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What does ‘accessibility’ mean?
Alistair Garrison Accessinmind Limited
Different things to different people...
When talking about the World Wide Web, the term ‘accessibility’ means different things to different people.
It depends on: Who you are; What you do; What you use; Your environment; and Your society.
A blind user…
“To me ‘Web Accessibility’ means…
Access to certain banks, home shopping, news, dictionaries, travel agents, etc…
But, only those which: work with my screen-reader
(assistive technology); provide additional information to
cover the fact that I cannot take in purely visual information.”
A blind user…
“To me ‘Web Accessibility’ means…
Access to certain banks, home shopping, news, dictionaries, travel agents, etc…
Those which: work with my assistive technology; provide additional information to
cover the fact that I cannot take in purely visual information.”
“Technical Accessibility”
A user with epilepsy…
“To me ‘Web Accessibility’ means…
Confidence that a web page does not contain harmful flashing content.”
A user with epilepsy…
“To me ‘Web Accessibility’ means…
Confidence, that a web page does not contain harmful flashing content.”
“Health & Safety”
An elderly user…
“To me ‘Web Accessibility’ means…
Being able to increase the text size in a page;
Consistent navigation which allows me to remember my way around;
Provision of a site map or table of contents.”
An elderly user…
“To me ‘Web Accessibility’ means…
Being able to increase the text size;
Remembering my way around;
Provision of a site map or table of contents.”
“User considerations”
A non-disabled user…
“To me ‘Web Accessibility’ means…
Less irritating websites – without pop-ups;
Faster loading times; The possibility to use
my PDA to view pages.
A non-disabled user…
“To me ‘Web Accessibility’ means…
Less irritating websites – without pop-ups;
Faster loading times; The possibility to use
my PDA to view pages.
“Better User Experience”
Internet Software Developers
“To me ‘Web Accessibility’ means…
Valid code: as mistakes are removed at the authoring stage.
More time for other things: The time spent ‘correcting’ poor code could be spent on support for new technologies.”
User Agents, Assistive Technologies, Accessibility evaluation software, etc…
Internet Software Developers
“To me ‘Web Accessibility’ means…
Valid code: as mistakes are removed at the authoring stage.
More time for other things: The time spent ‘correcting’ poor code could be spent on support for new technologies.”
“Valid Code”
User Agents, Assistive Technologies, Accessibility evaluation software, etc…
A Website Owner…
“To me ‘Web Accessibility’ means…
Legal responsibility; WCAG 1.0; Possible decision on which
level of WCAG 1.0; Implementing WCAG 1.0; Staff training; Maintaining chosen level of
accessibility.”
Public Websites, Websites which provide goods and services, etc…
A Website Owner…
“To me ‘Web Accessibility’ means…
Accepting the fact that people with disabilities will use the website;
Deciding which level of WCAG 1.0;
Implementing WCAG 1.0 Staff training; Maintaining chosen level of
accessibility.
“Conformance to WCAG 1.0”
Public Websites, Websites which provide goods and services, etc…
Procurement Manager…
“To me ‘Web Accessibility’ means…
Incorporating ‘accessibility’ into all tenders and contracts:
Precise technical specifications; Evaluation procedures for
assessing the ‘accessibility’ of delivered products, either internally or by a third-party.
Procurement Manager…
“To me ‘Web Accessibility’ means…
Incorporating ‘accessibility’ into all tenders and contracts:
Precise technical specifications; Evaluation procedures for
assessing the ‘accessibility’ of delivered products, either internally or by a third-party.
“Precise definition of accessibility
& an evaluation mechanism”
Web Designer / Developer…
“To me ‘Web Accessibility’ means… Understanding WCAG 1.0; Understanding and applying
supporting WCAG techniques. Identifying tools which help me
(the developer) to generate WCAG conformant content – minimizing development time.
Making web content which works on different platforms and in different browsers
Evaluating finished content using tools and WAI checklists.”
Web Designer / Developer…
“To me ‘Web Accessibility’ means… Understanding WCAG 1.0; Understanding and applying
supporting WCAG techniques. Identifying tools which help me
(the developer) to generate WCAG conformant content – minimizing development time.
Making web content which works on different platforms and in different browsers
Evaluating finished content using tools and WAI checklists.”
“Techniques & Tools”
Lawyer…
“To me ‘Web Accessibility’ means…
Understanding legislation to determine people’s rights and duties;
Seeking independent advice about what is ‘reasonable’ in terms of accessibility.
Using accessibility experts to evaluate whether or not a reasonable level of “accessibility” has been provided;
When defending a client who’s being sued for an “inaccessible” Website, or suing the owner of an “inaccessible” Website.
Lawyer…
“To me ‘Web Accessibility’ means…
Understanding legislation to determine people’s rights and duties;
Seeking independent advice about what is ‘reasonable’ in terms of accessibility.
Using accessibility experts to evaluate whether or not a reasonable level of “accessibility” has been provided;
When defending a client who’s being sued for an “inaccessible” Website, or suing the owner of an “inaccessible” Website.
“Independent Expert Advice”
Disability Rights Group
“To me ‘Web Accessibility’ means…
Equalisation of opportunities;
Universal adoption of standards;
Disability Rights Group
“To me ‘Web Accessibility’ means…
Equalisation of opportunities;
Universal adoption of standards;
“Equalisation of Opportunities”
Politician…
“To me ‘Web Accessibility’ means…
Making a more inclusive society through policy;
Setting standards & benchmarks;
Promoting the widespread adoption and use of guidelines;
Measuring progress and showing visible results.
Politician…
“To me ‘Web Accessibility’ means…
Making a more inclusive society through policy;
Setting standards & benchmarks;
Promoting the widespread adoption and use of guidelines;
Measuring progress and showing visible results.
“Visible sign of accessibility adoption”
All these things are related…
Conformance to WCAG 1.0 Technical accessibility Health & safety User considerations Better user experience Valid code Tools & techniques Precise definition of accessibility & an evaluation
mechanism Independent expert advice Equalisation of opportunities Visible signs of accessibility adoption
Conformance to WCAG 1.0 Technical accessibility Health & safety User considerations Better user experience Valid code Tools & techniques Precise definition of accessibility & an evaluation
mechanism Independent expert advice Equalisation of opportunities Visible signs of accessibility adoption
Through…
Adoption of W3C / WAI Recommendations
European e-Accessibility
Implementation Policies
&
Conclusion
…as they are all valuable parts of Europe’s strategy for ‘Web Accessibility’.
Making, the World Wide Web far more ‘accessible’ for everyone…
