoding technology for low vision (large fonts, screen
magnifiers)
– Speech-to-text conversion
– Auxiliary input devices (ability to operate with one/no hand)

6. Speech and
Language
3.7%
Mobility Limitations
29.8%
Limited Hand Use
24.8%
Cognitive Disability
16.4%
Deaf/Hard of Hearing
13.4%
Vision Impairments
11.9%
Disabilities Among U.S. AdultsDisabilities Among U.S. Adults
Nation's largest minority group
source : President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities
54.76 Million disabled
(18.7% of US population
not including learning disabilities)
750 million worldwide
source : McNeil (1997), Americans with Disabilities: 1994-95
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/disable/sipp/disable9495.html

7. Blind/visually impaired
ŸRequire text
descriptions
ŸRequire keyboard rather
than mouse
ŸRequire tactile
indicators
ŸRequire screen/Web
readers
ŸRequire text
transformation to
speech/Braille
ŸRequire high contrast
and ability to turn off
backgrounds
Motor/mobility impaired
ŸRequire accommodation
for limited or no use of
hands/fingers
ŸRequire accommodation
for limited range, speed,
strength
ŸRequire accessible
switch/latch placement
ŸRequire alternate input
options
ŸRequire multiple key input
ŸRequire capability to set
key response times
Deaf/hearing impaired
ŸRequire visual
indication of sound
ŸRequire captioning
Ÿ Require adjustable
volume
Ÿ Require teletype (TTY)
or telephone device for
the deaf (TDD) interface
ŸRequire high signal-to-
noise ratio
ŸRequire high-frequency
sound
Reading/cognitive
impaired
ŸRequire increased white
space between words
and lines
ŸRequire most readable
colors
ŸRequire de-emphasis of
low meaning words
ŸRequire capability to set
timing
ŸRequire bimodal
(print/audio) info
ŸRequire spotlighting to
guide your eye from
word to word
Types of DisabilitiesTypes of Disabilities

8. Accessible
hardware and software
Assistive
technology
Accessible
solution
<html lang="en">
... <img="graceland.jpg"
ALT="Image: Graceland
- Home of Elvis">
...
JAWS / IE browser for the Blind
=+
=+
By law we must enable
our products
But only with assistive products
interpreting the enablement
Do we have an accessible
solution=+
Accessible Solution from EnabledAccessible Solution from Enabled
Hardware/Software &Hardware/Software & AssistiveAssistive TechnologyTechnology

9. ƒFederal agencies must make their electronic information technology accessible
ŸFederal employees with disabilities
ŸMembers of the public with disabilities
ƒThe federal government must purchase accessible IT solutions
ŸSoftware applications and operating systems
ŸWeb-based Intranet and Internet information and applications
ŸTelecommunications products
ŸVideo and multimedia products
ŸSelf-contained, closed products (printers, copiers, fax, etc.)
ŸDesktop and portable computers
ƒAffected persons may file compliance complaints against a federal agency for failure
to comply
ŸMisrepresentation by the vendor may result in civil and criminal prosecution - felony
ŸVendor can be sued by the federal department or agency
ƒVendor that meets the standard has advantage to win the bid, notwithstanding price
ŸIf products are commercially available that meet some but not all of the standards, the agency must
procure the product that best meets the standards
ŸIdeally, procure fully accessible solutions
US Federal Accessibility RegulationUS Federal Accessibility Regulation
Section 508Section 508 (www.section508.gov)

10. Other Accessibility RegulationsOther Accessibility Regulations
l Many U.S. states have laws on accessibility
l AK, CO, KY, MD, ME, MN, TX, VA...
l Many countries have:
l Anti-discrimination laws
l Architectural: public facility, building access laws
l Japan - MITI accessibility guidelines
l EU - many requirements in process
l Regulations similar to ADA
l Gov web sites accessible by 2002
l Nordic Guidelines - Computer Accessibility
l Regulations in process:
l England, Australia, Portugal, Italy, France
For more information: http://www.w3.org/WAI/Policy/

11. ƒSection 508 requires all end user documentation to be
accessible
ƒAvailable in form that can be spoken, brailled or output in
media of choice
ƒSection 508 provides hardware standards
ƒPrimarily affects product user interfaces
ƒSection 508 provides software standards
ƒBundled solutions
ƒSection 508 applies to services offerings
ƒIncludes information access and customer service
ŸWeb sites
ŸCall centers
ŸTraining
Hardware Service(s)
Documentation Software
AccessibilityAccessibility –– Pervasive in ITPervasive in IT

12. Guidelines and ToolsGuidelines and Tools

13. Example TableExample Table
• Tables should be coded for
reading software
How would you read this table?
• Remember alt tags
Without alt tags, we wouldn’t
know a key piece of information
conveyed by this table – is it
predicted to rain on Monday?
Ref:
www.jimthatcher.com/webcourse9.htm
From Shawn Lawton Henry, “Understanding
Web Accessibility” chapter in Constructing
Accessible Web Sites, Jim Thatcher, Cynthia
Waddell, Shawn Henry, et.al., April 2002.
Chapter reference online at www.uiaccess.com.

14. World Wide Web Consortium - WAI
l W3C
l International, has around 500 member organizations
l Main tasks relate to developing "universal information space" vision of the
web, design, and standardization
l Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
l pursues accessibility of the Web through five primary areas of work:
technology, guidelines, tools, education and outreach, and research and
development.
l WAI technical activity
l Protocols and formats working group - review W3C technologies for
accessibility
l Evaluation and repair tools working group
l Guidelines working groups:
l Web content
l User agents (web browsers)
l Web authoring tools

15. W3C WAI - User Agent Guidelines
l Support input and output device independence
l Ensure user access to all content
l Allow configuration not to render some content that may reduce accessibility
l Ensure user control of rendering
l Ensure user control of user interface behavior
l Implement interoperable application programming interfaces
l Observe operating environment conventions
l Implement specifications that benefit accessibility
l Provide navigation mechanisms
l Orient the user
l Allow configuration and customization
l Provide accessible user agent documentation and help

16. W3C WAI Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
l W3C recommendation
l Geared to web content developers to explain how to make
web content accessible to people with disabilities
l http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG
l Version 1.0 (May 1999)

17. IBM Accessibility Checklists
l IBM provides detailed accessibility checklists for:
l Software applications
l Web sites
l Java applications and applets
l Notes databases
l Hardware and hardware peripherals
l Each checkpoint includes:
l Rationale
l Implementation techniques (required vs recommended)
l Testing techniques and tools
l IBM checklists are consistent with 508 standards
l http://www.ibm.com/able

18. IBM Web GuidelinesIBM Web Guidelines
www.www.ibmibm.com/able/.com/able/accesswebaccessweb.html.html
Associate label for = with form elementsForms
Provide link to skip over navigation elementsSkip to main content
Avoid causing the content to blink, flicker or moveBlinking, moving, flickering
ŸProvide alternate content for scripts, applets and plug-ins
ŸMake Java applets directly accessible
Scripts, applets, plug-ins
ŸProvide captions and transcripts of audio content
ŸProvide text and audio descriptions of video content
Multimedia
Summarize the content of each graph and chart or use the
longdesc attribute to link to the description or data
Graphs and charts
ŸUse client-side image maps
ŸProvide text links for server-side image maps
Image maps
ŸUse alt="text" to describe visuals
ŸUse alt="" for visuals which are redundant or not important visuals
Images and animation
DescriptionRequirement

19. IBM Web GuidelinesIBM Web Guidelines (continued)(continued)
Test using available tools such as IBM Home Page Reader,
Bobby, WebSphere Studio and graphical browsers with images
and sounds turned off
Verify accessibility
Use descriptive link text to ensure each link makes sense when it
is read out of context
Hypertext links
ŸEnsure all information conveyed with color is also conveyed in
absence of color
ŸEnsure contrast is sufficient in images
Color and contrast
Control presentation with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) rather
than presentation elements and attributes
Cascading Style Sheets
ŸMark up content with proper structural (H1, DL etc.) elements
ŸDo not misuse structural markup for presentational effects
Correct markup
ŸUse the TH and caption elements and summary attribute
ŸUse the header attribute on cells in complex tables
Tables
ŸProvide a title attribute for each frame element in the frameset
ŸProvide a title element for each frame file
Frames

20. Web Accessibility ChecklistWeb Accessibility Checklist
• Use alt text attribute to provide text equivalents for
images.
• Use client-side image maps and alt text for image map
hot spots. If you use server-side maps, provide
equivalent text links.
• Summarize content of each graph and chart.
• Provide captions or transcripts of important audio
content. Provide transcripts or audio of important video
content.
• Ensure functionality of scripts is keyboard accessible or
provide an alternative.

21. • If applet or plug-in is used, ensure there is a directly
accessible version or alternate content.
• Make forms accessible to assistive technology.
• Provide methods for skipping over navigation links to
get to main content.
• Provide a title for each frame element and frame page
and ensure accessible source.
• Use TH element to markup table heading cells. Use
headers attribute on cells of complex data tables.

22. • Ensure web pages are readable without requiring style
sheets.
• Ensure that all information conveyed with color is also
conveyed in the absence of color.
• Avoid using content that blinks or flickers.
• When a timed response is required, alert the user, and
give sufficient time to indicate more time is required.
• If accessibility cannot be accomplished in any other
way, provide a text-only page with equivalent
information or functionality.

23. Web Accessibility Evaluation ToolsWeb Accessibility Evaluation Tools
• Good for flagging potential accessibility problems
• They don't “automate” accessibility testing - human
judgement is required (e.g. can find missing alt text
tags, but cannot tell if text in an alt text tag is
appropriate)
• Examples:
– Bobby www.cast.org/bobby
– Home Page Reader www.ibm.com/able/hpr.html
– Wave www.temple.edu/inst_disabilities/piat/wave

24. Other ToolsOther Tools
• JAWS (www.freedomscientific.com/), Window-Eyes
(www.gwmicro.com/windoweyes/windoweyes.htm),
Cast eReader (www.cast.org) or other screen reader
• About 8% of men and .5 % of women have some form
of color-blindedness – remember to check for this (e.g.,
Vischeck, www.vischeck.com)
• Try printing your web page in black
and white – reliance on color?

25. Sample forSample for VischeckVischeck

27. UCD and Usability TestingUCD and Usability Testing

28. What is UCD?What is UCD?
Vredenburg, K., Isensee, S., and Righi, C.
User-Centered Design: An Integrated Approach.
Prentice-Hall, 2002.
"An approach to designing ease of use into the
total user experience with products and
systems. It involves two fundamental elements -
multidisciplinary teamwork and a set of
specialized methods of acquiring user input and
converting it into design."

29. UCD PrinciplesUCD Principles
1. Set Business Goals
Determining the market, users, and competition to target is central
2. Understand Users
An understanding of the users is the driving force behind all design.
3. Design the Total User Experience
Everything a user sees and touches is designed together by a multidisciplinary team
4. Evaluate Designs
User feedback is gathered often and drives product design and development.
5. Assess Competitiveness
Competitive design requires a relentless focus on the competition and its customers.
6. Manage for Users
User Feedback is integral to product plans, priorities, and decision making.

30. Special Issues Testing for AccessibilitySpecial Issues Testing for Accessibility
• Test subjects – focus on one accessibility subpopulation?
Several? Mixed groups? Remember to include users of assistive
technologies in user profiles
• Ensure full access for all participants – physically getting
to test, anonymity, right to leave, etc.
• Traditional measures of time on task, task completion rates, etc. –
factor in special needs, I/O devices, etc.
– Screen reader users listen at a very fast rate
– Also, they have to listen so may not “think out loud”
• Field methods may have strong benefits – highly customized user
environments
• Explain to developers or other observers how their systems are
being used and discuss difficulties

31. Further ResourcesFurther Resources

32. ResourcesResources -- GeneralGeneral
www.ibm.com/easy
uVredenburg, K., Isensee, S., and Righi, C. (2002).
User-Centered Design: An Integrated Approach.
uIBM Education & Services
dilip@us.ibm.com
u
u
u
www.ibm.com/ableu

33. ResourcesResources –– General AccessibilityGeneral Accessibility
• IBM accessibility webpage: www.ibm.com/able
• W3C web content accessibility guidelines:
www.w3.org/TR/WCAG
• Disability-related internet resources: www.webable.com
• US Access Board federal agency: www.access-
board.gov
• Section 508: www.section508.gov
• National Center for Accessible Media (multimedia
accessiblity): www.wgbh.org/NCAM

34. ResourcesResources -- Web AccessibilityWeb Accessibility
• Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI): www.w3.org/wai
• Information on web accessibility: www.uiaccess.com
• National Center for Accessible Media (multimedia
accessiblity) www.wgbh.org/NCAM

35. Web Accessibility Test ToolsWeb Accessibility Test Tools
IBM Home Page Reader (HPR)
l Talking Web browser
l Verifies many Web checklist items
l http://www.ibm.com/able/hpr.html
Bobby
l Web accessibility checker
l Auto checking for many checklist items
l Customize for 508 consistency
l Must also test with HPR
l http://www.watchfire.com/products/bobby.asp

36. ResourcesResources -- Color IssuesColor Issues
• Vischeck - color vision simulator www.vischeck.com
• Information on picking appropriate colors
www.lighthouse.org/resources_main.htm

37. Agenda / ObjectivesAgenda / Objectives
• Why is Accessibility so Important?
• Guidelines and Tools
• UCD and Usability Testing
• Further References