DDA COMPLIANCEWeb Accessibility

Presented by Andy Akhtar

Tuesday, 2 November 2010

LAW

• Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995

The act gives disabled people rights in the areas of:

•Employment•Access to goods, facilities and services•Buying or renting land or property

Tuesday, 2 November 2010

WEB COMPLIANCE• Web Accessibility Initiative(WAI)

• Guidelines to developing accessible web pages

• Three Priority level check points

[Priority 1] A Web content developer must satisfy this checkpoint. Otherwise, one or more groups will find it impossible to access information in the document. Satisfying this checkpoint is a basic requirement for some groups to be able to use Web documents.

[Priority 2] A Web content developer should satisfy this checkpoint. Otherwise, one or more groups will find it difficult to access information in the document. Satisfying this checkpoint will remove significant barriers to accessing Web documents.

[Priority 3] A Web content developer may address this checkpoint. Otherwise, one or more groups will find it somewhat difficult to access information in the document. Satisfying this checkpoint will improve access to Web documents.

Source: Checklist of Checkpoints for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/full-checklist.html

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BASIC GUIDE

• HTML is for structure

• CSS is for styling and formatting

• Javascript behaviour

• Content is placed within the HTML (Text, Images, Flash, etc )

• Use tables for table-like content only

• Don’t use tables for layout

• Don’t use frames

• Use Alt text for images

• Make link meaningful

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SCENARIOS

• Online shopper with colour blindness - user customized style sheets

• Online student who is deaf - captioned audio from multimedia

• Accountant who is blind - appropriate table markup and alternative text

• Retiree with age-related conditions managing personal finances - screen magnification, stopping scrolling text, avoiding pop-up windows

Source:W3C Web Accessibility initiative: http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/people-use-web.php

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HOW TO COMPLY • Check your site - Use accessibility evaluation tools such as WAVE but don’t rely

on them.

• Test site against a colour blindness simulator such as VischeckURL.

• Provide alternative ways to view your site where appropriate. Examples: Text Only, HTML Only, audio, subtitles for video.

• Provide accessibility helpers - An accessibility page stating accessibility features; style changer for contrast; font changer(AAA).

• Provide a site map.

• Use clear language.

• Provide content as a download or offer print option where appropriate.

• Ensure colour contrast for text and its background is clear.

• Review site periodically.

• Don’t rely on Javascript for important functionality.

• A well designed page / site tend to be more accessible to start with.Tuesday, 2 November 2010

ADDED BENEFITS

• Reach a wider audience - 10 million disabled people in the UK (Family Resources Survey 2008)

• Easier for everyone to use - Clear navigation, content meaningful, fewer click to goal

• Improves SEO - Google like well designed sites.

• Faster page loading - Well designed pages tend to load faster

• Improves cross browser compatibility

• Easier to manage the site and individual pages

• Reduce risk of being sued for discrimination.

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AND FINALLY...

• Use your common sense.

• Don’t let full accessibility compliance hinder your creativity.

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QUESTIONS

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email: andrewa@ictthatworks.org

Further information and links to tools visit :www.ictthatworks.org/drupal/accessibility

Thank you

Tuesday, 2 November 2010