A Holistic Approach To Web Accessibility

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A Holistic Approach To Web Accessibility
http//www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/workshops/
mla-2005-02/

• Brian Kelly
• UKOLN
• University of Bath
• Bath

Lawrie Phipps JISC TechDis Service York
Email B.Kelly_at_ukoln.ac.uk URL http//www.ukoln.a
c.uk/
Email Lawrie.Phipps_at_heacademy.ac.uk URL http//w
ww.techdis.ac.uk/
UKOLN is supported by TechDis is supported
by
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About This Talk

• This talk
• Summarises the role of W3C WAI and WAI WCAG
  guidelines in helping to provide universal access
  to digital resources
• Describes some of the difficulties experienced in
  implementing guidelines
• Describes some of the limitations and dangers
  with the guidelines
• Provides a holistic framework for (Web)
  accessibility

About The Technical Level The talk outlines WAI
WCAG limitations. The details may not be relevant
unless you are a Web developer. However they
raise issues of relevance if commissioning Web
design from third parties
BK
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About The Speakers

• Brian Kelly
• Works for UKOLN a national centre of expertise
  in digital information management
• Web adviser to the UK cultural heritage and
  higher and further education communities
• Funded by MLA and the JISC
• Lawrie Phipps
• Works for TechDis, an educational advisory
  service, working across UK, in the fields of
  accessibility and inclusion
• Senior Advisor for Higher Education
• Funded by the JISC

BK
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W3C WAI and WCAG

• W3C (World Wide Web Consortium)
• Body responsible for coordinating development of
  Web standards
• WAI (Web Accessibility Initiative)
• W3C group responsible for developing guidelines
  which will ensure Web resources are widely
  accessible
• WCAC (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)
• One of three sets of WAI guidelines. WCAG
  provides advice of accessibility on Web content
  (e.g. HTML pages)
• Other two WAI guidelines cover accessible user
  agents (browsers) and accessible authoring tools

BK
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Where Are We Now?

• Current status on Web accessibility
• Widespread awareness of Web accessibility issues
  within many Web/public sector Web communities
• Widespread support for implementation
• Sharing of approaches, discussions, etc.
• But
• Implementation challenges
• Lack of clarity of what exactly we should do
• Still ambiguities (cf DRC report)
• Have things changes since WAI WCAG 1.0 released
  in 1999?

BK
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Interpretation of WAI WCAG

• How do you interpret WAI WCAG (must use ALT tags
  for images HTML must be valid must use style
  sheets for presentation )
• Mandatory, with following characteristics
• Clearly defined rules ? Objective
• Checking mostly objective
• Penalties for non-compliance
• Similar to checking that HTML complies with the
  standard
• Advisory, with following characteristics
• Useful guidelines, to be interpreted in context
• It's about providing useful, usable resources
• Checking mostly subjective
• It's similar to checking that a Web site is
  well-designed

BK
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Accessibility Survey

• Survey of 160 UK University home pages carried
  out in August 2002 and repeated in June 2004
• Used Bobby so only objective criteria measured
• Findings 2002 2004
• WAI AA 3 (lt2) 7 (4)
• WAI A 70 (43) 93 (56)

What figures do you expect?
See lthttp//www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/work
shops/webmaster-2004/talks/phipps-kelly/survey/gt
Reminder this is probably an over-estimate of
compliance. Problems which can only be spotted
with manual detection can reduce these
figures. Also note that this is just the home
page not the entire Web site!
BK
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What Can We Conclude?

• What can we conclude from the lack of WAI WCAG
  AAA and small percentage of AA compliance
• The HE community doesn't care about Web
  accessibility
• Need for stronger enforcement
• Let's make an example of someone
• WCAG is poorly / ambiguously defined
• WCAG AA and AAA compliance is difficult to
  achieve (even on a single, high profile page)
• There are other issues, other priorities, etc.

BK
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What Is Meant By A, AA, AAA?

• WAI WCAG has three levels of compliance A, AA,
  and AAA
• What is meant by this?

X Univ. has AA policy How? Can't! Committee
decreed policy, then appointed me!
If there is a lack of consensus, how can we
specify what we want, implement this, check this,

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WAI WCAG AA and AAA

• In order to achieve WAI WCAG AA compliance
• Avoid deprecated features (e.g. FONT)
• Use W3C technologies when available and
  appropriate (no Flash, MS Word or PowerPoint)
• .. use the latest versions of W3C formats
• Create documents that validate to published
  formal grammars (i.e. HTML must be valid)
• In order to achieve WAI WCAG AAA compliance
• "Specify the expansion of each abbreviation or
  acronym in a document where it first occurs"
  (BBC?)

BK
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Concerns Over WAI WCAG

• Guidelines Too Theoretical
• Some WCAG guidelines appear theoretical
• WCAG seeks to promote W3C standards (including
  new, untested ones) in addition to addressing
  mainstream accessibility issues
• Overall WAI approach is dependent on content,
  authoring tools and user agent guidelines the
  latter two are outside the remit of Web authors
• Developments Outside Of W3C
• WAI has succeeded in raising awareness of
  accessibility and commercial sector has
  responded (cf. accessibility in OS, proprietary
  formats, )

BK
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A WCAG AAA Web Site?

• Many Google hits for "wai aaa council"
• But
• Are the claims correct?
• Are the sites accessible?
• Note in this example
• Site uses PDFs
• Web pages invalid
• Therefore Web site is (probably) WAI A at best
  but does this mean inaccessible?

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Can We Break The Guidelines?

• The same Web site has decided to not use access
  keys as support is flawed
• One expert (Joe Clarke) states that access keys
  are
• "severely compromised in practical
  application..." and "If you add access keys,
  then, you are really coding for a future utopia"

Conclusions If treating WCAG as rigourous
standard is flawed what should we do?

• What do you do?
• Use access keys, as required by WCAG AAA (even
  though you feel they're not much use)
• Don't use them and claim WCAG AA at best
• Use them and claim WCAG AAA

LP ?BK
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The User

• When designing for a user group
• We have come to accept that 'design for all' is a
  misnomer
• Design for most is probably the highest standard
  we can achieve
• The reality is design for some

Video Clip 1
Video Clip 2
Video Clip 3
LP
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The User Experience (in HE)
LP
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Usability

• Accessibility is not a product
• Creating a resource that is inclusive is a
  process
• The process must involve users
• The experience of the JISC X4L programme
• Creating learning materials
• A tick list for accessibility

LP
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Usability as a process

• of accessibility, objectives and needs
• You need to consider your context
• What do your community want or need to access
• Prioritise those areas test them with the users

LP
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The Holistic Approach

• Accessibility is only important in achieving a
  user's objective
• This objective does not (usually) state I want
  to read Wuthering Heights on a Web site that is
  XHTML Strict and complies with WCAG AAA
• You have resources other than the Web

LP
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Pragmatism and Holism

• You have limited resources
• Prioritise
• Seek to implement a basic level of accessibility
  but test the important resources with users
• Usability of material is as important as
  accessibility
• Be flexible, state that you want to support users
  and provide a contact

LP ?BK
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TechDis UKOLN Approach
Holistic framework for e-learning accessibility
published in CJLT

• Focusses on the user
• and recognises
• External pressures e.g. funders, QAA,
• Technical infrastructure
• Resource implications
• Learning teaching objectives
• and requires Quality Assurance based on
  documented policies and systematic checking

Remember legislation expects organisations to
take "reasonable measures"
BK
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Other Relevant Factors

• You should give equal thought to
• Open standards aim to provide application and
  system independence architectural integrity
  long term access etc.
• Interoperability access to data by new devices
  (PDAs, digital TVs, ) and to automated tools
  (Google, ). Note that Flash may be accessible
  but not interoperable (i.e. no learning
  'chunks').
• Systems architecture/information flow you'll
  need to address this to manage system effectively
• Usability and accessibility as discussed

You should address such issues in a holistic way.
There will be arguments, difficult decisions to
be made. There isn't a simple set of rules, but
there are useful guidelines. In fact, this is
similar to many business processes.
BK
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Cultural Heritage Example

• Flash game in public library
• Described at UKOLN's Public Library Web
  Conference, 2004
• A fun resource for children visiting library

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What Should You Be Doing?

• Ensure you have an accessibility policy
• Google 'council accessibility policy wai' but
  remember this is 'an evolving process not a
  finished product'
• Audit your Web site (e.g. using Firefox various
  tools
• User test your Web site
• Address usability accessibility issues in
  tender documents
• Develop processes for acceptance testing

lthttp//www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue38/phipps/gt
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Conclusions

• WAI guidelines have been developed for a reason
  so seek to understand them and implement them if
  possible
• But be flexible if implementation is difficult or
  conflicts with other goals
• Select guidelines / standards that mean something
  to the context of the resource
• Think holistically!

This may not be new to you. You probably make
such choices when designed exhibitions, etc.
BK