Download - An Introduction to Web Accessibility
Web Accessibility
Web accessibility is for blind people
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Web accessibility is for the disabled
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Web accessibility is for EVERYONE
An overview
How are people using your site?
Keyboard and mouse?
How are these people using your site?
Mobile devices
How are these people using your site?
Alternative input devices
Your users are not all the same
Is your audience male or female, old or young?
Your users are not all the same
Your users may be colour blind
Your users are not all the same
Your users may suffer from epilepsy
3 flashes within one second can cause a seizure
Legal requirements
Disability Discriminations Act (UK)
Section 508 (US)
a service provider has to take reasonable steps to change a practice which makes it unreasonably difficult for disabled people to make use of its services.
Other legislations in different countries
Legal casesMaguire v SOCOG (2000)
Target (US)
Odeon Cinema (UK)
Threat of legal action by RNIB and many other pressure groups against many largecompanies and organisations if they do not make their websites more accessible
Not just a legal thing
Enabling more people to use your website increases sales.
Enable your brand across a wider range of technologies, and environments
An accessible site is generally faster leading to reduced hosting costs
An accessible site is generally more search engine optimised leading to increasedbrand visibility
It’s Ethical
Accessibility guidelines
WCAG 1 & 2
PAS 78
RNIB See it right
Not all about checklists
Web accessibility means dull, boring websites
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Accessible sites can look great too
Accessible sites can look great too
Accessible sites can look great too
Not just people using your website
Search Engines don’t care what your site looks like
Basic Requirements (single A compliance)
PERCEIVABLE - alternatives for non-text content - captioning - transcripts
OPERABLE - keyboard navigation - timing of moving content can be adjusted - epilepsy - good semantic code
UNDERSTANDABLE - Do not open new windows within pre-warning user - Do not change focus from what is expected - Form input assistance - Error handling
ROBUST - good semantic code to withstand different user environments
Conformance to WCAG 2.0 Guidelines
Each page of the website has to conform for the whole site to achieve conformance
Claiming conformance is optional
By using the W3Cs logos on your site, you are claiming conformance
Do not rely on automated accessibility tools
Let real users loose on your website
Let real users loose on your website
Summary
Accessibility is for EVERYONE
Use REAL USERS to test your site
People use the web in a variety of different ways, and in a variety of environments
Accessibility should be an integral part of the whole process, not just a checklist, or an afterthought
There’s more than just legal reasons to make your site’s more accessible
More information
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