UK perspective on IT accessibility EFD BTAT

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UK perspective on IT accessibility EFD BTAT

• Graeme Whippy
• Senior Manager, IT Accessibility
• Lloyds TSB

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UK perspective on IT accessibility EFD BTAT

• The Business Taskforce on Accessible Technology
  (BTAT)
• Making accessibility business as usual in a
  corporate organisation
• British Standard BS8878
• Thoughts on WCAG 2.0

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Business Taskforce on Accessible Technology (BTAT)

• The business network in Europe promoting a
  disability confident ICT industry

and others
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Business Taskforce on Accessible Technology Key
goals

• Promote the business case for accessible ICT
• Help businesses become accessibility confident
• Require ICT suppliers to understand the need for
  accessible products and services
• Make accessibility business as usual just like
  security, resilience, scalability, etc.

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Making accessibility business as usual in an
corporate organisation
Industry guidelines
Define standards
Build and buy to standards
Test against standards
Accessible IT solutions
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British Standard BS8878 - What is it?

• Code of best practice in commissioning and
  building websites
• Update of PAS 78
• Aimed at non-technical people, e.g. MarComms
• Main themes
• Adherence to W3C guidelines
• Need to include usability testing
• Procurement is very important

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British Standard BS8878 - Challenges Status

• Challenges
• What is a web site? What is a browser?
• Breadth of audience and level of detail
• Need to address modern web development practices
• Status
• Draft for Public Comment ended in Jan 09
• Now being redrafted in light of comments
• Aiming to publish Q4 2009

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WCAG 2.0Strengths

• POUR is good
• Reflects modern web usage scenarios
• Assumes CSS and JavaScript will be used
• Improved guidance
• Outdated checkpoints removed
• New ones added, e.g. explicit check for keyboard
  trap
• Definitive and useful reference
• E.g. colour contrast requirements for inactive UI
  components

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WCAG 2.0Weaknesses

• Complex language and vast amount to read
• Accessible to developers?
• How practical is it to adopt in raw state?
• Attempt to move away from a checklist
• Developers work on basis of requirements
• Not all Success Criteria have documented failures
• Missed opportunity to strengthen some
  checkpoints, e.g. use of headings

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WCAG 2.0Thoughts on way forward

• Should we adopt WCAG 2.0?
• Adoption is inevitable
• Can we adopt WCAG 2.0?
• WCAG 2.0 must be made simpler and easier to use
• Perhaps WebAIM checklist is a starting point?
• How can we encourage adoption?
• Simplify make it easier to use
• Educate raise awareness and skills
• Legislate not ideal but if all else fails