An Introduction To Accessible Web Designing

Introduction

Humans are variously skilled and part of assuring the accessibility of technology consists of seeing that an individual’s skills match up well with the requirements for operating the technology. There are two components to this, training the human to accommodate the needs of the technology and designing the technology to meet the needs of the human. Accessibility in technology addresses the issue of creating technologies that are accessible to all users, regardless of physical ability or the way in which they use it.It is conjures the vision of designers,technologist and researchers valiently making the technology world to the disabled users.

Accessibility in Web design addresses the issue of creating Websites that are accessible to all users, regardless of physical ability or the way in which they use the Internet.It’s a thought process and being aware of basic yet often overlooked things when developing a website. It’s about being aware of that fact that people with different physical abilities might visit your site seeking some information, and they should be able to get the information they are looking for.

Importance Of Accessiible Designing

Why aren’t all Websites accessible? You may thinking why the issue of ‘accessibility’ even exists, and why all Websites aren’t already accessible to all users. There are a number of reasons that explain the need for accessible design. Some involve disabilities that users may have, while others simply stem from the way different people choose to access and use the Internet .

In addition to the humanistic perspective and reasons, like the obvious benefit of accessibility for many people with disabilities which allows them to use the Internet with ease, there is a strong business case to be made for accessible web design.Statistics show that there are millions of people with disabilities across the world. For example, it is estimated that around 80 million people in the EU have some kind of disability at the moment . In the US, there are around 60 million people with disabilities. These numbers are constantly on the rise due to the aging population in developed countries, which makes accessibility in web design even more important for the future.This is a huge group of potential customers and user base you would be leaving out if you don’t design an accessible site. Making your website more accessible will also enhance its overall usability and design. Your website will become more flexible and better equipped for the future.

People With Disabilities on Web

Based on recent surveys, statitics shows that nearly 20% of peoples in every country has a disability. Although not all disabilities impact internet use, but those disabilities which impact on internet use is stand as a barrier and in some cases it leads to illegal discriminations too. There are mainly 4 categeries of disabilities which has a impact on internet use. It is listed below

1. Visual Disabilities
2. Auditory Disabilites
3. Physical Disabilities
4. Cognitive Disabilities

Each category requires deliberate strategy in content design. Often, these strategies promote overall usability, beyond people with disabilities. Everyone benefits from helpful illustrations, logically-organized content and intuitive navigation

1:Visual Disbalities

Visual disability users has a very big range from color blind .These users can have problems in understanding images that are not accompanied by a text description of what they show. Without a text description a user who can’t see an image has no way of knowing what it is, or what it represents. Colour blind users may also have trouble discerning design elements (including text) whose colors are not sufficiently different from the elements around them (including the background or page colour).

Visually impaired users may also have problems understanding sites that are not built to accommodate “viewing” through a non-visual browser such as a screen reader. A screen reader is a Web browser that reads Websites out loud, thereby making them accessible to visually disabled users. Often a Website that looks nice visually can be a complete mess when it is listened to through a screen reader.

2:Auditory Disabilites

Similarly to the issues facing the visually impaired, are those that face Web users with hearing problems. Users with hearing disabilities have no way of understanding information that is communicated with sound. The simple solution is to provide an alternative that does not use sound, such as a text description or an image.

3:Physical Disabilities

If you are not physically disabled, it’s hard to imagine how your online experience may be affected if you were. For instance, have you ever tried to use a Website without your mouse? Unless you were lucky with the site you visited, you probably found it very difficult. Physically disabled users are often incapable of using a mouse. Unless these users’ needs are taken into account when you create Website navigation and input methods, physically disabled users may well find your site completely inaccessible.

4:Cognitive Disabilities

Websites can be complex, and finding the information we want can be difficult for the most able of us. The situation is not helped by sites that use an overly complex design, inconsistent navigation, and distracting, repetitive animation. These design elements can compound problems for users with Cognitive and Neurological Disabilities, and can make some sites completely inaccessible for them.

Accessibility Initiatives

A number of groups around the world are working to increase the awareness of accessibility issues, and provide help to the authors of accessible Websites. These include the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the US Government and CAST/Watchfire.

Since 1999 the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) (the organisation that creates the standards for the Web) has been working on its “Web Accessibility Initiative” or WAI. The official mission of this initiative is:

The World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) commitment to lead the Web to its full potential includes promoting a high degree of usability for people with disabilities. WAI, in coordination with organizations around the world, pursues accessibility of the Web through five primary areas of work: technology, guidelines, tools, education and outreach, and research and development.

The result of this initiative so far has been three sets of guidelines:

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
• Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
• User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0

The Web Content Guidelines are designed to show Website authors how to make their sites accessible. The Authoring Tool guidelines are for people who write programs that can be used to create Websites. The User Agent guidelines are aimed at those who create Web browsers.

Principles of Accessible Designing

There are so many accessibility guidelines and accessibility principles are introduced by variouse foundations and organizations. Among them some key accessible design principles are listed below

• Provide equivalent alternative text

Alternative text provides a textual alternative to non-text content in web pages. It is especially helpful for people who are blind and rely on a screen reader to have the content of the website read to them.

• Create logical document structure

Headings, lists, and other structural elements provide meaning and structure to web pages. They can also facilitate keyboard navigation within the page.

• Provide headers for data tables

Data tables need row and column header cells (<th scope=”row”> and <th scope=”col”>) to programmatically associate them with their corresponding data cells (<td>), making it easier for screen reader users to navigate and understand the table.Ensure users can complete and submit all forms. Every form element (text field, checkbox, dropdown list, etc.) needs a programmatically-associated label. Users must be able to submit the form and recover from errors.

• Write links that make sense out of context

Every link should make sense when read by itself. Screen reader users may choose to read only the links on a web page. Certain phrases like “click here” and “more” must be avoided.

• Caption and/or provide transcripts for media

Videos and live audio must have captions and a transcript. With archived audio, a transcription may be enough.

• Ensure accessibility of PDF, Word, PowerPoint, and other non-HTML content.

PDF documents and other non-HTML content must be as accessible as possible. If you cannot make it accessible, consider using HTML instead or, at the very least, provide an accessible alternative. PDF documents should also include a series of tags to make it more accessible. A tagged PDF file looks the same, but it is almost always more accessible to a person using a screen reader.

• Allow users to skip repetitive elements on the page

Each page should provide a method to skip navigation or other elements that repeat on every page. This is usually accomplished by providing a “Skip to Main Content,” or “Skip Navigation” link at the top of the page.

• Do not rely on color alone to convey meaning

Color can enhance comprehension but cannot alone convey meaning. That information may not be available to a person who is color blind and will be unavailable to screen reader users.

• Make sure content is clearly written and easy to read

Write clearly, use clear fonts, and use headings and lists logically.

• Make JavaScript accessible

Ensure JavaScript event handlers are device independent (e.g., they do not require the use of a mouse).

• Design to standards

Valid HTML and CSS promote accessibility by making code more flexible and robust.

Conclusion

Accessible Web Design is not just about making websites accessible to people with disabilities. It’s about making your site more usable for all users and improving the overall health of your site. A site that is accessible is more consistent across different devices and screen sizes when compared to websites that are not accessible. Accessible Web Design also has a business point of view associated with it, and as a business owner, it helps you make sure that your application is usable and accessible to all users reaching it.

Further Information

• Policies Relating to Web Accessibility
• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
• Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
• User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (WCAG WG)
• The WCAG Guidelines

References

• Simon Harper, Yeliz Yesilada (Editors) . Web Accessibility: A Foundation for Research — Springer Publications, 2010.
• WebAIM(Web Accessibility in Mind) Resources