Making your website accessible - It's the law!
by Flash Bristow, Website Accessibility ConsultantIf you run your own business, you may have heard about the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA). It is intended to provide disabled people with equal access to services - this covers everything from physical access to a building through to the ability to access information on the internet. The DDA is being implemented in several stages. With regard to websites, since 1 October 1999, companies which provide a service have had to make "reasonable adjustments" to provide access to disabled people. The final part of the act comes into force on 1 October 2004.
By this time, your website should be accessible to everyone - including the deaf, the blind, those with learning difficulties and other disabilities. For example, any content provided in one format (such as an image) should be available in other formats (such as alternative text content). A good test is to try viewing your website in a text browser, where images, flash movies, JavaScript and sound are not available. If you hear the site aloud in a voice browser, you may also realise that some layouts do not work - for example your text may be in columns, but the voice reader may read across each line from left to right. This should give you some idea of how difficult things can be for some customers. There are other issues too, such as programming in a flexible manner that allows the reader to adjust how text sizes appears on their browser. As many of the changes necessary are "behind the scenes" code, there is usually no need to change the look and feel of the existing site in order to make it accessible.
The image below shows how my company's website appears in a text browser.
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3) has determined a set of standards for accessibility in websites, the Web Accessibility Initiative. Websites which meet these standards are deemed to be accessible. There are three levels - Grade A, which web designers must meet, otherwise some users will find it impossible to use the site (basic criteria); Grade AA, which developers should meet, otherwise some users will find it difficult to use the site (these criteria remove significant barriers to accessibility), and Grade AAA, which developers may address (these criteria will further improve access). The EU recommended level is AA, and this is the minimum standard to which I will design.
In March 2004 a web application testing company, SciVisum, published the results of their Web Accessibility Study 2004. It found that 79% of the sites they tested failed their most basic accessibility tests; more worryingly 40% of sites which claimed compliance actually failed. This is a state of affairs which cannot continue. The Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB)'s "See It Right" campaign tackles website accessibility for blind and partially sighted readers, and is actively preparing test cases. So far, every company approached has redesigned their website to meet accessibility standards, rather than go to court.
However, accessibility is not just about providing for those with severe visual impairment. People who are colour-blind may have difficulty if the site has poor contrast (try viewing it in black and white) or if there is information conveyed using colour, such as "good" things being written in green and "bad" things being written in red. People who are dyslexic have another set of issues - they can be troubled by flicker, animation, textured backgrounds, and distractions such as sound clips.
Catering for readers with complex needs - for example, those who are both deaf and blind - raises an interesting challenge. Sound clips are of no use to the deaf, so they should always be accompanied by the same content in another format. However, they can be very useful to blind readers. I use sound files to accompany long articles, so that a blind user can click to hear me read it. However, a deaf user needs to read the original text! I once contacted a deaf and blind reader and asked him how he accessed the net. He had a voice browser, which read the site aloud. This was amplified by a device around his neck, and fed into an earpiece - which he made out with the very small amount of hearing he had left. Other users may use an electronic pad, which converts text into Braille, moving it along as if the reader is passing a finger over static dots. The trick with accessibility is making website content present itself in the same way to all types of user.
You also need to allow for other kinds of disability, such as people with learning difficulties. There are many ways to approach this. In terms of general use of the site, providing a consistent layout means a mental model can easily be formed - i.e. the user can gain a reliable and accurate picture of how the site works. Navigation bars and a sitemap will also help here. Comprehension levels also need to be addressed - language should be clear and easily understood. Accreditation with the Plain English Campaign is worthwhile (they also provide a series of free guides on their website). It can be useful to provide a glossary, especially if you are a specialised business and need to use specific technical terms.
In making your site accessible to the disabled, you are also catering for other groups of customers. For example, compatibility with older browsers may be improved, people with slow connection speeds will find it easier to receive a version of your site, and users reading your site from a palmtop device will also benefit.
Accessibility is not only a legal requirement, but also a social one in order to allow inclusion to all, and it's not quite as simple as providing your website in large print! The DDA applies to all employers and anyone who provides a service to the public in the UK. With increasing awareness, and campaigning from the RNIB, it can be worth taking advantage of the website accessibility checks that my company can provide.
Flash Bristow, Website Accessibility Consultant
Web Design & Mastery
http://www.webdesignandmastery.com
07939 579090
Further reading:
The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 - http://www.disability.gov.uk/dda/RNIB See It Right Campaign - http://www.rnib.org.uk/seeitright/
W3 Consortium Web Accessibility Initiative - http://www.w3.org/WAI/
Plain English Campaign - http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/webdesign.html
SciVisum Web Accessibility Survey 2004 -
http://www.scivisum.co.uk/report/accessibility/200403Survey.htm
©2004 by Flash Bristow
"We are really delighted with our new website. Flash was extremely fast, friendly and helpful all the way through the process and went to great lengths to get the website just as we wanted. As complete novices to the world of website design, we were grateful to have a person who made the task run so smoothly.
Thank you very much!"
[Hackney Family Backup]
[Hackney Family Backup]
"Thank you so much for all your hard work on my behalf; you very quickly grasped the image I wanted to portray. I am really pleased with the website that was delivered earlier than I expected and on budget. Your extensive knowledge of websites and the legislation that affects them is impressive and led to a level of detail that I was not expecting. I literally could not have done it without you. It has been a real pleasure working with Web Design & Mastery."
[Kate Fishpool Associates]
[Kate Fishpool Associates]