With the advent of the World Wide Web and Internet shopping, more and more people are now opting to log online and visit the endless range of virtual storefronts that have the potential to satisfy all their retail needs. This option is particularly useful and offers many benefits to the members of our society who may be experiencing a varying range of disabilities, such as visual or hearing impairments, or even cognitive incapacities. At the forefront of these developments arises the issue of Web site accessibility concerning disabled users. Subsequently, legislation is slowly being introduced to address and combat these issues. This document examines an article on this very subject and attempts to present a critical analaysis of its content.

1. Web Accessibility for
Users with Disabilities
By Olivia Moran
[www.oliviamoran.me]
1 © Olivia Moran [www.oliviamoran.me]

2. About The Author
Olivia Moran is a leading training specialist who specialises in E-
Learning instructional design and is a certified Moodle expert. She has
been working as a trainer and course developer for 3 years developing
and delivery training courses for traditional classroom, blended
learning and E-learning.
Courses Olivia Moran Has Delivered:
● MOS
● ECDL
● Internet Marketing
● Social Media
● Google [Getting Irish Businesses Online]
● Web Design [FETAC Level 5]
● Adobe Dreamweaver
● Adobe Flash
● Moodle
Specialties:
★Moodle [MCCC Moodle Certified Expert]
★ E Learning Tools/ Technologies [Commercial & Open Source]
★ Microsoft Office Specialist
★ Web Design & Online Content Writer
★ Adobe Dreamweaver, Flash & Photoshop
2 © Olivia Moran [www.oliviamoran.me]

3. Introduction
With the advent of the World Wide Web and Internet shopping, more and more people are now opting to log
online and visit the endless range of virtual storefronts that have the potential to satisfy all their retail needs.
This option is particularly useful and offers many benefits to the members of our society who may be
experiencing a varying range of disabilities, such as visual or hearing impairments, or even cognitive
incapacities.
At the forefront of these developments arises the issue of Web site accessibility concerning disabled users.
Subsequently, legislation is slowly being introduced to address and combat these issues. Currently in America
such legislation has been put in place. Within this legislative framework, it is now deemed mandatory for all
federal Web sites as well as those that receive federal grants to provide accessibility to all. This moves us to a
more inclusive society.
It is now only natural to presume that the scope of this legislation will eventually be extended to the retail
sector in the near future or that new bills will be passed. Only such moves will secure full inclusive rights and
accessibility for all.
Motivation
In the face of this legislation change, arrives the motivation for the examined article. The article in question
strived to examine the readiness of online American based retail stores, to meet the changing demands by
Government, when they inevitably occur.
The degrees to which online retail companies were equipped to cope with changing accessibility legislation
was not clear. Hence, a number of questions arose. “How accessible are Web sites of online retailers?
Which types of accessibility barriers occur most frequently on these sites? Is there a significant difference in
Web site accessibility for certain online business sectors?” (Loiacono & Mc Coy 2004). Unsurprisingly, a lot of
uncertainty came about when trying to answer these questions. How best does one assess the true level of
accessibility of online storefronts? How do we measure a company’s readiness to respond to changing
legislation both effectively and efficiently?
Proposed Solution
An indepth study and analysis was carried out in order to find solutions to the above questions. The study was
comprised of 45 companies operating over 8 sectors. Chosen samples were considered to be the current
leaders in the field of buying and selling products and services online. The study focused on the homepage of
each site. Each home page was examined and their level of accessibility was measured.
3 © Olivia Moran [www.oliviamoran.me]

4. The ‘Bobby Worldwide’ test was selected, as it is “the most prominent accessibility validator used to assist
people in checking the accessibility of their web pages” (Loiacono & McCoy 2004). This method was used to
compile a report, outlining “the type, number and location of accessibility barriers” (Loiacono & Mc Coy
2004). ‘Bobby’ benchmarks the various sites in compliance with the “Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
1.0” (World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) 1998) and the Section 508 guidelines (Section 508 of the
Rehabilitation Act Amendments 1998).
The ‘Web Content Accessibility Guidelines’ propose that there are 3 priority levels of accessibility. Failing the
most basis level of priority 1 requirements will mean that at least one or more groups of people experiencing
disabilities will be unable to access the content.
Requirements at this minimum level include alt tags (alternative text) for both images and buttons. Following
this, the next level on this spectrum is priority 2 requirements. Failing to meet these will make it extremely
difficult, although not entirely impossible to access the content. Examples of priority 2 requirements include
using relative values for tables, event handlers that don’t require mouse commands and using public test
identifiers etc. Finally challenged with priority 3 requirements, failure to comply will result in 1 or more groups
finding full access a little difficult.
Testing for Section 508 compliance, involves determining the degree to which Web sites are accessible to
people with disabilities. ‘Bobby’ identifies numerous accessibility barriers to determine which ones occur most
frequently on the examined homepages.
The results were recorded and an Excel spreadsheet was utilized to calculate the relative frequency of each
barrier. These results indicated that only 9% of Web sites tested were free from all Section 508 barriers. Only
16% met the W3C priority 1 guidelines, while priority 2 and 3 barriers were evident in all. The study also
highlighted the most commonly occurring 1, 2 and 3 barriers. Results indicated that there was no significant
difference in the level of accessibility between sectors.
Evaluation Of Proposed
Solution
While ‘Bobby’ did provide a fairly good indication as to the accessibility levels of Web sites, the results
however, were not infallible. ‘Bobby’ is incapable of assessing all the guidelines laid down by the WAI,
therefore additional manual analysis needs to be conducted. This study falls short in that it did not consider
the areas that required a manual review. For example, it would be able to confirm that an image has an alt tag
attached but it is incapable of determining whether or not the alt tag actually describes the picture to which it
is attached.
Hence the validity of the evaluation tool used is questionable. Some may argue that ‘Bobby’ does not truly
assess all aspects of accessibility and therefore, it can only determine whether a site is not accessible, as
opposed to accessible.
4 © Olivia Moran [www.oliviamoran.me]

5. Nonetheless the proposed solution can be deemed a success. It was competent in answering the questions
proposed. Samples chosen were broad and relevant enough to make generalisations. This study has provided
us with sufficient evidence to argue that American based online retail stores are not prepared to deal with any
immediate changes in legislation regarding accessibility.
The study included detailed tables outlining all relevant information which aided the readers understanding of
the content.
Contributions
The authors of this study have contributed significantly to the field of online accessibility issues. It was
successful in creating an awareness of the current situation companies are finding themselves in. It gives them
a better understanding of how they stand should relating legislation be introduced. It may motivate them to
take proactive action now.
This study also creates a higher awareness of the rights of people with disabilities to be fully included in our
society. This is perhaps even a human rights issue in relation to fair and equal treatment for all.
Future Direction/Research
Accessibility is a global issue. Studies should be carried out on a wider scale. They should stretch beyond the
American waters and include worldwide samples from additional countries such as Europe and Japan.
Case studies should be compiled in a collaborative manner. This should include members of the disabled
community having the opportunity to present their thoughts, opinions and experiences, as they are the ones
directly affected by the issue.
New evaluation tools should be sought in addition to ‘Bobby’ in order to minimize the limitations of any one
tool.
The issue of accessibility for the disabled should be more widely communicated in our so-called inclusive
society.
Web developers can easily ensure accessibility without incurring excessive expenses and time through the use
of alt tags, user-friendly navigation, relative tables, appropriate font sizes and colour contrasts. They should
incorporate these in the initial planning and design stages of development. There is no need for these
simplications to be viewed as extra tasks adding to an already heavy workload.
5 © Olivia Moran [www.oliviamoran.me]

6. The way in which accessibility issues are viewed needs to be addressed. Companies far too often see the
inclusion of this group of people in a negative light. They wrongly view it as a burden and a costly endeavor,
which does not necessarily reap any real benefits for them and their shareholders. They fail to appreciate the
opportunities that arise from providing full access for all their customers, not just those without disabilities.
An increased customer based and a good public image has the potential to increase revenue significantly and
should not be underestimated. Solutions for changing this way of thinking should be sought.
Conclusion
This review examined the arising issues relating to Web site accessibility in the online American based retail
sector. It considered the motives that drove the research and the proposed solution presented. It evaluated
this solution and considered its conviction. The main contributions and the future direction for this research
were also addressed.
As is evident in today’s ever changing and dynamic environment, there is no escaping the issue of Web site
accessibility for disabled users. Current American legislation has set the ball rolling for future research in this
area and we are undoubtedly living in exciting times. Companies need to be ready to adapt to changing
legislative demands when they eventually occur. The research shows that companies need to take proactive
action now, as they are not currently in a satisfactory position to combat the issues at hand.
Bibiliography
Loiacono, E. & McCoy, S. (2004) Web site accessibility: an online sector analysis. Information Technology &
People [Internet], 17 (1), pp.87-101. Available from: <
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/09593840410522198> [Accessed 16 October 2006].
Yates, R. (2005) Web site accessibility and usability: towards more functional sites for all.C ampus-Wide
Information Systems [Internet], 22 (4), pp.180-188. Available from:
<http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/10650740510617494> [Accessed 16 October 2006].
Holly, Y. (2002) Web accessibility and the law: recommendations for implementation. Library Hi Tech
[Internet], 20 (4), pp.406-419. Available from:
<http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/07378830210452613> [Accessed 16 October 2006].
6 © Olivia Moran [www.oliviamoran.me]