January 01, 2002
Introducing Web AccessibilityMichael G. Paciello
The first part of this series introduces you to the world of Web accessibility involving people with disabilities. You will see how the level of awareness has been raised regarding the information needs of people with disabilities and how they are directly affected by elements of the World Wide Web that are currently inaccessible to them.
In the next several weeks, you will get a sense of the world's population of people with disabilities and better understand their user needs in the information society. In turn, this information will help you appreciate how developing an accessible Web for them now will ensure their continued use of it in the future.
Why Make Your Site Accessible?
The World Wide Web has long surpassed original predictions that it would be "the next killer app" of the Internet. What started out as the home of computer gurus is now an integral part of human society. The Web has become a commodity that everyone has to have and everyone needs to use because it is built upon the most important commodity of the next millennium: information.
Beginning with the launch of the Web Accessibility Initiative (or WAI, pronounced "way") in April 1997, it became clear that building and redesigning the Web to be accessible to people with disabilities would become an important directive of the World Wide Web Consortium ( W3C ). Tim Berners-Lee, director of the W3C and inventor of the Web, launched the WAI with the following statement: Worldwide, there are more than 750 million people with disabilities. As we move towards a highly connected world, it is critical that the Web be usable by anyone, regardless of individual capabilities and disabilities.
The W3C is committed to removing accessibility barriers for all people with disabilities—including the deaf, blind, physically challenged, and cognitive or visually impaired. We plan to work aggressively with government, industry, and community leaders to establish and attain Web accessibility goals. The Web Accessibility Initiative was launched during the sixth International World Wide Web Conference in 1997. The WAI's mission is as follows:
Lending his support to the WAI, U.S. President William Clinton stated: "Given the explosive growth in the use of the World Wide Web for publishing, electronic commerce, lifelong learning and the delivery of government services, it is vital that the Web be accessible to everyone."
If you are a person with a disability, no doubt the Web is just as important to you as your "able-bodied" neighbor or coworker. In fact, one could easily argue that the Web is more important to you because it provides access to services, products, and information that are not as easily obtained by you because of circumstances related to your disability.
If you are not able to walk or cannot be easily transported from your house to the local Best Buy electronics superstore, you can go to www.bestbuy.com on the Web and purchase a new digital television without having to leave your home. Web technology has advanced to the extent that you can do this and many more things quickly and safely.
On the other hand, you don't need to have a disability to understand the advantages of the Web. An individual without a disability is just as easily motivated to purchase products and services online. The convenience factor alone is enough reason to shop online.
So what's the problem? Simply this: Where accessibility and usability of the Web are concerned, there are distinct advantages for able-bodied people over people with disabilities. Common Web tasks such as reading, searching, and purchasing are often difficult, or in some cases impossible, for a person with a disability to perform. Many Web sites are not accessible to large segments of the disability communities—particularly people who are blind, deaf, or hard of hearing.
As the interactive nature of the Web continues to expand, those with physical disabilities or speech disabilities may have trouble with immersive virtual reality systems that require walking, reaching, and grasping, or human-to-computer voice response systems that require clear speech.
Not convinced? Think I'm exaggerating? Turn off image loading in your Web browser and spend one hour surfing the Web. Visit your favorite sites and bookmarks. Peruse anywhere you want. And don't be satisfied with just viewing the sites' home pages. Surf as you normally would, going down into the site at least one or two levels.
I guarantee that you'll find it extremely challenging because most of the sites you visit have not consistently implemented the simplest of all accessibility attributes: the alt (alternative) text attribute to the HTML element IMG (image). The result is a Web page that is extremely difficult to navigate, particularly for people who are blind. If the alt text were present, it would replace the image, providing the user with the same information a sighted person receives.
So whose fault is it? The Web engineering community because it failed to recognize the need early on in the Web development cycle? Web site designers and content creators because they have not taken time to familiarize themselves with appropriate accessibility coding and design? Standards organizations because they have not enforced or implemented standards that ensure the accessibility of the Internet or the Web? Industry because their focus is on revenue and not product usability? Disability organizations and assistive technology corporations because they are not able to keep pace with emerging technology? There's no rocket science here—everyone shares a measure of the responsibility.
My point is not to focus on the problems, but to identify the solutions. Many do exist. Where solutions do not exist, the goal is to build enough awareness about the issue so a solution can be developed. The primary objectives of this book are to thoroughly educate you (the designer, the developer, and the user) about accessibility issues and to present the solutions required to make the Web accessible—that is, WebABLE!
Since the WAI launch, hundreds of individuals, organizations, and businesses all over the world have swarmed to support the mission of the WAI and its program office. Perhaps the most amazing aspect of their support is that most of it is donated time—volunteer work that is totally pro bono.
That's right, free labor. Why? What motivates so many people to want to take on a seemingly impossible task? Actually, there are several very good reasons that start with the community of people with disabilities themselves. Who are they? Why are things so difficult for them? How is the Web inaccessible to them?
Next week, learn about the various disability communities that exist, and which specific problems with the Web these communities encounter.
Mike is Founder and Chief Technology Officer of WebABLE, Inc., an accessibility education and consulting firm.
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The Web Accessibility Initiative
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