Accessibility - Drupal and Javascript

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Accessibility
Drupal and Javascript
Why developers can never forget that accessibility is a human right

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As a developer here at Doghouse I
have to always keep accessibility in
mind, constantly reminding myself
that there is no ‘average’ user and
no such thing as ‘normal’.

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Every single user has a different set
of perceptions and experiences;
which as humans we know; but as
developers we sometimes forget.

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We can’t put our users into a series
of perceived categories or
definitions just to give ourselves the
leeway to do what we think is right.

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What we need to do instead, is rely
on data and statistics to inform our
inclusive development and designs.

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It’s not just a moral and ethical
issue, it is also a legal one that has
been, in the past, both an
embarrassing and an expensive
oversight by businesses.

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We can never forget that we are
working for everyone, not the
considered majority.
Half a billion online users rely on
accessibility standards.

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We have come a long way in recent
years, but as an industry, we are not
as far along as we need to be.

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This is highlighted by the amount of
legal issues still being encountered.
In 2017, 814 web accessibility cases
proceeded in the United States.

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Closer to home in Australia, it was
the 2000 Sydney Olympics that
perhaps put web accessibility issues
on the radar of Australian
businesses; especially development
and design agencies.

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The official website of the games
was put into the accessibility
spotlight when Bruce Maguire, a
web user who accessed the web via
a refreshable braille display, found
he could not access information.

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He took legal action and won. This sparked the
subsequent adoption by the Australian
government of the W3C guidelines and
fast-tracked compliance, with the
Commonwealth Government requiring all
agency websites to meet accessibility standards
by December 1st in the same year.

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The case went a long way towards furthering
web accessibility in Australia, but not all
companies adapted fast enough or with
permanent accessibility as the goal, as
illustrated by Australian supermarket giant
Coles being taken to court for accessibility
issues in 2015.

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Perhaps even still, not all businesses are taking
enough action; in 2018 the number of legal
complaints in regard to accessibility is still on
the rise, as shown by the recent issues that focus
on the banking industry.

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With large Australian financial institutions being
called out for inaccessible websites

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Javascript and Accessibility
Javascript IS Accessible

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Javascript, is often considered to be a part of the
reason for accessibility issues on the web, with
some considering it fraught with issues that
block accessibility.

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We work with Javascript day in and day out,
however few people would be better placed
than Everett Zufelt to deconstruct the myths
that have long surrounded Javascript and
accessibility.

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The glaucoma he was born with took his sight in
2004 and since then he has been reliant on
assistive technology. He is the technology
director at myplanet.com where he provides
support for open source technologists who work
with Drupal, and he doesn’t subscribe to the
idea that Javascript-built applications are by
nature inaccessible.

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He believes instead, that the issue is with
developers; not the language. Something that I
also believe is a valid point.

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“There is a long-held belief among developers that
any application built using JavaScript is necessarily
not accessible. This belief is reinforced by the rapid
adoption of JavaScript frameworks and UI
components that are immature, and by the corners
that get cut when time to market takes priority over
inclusivity ...But JavaScript is not to blame! As a
completely blind JavaScript developer, I can state
with some certainty that JavaScript is not to blame
…… E Zufelt

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…”But JavaScript is not to blame! As a completely
blind JavaScript developer, I can state with some
certainty that JavaScript is not to blame …… “
E Zufelt

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Javascript and accessibility are not at odds with
each other, according to Zufeit, who believes
that the issue is not in the programming
language, but in the lack of consideration by
technologists regarding how users that rely on
assistive technology are affected in any given
online situation.

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“JavaScript, as a programming language, is not to
blame for issues with accessibility. The use of
JavaScript to update a web application’s user
interface without sufficient consideration of how
this influences the experience for users of assistive
technology, is to blame.”

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“As a completely blind JavaScript developer, I can
state with some certainty that JavaScript is not to
blame. That long-held belief is, in fact, a misbelief.
There are, however, a few things you need to know
when building client-side applications with
JavaScript, to ensure that your applications are
universally accessible” - source

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In addition to considering Javascript to being
inherently inaccessible, technologists often also
assume that people who use screen readers
disable javascript.

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However, a fairly recent survey shows that this
is not accurate and 97.6% of respondents that
use screen readers do in fact have Javascript
enabled. As a developer, this was a bit of a
wake-up call.

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Oftentimes development and design teams
believe they have created accessible
applications but don’t take the time or have the
resources to test how sufficient the accessibility
really is.

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We really don’t have a good excuse for this lack
of testing, we just need to make the time and the
effort.

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These are the people best placed
to give valuable user insights and
feedback.
Real Users Include:
● People using screen readers
● Non accessibility users
● People who use keyboard
navigation
● Interested parties
Accurate Testing
Requires Real Users

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It was shown that 47% of developers admitted
to knowing only the bare minimum of ARIA-roles
and how to keep SPAs accessible, with an
additional 28% of developers confessing that
they have no idea whatsoever. - smashing
magazine

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As highlighted by Mr Zufelt
Common UX Issues
UX Issues:
● trying to sign up to a social
media site but being unable
to register
● spending time shopping
online only to find out that
he is unable to checkout
● using work required
applications but being
unable to find the buttons

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I can only imagine the levels of frustration one
would feel encountering these issues time and
time again.

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As a web developer, I am always well
intentioned in my work however I also know
that it is a continual learning process and
ongoing effort that is required to keep web
accessibility at the forefront of development and
design.

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Developers and designers can’t afford to be
complacent about it — accessibility can always
be improved, it should be a continual evolution.
15% of the population relies on us to do our job
properly.

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As a developer, the support of the Drupal
community in these areas is a huge
bonus — there is always someone willing to lend
a hand.

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It is also the reason, as Drupal developers we
don’t have an excuses for creating inaccessible
applications or designs as we have an entire
community on-hand to assist us.

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As a final note, and a positive one, Mr Zufelt
noted two companies who are getting it
absolutely right for him, as a blind
user — EXPEDIA and HILTON HOTEL.

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Source:
https://medium.com/doghouse-
agency/accessibility-drupal-and-
javascript-57cbbdf91337

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Author:
Paul Brzeski

Accessibility - Drupal and Javascript

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