What is Web Accessibility?:
Making a Nebulous Concept More Concrete

A few weeks ago, my aunt and uncle were over for pizza, and my uncle mentioned his church now has a website. I jokingly asked, "Is it accessible?" He responded emphatically, "Of course it is! It is online!"

Unfortunately, no, it is not quite that simple. Having a website online does not necessarily mean it is accessible to everyone. Individuals' capabilities, disabilities, and the computer system being used can affect how well individuals can use the Internet. For some, surfing the Internet is not as simple as "point and click".

For the most part, it is accepted that people with disabilities face barriers in navigating buildings and their surroundings. Things like wheelchair parking spaces, grab bars in the washrooms, visual fire alarms and Braille signage can assist people with disabilities in moving around the physical world.

Similarly, people with disabilities also face barriers when navigating the Internet. For example, some obstacles include:

• People with visual impairments and some types of learning disabilities often rely on text-to-speech screen readers that read aloud text appearing on the screen. Screen readers cannot read images, graphs, maps, etc, so when information is provided only in these formats it is not accessible to these individuals. Blinking and scrolling text can also cause problems for screen readers.
• Flickering or flashing designs can cause seizures in people with certain neurological disorders.
• Without captioning, people with hearing impairments cannot appreciate multimedia content such as online newscasts, movies, and lectures.
• For individuals with little or no hand control, using a mouse can be very difficult. Being required to "click"on a tiny area to access information can be an obstacle.
• Inconsistent page layout and poor information design can be disorienting and confusing to anyone, particularly those with cognitive impairments.

In the physical world, the British Columbia Building Code details how to build barrier-free. Similarly, the internationally accepted Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 provides guidance in eliminating or minimizing barriers encountered on the web. Many web accessibility policies are derived from these guidelines.

Some web designers may feel such guidelines, and in some jurisdictions, legislation, infringe upon their artistic and creative freedom. No doubt architects felt a similar way when accessible building codes were first introduced. After all, how could something as uninspiring as a wheelchair ramp be included in a gracious design? However, with some ingenuity and creativity, it is possible. With that same ingenuity and creativity, web designers can develop creative and appealing sites while implementing accessible design principles.

As ramps and sidewalk curbcuts benefit people using wheelchairs, as well as parents pushing baby strollers, people making deliveries and countless others, accessible websites also benefit those without disabilities. These are the carry-over or auxiliary benefits of universal design - design that includes everyone. Accessible web site increases access for these groups:

• older people with deteriorating vision and shaky hands benefit from adjustable font size and keyboard interaction rather than using only a mouse;
• people with low literacy and speakers of other languages benefit from plain language and consistent navigation;
• people with low bandwidth connections to the Internet and older technologies benefit from text descriptions of images for when they turn off images to speed up download; effectively used style sheets to separate content from presentation decreases file size and file download requirements thus increasing download speed; and sites usable when scripts, applets, or other programmatic objects are turned off or not supported; and
• new and infrequent web users benefit from clear and consistent design, navigation, and link; providing redundant text links for image maps; and announcing when new browser windows open.

People with disabilities are often excluded from various aspects of society, largely due to inaccessible buildings and services. When an organization's web site is not accessible, it further excludes people with disabilities. When an organization's web site is accessible, it empowers people with disabilities to participate more fully in society. Providing an accessible website is one way an organization can demonstrate that it strives to meet the access needs of a diverse society.

First published in SPARC BC News - Summer 2005 issue.