Web Accessibility: What it is and Why it is Important to Your UCEDD

Community Education and Dissemination Council (CEDC)

Webinar Series

May 1, 2014

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• Introductions • Presentation • Q & A

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NCEDC

National Community Education Directors Council

Amy Sharp, PhD, Council Chair

Presenters

Todd Weissenberger has served as Web Accessibility Coordinator at the University of Iowa since March 2011, providing consultation and support for accessible technology efforts throughout the Hawkeye community. He is an advisory member of the University's Disability Planning and Action Committee, and a Staff Representative for the Council on Diversity. Todd is also an active member of the CIC CIOs Information Technology Accessibility Group, a collaborative effort to promote accessibility among the schools of the Big Ten and the University of Chicago. From 2002 to 2011, he was the I.T. Unit Manager at the University of New Mexico Center for Development and Disability. Todd also was a Senior Digital Arts Instructor at UNM's Division of Continuing Education from 1998-2011, where he taught a variety of courses in web design, scripting, graphics, and accessibility’. Mike Hoenig is employed as a program coordinator at the University of Iowa Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD) in Iowa City. During his 20-year tenure with CDD, Mike has developed and implemented a variety of advocacy training initiatives. In his present role with CDD’s State and Community Projects office, Mike coordinates grant activities related to disability and health, community integration, and advocacy while providing Mental Health First Aid training. He has a BA in psychology from Central College, Pella, Iowa, and an MA in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Iowa. He is a certified Mental Health First Aid and Psychological First Aid instructor.

WEB ACCESSIBILITY: What it is and why it’s important to your UCEDD

Presenters

MICHAEL HOENIG University of Iowa Center for Disabilities and Development,

Iowa’s UCEDD University of Iowa

TODD WEISSENBERGER

Web Accessibility Coordinator University of Iowa

Today’s Outline

• Web Accessibility Overview • Barriers to Web Accessibility • Benefits of Web Accessibility • The Legal Landscape • Web Accessibility Standards • How to Adopt Web Accessibility • Resources/Q&A

Web Accessibility Overview

What is Web Accessibility?

• Web accessibility means designing websites so that they are usable and useful to everyone, regardless of ability, technology, or environment

• Web accessibility is more than just a technical issue – Inclusive in philosophy – Universal in design – Global in scope – Technical in execution

• Web accessibility benefits all users – Multiple modes of presentation – Device independence – Access in a variety of situations

Web Accessibility is intentional

• …the goal of a managed process made up of many deliberate design and development decisions, based on real-world practice, institutional policy, cultural commitment, common standards, and awareness of the diversity of user experience

Accessibility is not accommodation

• Accessible systems are usable “out of the box” • Accessibility is built into the system by design • Accommodation requires modification or enhancement

before a system can be used • Accommodation is not built into the system, but is provided

as an afterthought

Factors that contribute to accessibility barriers

• People are… – …confused about the meaning – …daunted by the process – …concerned about extra work – …wary of the cost – …skeptical of the purpose

• Technology is… – …presented in only one mode – …dependent on a specific tool or platform – …inconsistent or unpredictable – …inoperable or unnavigable

Sound familiar? There’s a significant overlap with Universal Design here.

Demo: Accessible and inaccessible websites as experienced via a screen reader

Barriers to Web Accessibility

How might my site be inaccessible?

• Images without ALT text • Forms without labels • Media without captions or transcripts • Controls that can’t be used with a keyboard • Content that doesn’t magnify • Unclear links

Accessibility barriers are caused by technology— NOT by disability, age, or environment

• Miscommunication • Confusion • Disorientation • Inaccuracy • Frustration • Disinterest

Information barriers can result in:

…or nothing at all

Barriers in theory and in practice

THEORY PRACTICE

Unable to read or otherwise perceive your content

• Unable to read your course catalog • Unable to locate your contact information

Unable to determine the purpose of a form field

• Unable to search for local services • Unable to register for your workshops

Unable to see video or hear audio • Unable to complete training program • Unable to view recorded lecture or

presentation

Unable to use a mouse to activate controls • Unable to move through slideshow • Unable to complete multistep wizard

Unable to make decisions or respond to direction in a timely manner

• Unable to complete timed tasks

Unable to distinguish between colors • Unable to select controls based on color (e.g., “Select the Red Button”)

Benefits of Web Accessibility

Who benefits from web accessibility?

• Users of assistive technology/users who require accommodation – Visual – Auditory – Mobility – Print/Learning disability

No two users are alike. Although these categories are useful in a broad understanding of potential barriers to web access, each encompasses a number of potential conditions and ability levels

Accessibility also benefits...

• Low literacy/low fluency users • Mobile users • Users experiencing age-related barriers • Users in distracting environments • Users experiencing situational barriers

Accessibility benefits the UCEDD

• Programs, program managers – Facilitates traffic to sites – Results in better search engine visibility – Complies with policy or legal requirements – Builds good will in the community

• Developers – Skills development – Higher quality, more robust sites and applications – Easier maintenance and management of sites

• Bottom line: Accessible technology – Lasts longer – Reduces support requirements – Benefits everyone

The Legal Landscape

United States Law

• ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) – Titles I, II, III – Numerous accessibility cases filed under the ADA – Advanced notice of proposed rule making announced July 2010

• Rehabilitation Act of 1978 – Section 504

• Guarantees individuals with disabilities equal access to programs and services that receive federal aid or grant monies

– Section 508 • Describes how to meet accessibility requirements for accessible

electronic and information technology

Section 508

• Federal legislation, pertains to federal EIT procurement, development, and use

• Standard 1194.22 pertains specifically to websites – De facto standard for many organizations, institutions, governments – 16 paragraphs describing standards for accessible development – 12 paragraphs for scripting, plug-ins and media

• Full text at section508.gov • Summary of checkpoints at webaim.org

In the future, Section 508 will adopt WCAG 2.0, Level AA as a conformance standard.

Note: Section 508 Refresh

• E205 Electronic Content

– (E)lectronic content that communicates official agency business…to a federal employee or a member of the public shall conform to Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and Conformance Requirements specified for web pages in WCAG 2.0

– Advisory E205.1 Official Agency Communications. WCAG is written to be technology neutral. While oriented towards web pages which are defined as being delivered using HTTP, it is straightforward to apply the WCAG 2.0 Success Criteria and Conformance Requirements to all electronic content.

Source: United States Access Board, “508 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements”

http://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/draft-rule-2011/508-chapter-2-scoping-requirements

Web Accessibility Standards

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

• WCAG 1.0 initially published in 1999 – 14 guidelines, prioritized 1, 2, 3 – Focus on instructing authors on “what to do”

• WCAG 2.0 published in 2008 – Four high-level principles comprising 12 guidelines – Each guideline consists of several success criteria – Focus on helping authors to “do what’s right”

• Quick reference at http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/quickref/

Web Accessibility Means: POUR

• Perceivable – All users should be able to “take in” the message of the site, whether

by visual, auditory, tactile, or other means

• Operable – All users should be able to “drive” the site: follow links, use forms, and

work with other interactive components

• Understandable – Sites should be understandable in terms of structure, predictability,

language, idiom, navigation, error avoidance and correction, etc.

• Robust – Sites should be designed in such a way that they can be used with

any browser, screen reader, operating system, or other technology that supports the Web.

Web Accessibility Means: POUR

• Perceivable – Provide text alternatives for non-text content – Provide synchronized alternatives for audio and video content – Make content adaptable; make it available to assistive technologies – Use sufficient contrast to make things easy to see and hear

• Operable – Make all functionality keyboard accessible – Give users enough time to read and use content – Do not use content that causes seizures – Help users navigate and find content

• Understandable – Make text readable and understandable – Make content appear and operate in predictable ways – Help users avoid and correct mistakes

• Robust – Maximize compatibility with current and future technologies

How can my UCEDD adopt accessibility?

A Cultural Component

• Acknowledge your institutional commitment to accessibility • Get people on board: identify leaders and champions • Leadership counts: obtain executive support for accessibility • Strive to make accessibility a cultural norm • Take the time to “do accessibility right”

A Strategic Component

• Establish policy – Standards: 508 or WCAG? How to measure progress? – Timelines, roles, responsibilities

• Resources – Staffing, training, tools, consulting, promotion, advocacy

• Organizational roles – Include executives, management, support staff – Training for technical staff, integration into project management,

• Prioritize – High-traffic content, resources required for participation, new

development – Retire remediate rebuild

A Technical Component

• Provide accessibility training for technical staff • Leverage the experience of partners, parent institutions, and

others • Obtain the right tools for development and testing • Include assistive technology users in testing

Accessibility benefits everyone If you do this… your site can…

Provide text equivalents for images and other non-text elements

Provide context to non-visual users, tool tips and reinforcement for others

Ensure all interactive elements are keyboard-operable

Enable keyboard-only users, as well as the mouse-averse

Use sufficient contrast for color-blind and low-vision users

Create clarity for all visual users

Ensure that text magnifies without breaking the layout

Enabls low-vision users, as well as small-screen mobile users

Label all form fields Expose form labels to screen readers, and also increases the clickable area of small checkboxes and radio buttons

Transcribe and caption all media content

Make dialogue and other audio available to Deaf or hard-of-hearing users, users who can’t play audio in their environment, ESL users and others.

Use CSS for styling content Allow users to select style preferences, and simplify site development, management and maintenance

Takeaways

• Accessibility is the right thing to do • Acknowledge your institutional commitment • Share the responsibility • Design for accessibility, plan for accommodation • Look forward, not back

– Remove, repurpose, rebuild – Prioritize and triage

• Test and learn

Accessibility is a process, not a product. Accessibility is an ongoing task, more akin to gardening than to construction.

Accessibility benefits everyone

Resources

• WebAIM, “Introduction to Web Accessibility”, http://webaim.org/intro/

• W3C, “Developing a Business Case for Your Organization”, http://www.w3.org/WAI/bcase/

• W3C, “How to Meet WCAG 2.0”, http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/quickref/

• Southeast ADA Center, “Accessibility & Usability in Website Design”, http://adacourse.org/accessibility.php

Thank you!

Todd Weissenberger todd-weissenberger@uiowa.edu

Mike Hoenig

michael-hoenig@uiowa.edu

Q&A

• How to Ask a Question • You can ask a question by pressing the then # key to request the floor. Questions will be answered in the order they are received.

• Type your questions into the ‘Chat’ box below the slides and the moderator will read the questions.

THANK YOU

Visit the Websites

• AUCD Website: http://www.aucd.org • Community Education and Dissemination Council (CEDC)Website:

http://www.aucd.org/template/page.cfm?id=52

Questions about the CEDC? • CEDC Steering Committee Members:

• Amy Sharp: sharp@tamu.edu • Dawn Rudolph: drudolph@aucd.org

Please take a few minutes to complete our survey!