1. Cyberethics and Accessibility
Ian Pouncey
2012-03-02

2. ✤ Introduction
✤ What are Cyberethics?
✤ Dilemmas
✤ Priorities
✤ Accessibility Cyberethics

3. Introduction

4. Introduction
✤ Who am I?

5. Introduction
✤ Who am I?
✤ Who are you?

6. Why are you interested in
accessibility?

7. Why are you interested in
accessibility?
✤ Enlightened self-interest

8. Why are you interested in
accessibility?
✤ Enlightened self-interest
✤ Professionalism

9. Why are you interested in
accessibility?
✤ Enlightened self-interest
✤ Professionalism
✤ Legal

10. Why are you interested in
accessibility?
✤ Enlightened self-interest
✤ Professionalism
✤ Legal
✤ Unique selling point

11. Why are you interested in
accessibility?
✤ Enlightened self-interest
✤ Professionalism
✤ Legal
✤ Unique selling point
✤ Technical challenge

12. Why are you interested in
accessibility?
✤ Enlightened self-interest
✤ Professionalism
✤ Legal
✤ Unique selling point
✤ Technical challenge
✤ Ethical thing to do

13. What are Cyberethics?
The study of ethics pertaining to computer networks:
✤ Acceptable behaviour for using the Internet
✤ Storage and display of personal data
✤ Ownership of digital data
✤ Access to adult content
✤ The right to access Internet content

14. Internet Engineering Task Force:
RFC 1087
Defines as unethical anything which:
✤ Seeks to gain unauthorised access to the resources of the Internet.
✤ Disrupts the intended use of the Internet.
✤ Wastes resources (people, capacity, computer) through such
actions.
✤ Destroys the integrity of computer-based information, or
✤ Compromises the privacy of users

15. Ten Commandments of Computer
Ethics
1. Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people.
2. Thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work.
3. Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's computer files.
4. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal.
5. Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.

16. Ten Commandments of Computer
Ethics
6. Thou shalt not copy or use proprietary software for which you
have not paid.
7. Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without
authorisation or proper compensation.
8. Thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual output.
9. Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you
are writing or the system you are designing.
10.Thou shalt always use a computer in ways that ensure
consideration and respect for your fellow humans

17. The Code of Fair Information
Practices
1. There must be no personal data record-keeping systems whose
very existence is secret.
2. There must be a way for a person to find out what information
about the person is in a record and how it is used.
3. There must be a way for a person to prevent information about the
person that was obtained for one purpose from being used or made
available for other purposes without the person's consent.

18. The Code of Fair Information
Practices
4. There must be a way for a person to correct or amend a record of
identifiable information about the person.
5. Any organisation creating, maintaining, using, or disseminating
records of identifiable personal data must assure the reliability of
the data for their intended use and must take precautions to
prevent misuses of the data.

19. What about accessibility?

20. The Universal Declaration of
Human Rights
Article 27
Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the
community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement
and its benefits.

21. UN Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities
Article 9 - Accessibility
To promote access for persons with disabilities to new information
and communications technologies and systems, including the
Internet;

22. Starting points for a definition of
Cyberethical Accessibility

23. Starting points for a definition of
Cyberethical Accessibility
✤ The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone
regardless of disability is an essential aspect.

24. Starting points for a definition of
Cyberethical Accessibility
✤ The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone
regardless of disability is an essential aspect.
✤ Web pages are designed for people.

25. Starting points for a definition of
Cyberethical Accessibility
✤ The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone
regardless of disability is an essential aspect.
✤ Web pages are designed for people.
✤ Whatever the device you use for getting your information out, it
should be the same information.

26. Dilemmas

27. The trolley problem

28. The trolley problem
✤ The driver dilemma

29. The trolley problem
✤ The driver dilemma
✤ The heavy weight

30. The trolley problem
✤ The driver dilemma
✤ The heavy weight
✤ The fat man

31. The trolley problem
✤ The driver dilemma
✤ The heavy weight
✤ The fat man
✤ The villainous fat man

32. Graded Absolutism

33. Priorities

34. How to build a webpage

35. How to build a webpage
✤ Content and markup

36. How to build a webpage
✤ Content and markup
✤ Including alternative and link text

37. How to build a webpage
✤ Content and markup
✤ Including alternative and link text
✤ Images based on alternative / link text

38. How to build a webpage
✤ Content and markup
✤ Including alternative and link text
✤ Images based on alternative / link text
✤ CSS

39. How to build a webpage
✤ Content and markup
✤ Including alternative and link text
✤ Images based on alternative / link text
✤ CSS
✤ JavaScript

40. How to build a webpage
✤ Content and markup
✤ Including alternative and link text
✤ Images based on alternative / link text
✤ CSS
✤ JavaScript
✤ Usability enhancements

41. How to build a webpage
✤ Content and markup
✤ Including alternative and link text
✤ Images based on alternative / link text
✤ CSS
✤ JavaScript
✤ Usability enhancements
✤ Always consider focus, make Virtual Buffer refreshes

42. How to build a webpage (part 2)

43. How to build a webpage (part 2)
✤ WAI-ARIA

44. How to build a webpage (part 2)
✤ WAI-ARIA
✤ Usability enhancements

45. How to build a webpage (part 2)
✤ WAI-ARIA
✤ Usability enhancements
✤ Be careful - WAI-ARIA may be hazardous to your usability

46. How to build a webpage (part 2)
✤ WAI-ARIA
✤ Usability enhancements
✤ Be careful - WAI-ARIA may be hazardous to your usability
✤ Assistive technology specific fixes

47. Considerations

48. Considerations
✤ Does it prevent user customisation?

49. Considerations
✤ Does it prevent user customisation?
✤ When there are conflicts, does it minimise the problems for the
conflicted option?

50. Considerations
✤ Does it prevent user customisation?
✤ When there are conflicts, does it minimise the problems for the
conflicted option?
✤ Assistive technology bugs

51. <header>?

52. <header>?
✤ Jaws 10 and 11 in conjunction with Firefox 3.6 ignored <header>
content

53. <header>?
✤ Jaws 10 and 11 in conjunction with Firefox 3.6 ignored <header>
content
✤ Header Elements Removed (September 8, 2010)

54. <header>?
✤ Jaws 10 and 11 in conjunction with Firefox 3.6 ignored <header>
content
✤ Header Elements Removed (September 8, 2010)
✤ Header is Back! (October 13, 2010)

55. WAI-ARIA interactions

56. “I believe this proposal is
unethical and that we should not
pursue it.”

57. “Accessibility is actually more
important than Security”

58. Perfect accessibility (#PerfectA11y)

59. Perfect accessibility (#PerfectA11y)
✤ Usability

60. Perfect accessibility (#PerfectA11y)
✤ Usability
✤ Choice

61. Perfect accessibility (#PerfectA11y)
✤ Usability
✤ Choice
✤ Complexity

62. Perfect accessibility (#PerfectA11y)
✤ Usability
✤ Choice
✤ Complexity
✤ Definition of perfect

63. Perfect accessibility (#PerfectA11y)
✤ Usability
✤ Choice
✤ Complexity
✤ Definition of perfect
✤ Accessibility as a feature

64. Perfect accessibility (#PerfectA11y)
✤ Usability
✤ Choice
✤ Complexity
✤ Definition of perfect
✤ Accessibility as a feature
✤ Non-commercial content

65. Is it ever right to exclude access?

66. Is it ever right to exclude access?
✤ Gambling
✤ Alcohol
✤ Pornography
✤ Extreme political / religious beliefs

67. To the individual that is excluded
it is of little comfort that efforts
have been made to include others

68. Accessibility Cyberethics

69. Accessibility Cyberethics
We must:

70. Accessibility Cyberethics
We must:
✤ Aim to provide an equivalent experience to all users

71. Accessibility Cyberethics
We must:
✤ Aim to provide an equivalent experience to all users
✤ Maximise support for the majority

72. Accessibility Cyberethics
We must:
✤ Aim to provide an equivalent experience to all users
✤ Maximise support for the majority
✤ Minimise friction for the minority

73. Accessibility Cyberethics
We must:
✤ Aim to provide an equivalent experience to all users
✤ Maximise support for the majority
✤ Minimise friction for the minority
✤ Build tools that are both accessible and produce accessible output

74. Accessibility Cyberethics
We must:
✤ Aim to provide an equivalent experience to all users
✤ Maximise support for the majority
✤ Minimise friction for the minority
✤ Build tools that are both accessible and produce accessible output
✤ Evangelise accessibility

75. Accessibility Cyberethics

76. Accessibility Cyberethics
We must not:

77. Accessibility Cyberethics
We must not:
✤ Regress accessibility between versions

78. Accessibility Cyberethics
We must not:
✤ Regress accessibility between versions
✤ See accessibility as a competitive advantage

79. Accessibility Cyberethics
We must not:
✤ Regress accessibility between versions
✤ See accessibility as a competitive advantage
✤ Give up the good fight!

80. Always strive to do the best you
can with the knowledge and
resources that you have

81. Thank you
http://ianpouncey.com
@IanPouncey