Digital Divide And Accessibility

ODESSA
Open Desktop Software Support Association

Accessibility in the Virtual Workplace

Opportunities and Challenges

Overview

Overview

Moral and Legal Perspective

Challenges

Opportunities

Strategy for implementation

Conclusions

Objective

Our objective is help you understand how to overcoming barriers in the digital economy which requires appropriate policies, technological tools and education for accessible system design and implementation.

In other terms, Compliance can means job opportunities

Fact

Access to information and communication

is

a

Civil Right

Facts

48.9 million or 19.4% Americans are disable according to the US Presidents Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities.

Roughly 20%in global terms

21.1% of people with vision problems have Internet access issues

27.2% of people with hearing problems

22.5% of people with difficulty using hands

42.2% of people with a learning disability

ACTRA Study

International Accessibility Survey

UN study of 20 countries revealed that only 3 out of 100 International websites was accessible

Survey included heads of states, airlines, banks, newspapers, and retailers.

Central government, retailers, and banks offered the best accessibility around the world

British, Spanish and German central gov't faired best

http://www.informationweek.com/software/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=196601676

Physical World Conditions

Physical adaptions include:

Bus Modifications

Curb-cut for wheelchair access

Wheelchair ramps

Modifications to doors

TTY terminals in lobby

Elevators with voice and/or Braille instructions

Guess what?

What is applicable in the physical it also applies to the virtual world

Moral and Legal Issues

Moral Obligation

Universal Design( Disable Design) sets out the parameters for the development and implementation of information systems which are flexible enough to accommodate the needs of the broadest range of users of computers and telecommunications equipment, regardless of age or disability.

What does this mean?

Everyone involved in the entire process from funder, designer, staff and the public all share a common moral obligation to provide access to the to the website which meets the needs of all the end users and is EFFECTIVE.

It is to everyone's benefit that no one is excluded

Father of the Internet

As Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide Web aptly states:
The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.

Fact

People with disabilities are being locked out of the digital economy because of a lack of will and ambivalence toward inclusive accessible design.

Blissful ignorance recent changes with WCAG 2.0(March/08) and ISO 9241

Legal Compliance in the US

ADA requirements for effective communication and the provision of auxiliary aids and services and reasonable accommodations apply to the computer and Internet environment.

Legal requirements opens doors of opportunities for consultants/design companies to assess and make websites compliant

Legal History

Signed into law in 1990, it ...

....prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, programs and services provided by state and local governments, goods and services provided by private companies, and in commercial facilities. (See the U.S. Department of Justice ADA Homepage at http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm.)

Legal Cases

Blind student files a case against Target Stores in the US, Class action suit, Amazon and high profile companies also facing this type of litigation

BBC report on UK businesses

Failure rate 4 out of 5 in 1000 companies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2VVxrWun6A

Accessibility and Government

BBC study and UK Government website accessiblity

61% fail to comply to W3 guidelines

Site failure to operate on different browsers

Failure to provide access to visual impaired viewers

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4853000.stm

How are the disabled impacted?

The disabled are not bridging the digital divide in the following arenas:

Internet Services Providers,

Internet voting,

accessible system design,

Internet kiosks,

Smart cards,

Electronic textbooks,

Long-distance learning,

Consumer household appliances.

Who are facing Barriers

The impact is not limited to people with visual and mobility disabilities. People with specific learning disabilities are also finding that they can no longer access web pages audibly with screen readers. Even people with cognitive disabilities are becoming lost due to the absence of navigation elements at web sites

FOSS and Accessiblity

Legislation has created standards that will define what is meant by electronic and information technology and will set forth the technical and functional performance criteria for accessibility implementation.

It is a recognized good practice to consult with the disability community, especially those members most likely to request accommodations before launching Internet services

Implementation Strategy

Virtual World

As in the physical world legislation exists that require effective communication, regardless of whether they generally communicate through print media, audio media, or computerized media such as the Internet.

Entities that use the Internet for communications regarding their programs, goods, or services must be prepared to offer those communications through accessible means as well

W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) 1999

Ensuring that Web technologies support accessibility

Developing guidelines for accessibility

Developing tools to evaluate and facilitate accessibility

Conducting education and outreach

Monitoring and engaging in research and development

1999 Guidelines for websites

A page that is not text, provide a text equivalent.

Every image on a page, carry an alternative or alt text

When using tables to display data, identify row and column headers. so a screen reader, can turn a table of information into understandable speech

Make sure that information is still understandable without colour.

W3 Initiative Web Guidelines

Retirement of the older 1999 guidelines with a 200,000 word document

Launch in Spring 2008, WCAG 2.0

Acknowledge new technologies

New Success Criteria for testing

See Quick Reference http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/quickref/Overview.php

How does it work?

WCAG uses success criteria to evaluate a website

A success criterion is a testable statement that will be either true or false when applied to specific Web content.

Four Main Guidelines

# 1 Perceivable

Information and user interface components must be perceivable by users

This means that users must be able to perceive the information being presented (it can't be invisible to all of their senses)

http://www.w3.org/TR/2007/WD-UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20-20070517/#fourprincs


# 2 Operable

User interface components must be operable by users

This means that users must be able to operate the interface (the interface cannot require interaction that the user can not perform)


# 3 Understandable

Information and operation of user interface must be understandable by users

This means that users must be able to understand the information as well as the operation of the user interface (the content or operation cannot be beyond their understanding)


# 4 Robust

Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies

This means that users must be able to access the content as technologies advance (as technologies and user agents evolve, the content should remain accessible)

Defination

Accessibility

Good design incorporates

Voice,

Eye tracking

or keyboard input/output features

Situation

The Web 2.0 is creating more of a digital barriers to those individuals with disabilities

Each existing and new layer of the Internet is seeing more inaccessible design of Internet/Intranet web sites, Internet Service Provider portals, incompatible browsers, or inaccessible web-based platforms for on-line business

Threat/Opportunity

Exciting electronic and information technology features are emerging in the areas of information appliances, real-time conference participation, audio-streaming, telephone voice browsers, search engines, news groups, chat rooms and 3-D imaging.

OPPORTUNITY

Untapped Markets

IT consultants can contact with Business and Government to assess,, redesign, build and implement WCAG 2.0 compliant websites

Outreach to business community to build awareness of the untapped business potential for building bridges rather than walls to 20% of the population

New IT companies meeting the market niche for adaptative technologies

Whirlwind Wheelchair International

International projects in 45 countries providing wheelchair design and construction utilizing local resources

www.whirlwindwheelchair.org

Whirlwind RoughRider designs under the Creative Commons license

Open Prosthetics Project

Open Prosthetics
http://openprosthetics.org or www.tackledesign.com

North Carolina State University engineering project to create low cost myoelectric arms below $500 per limb,
Versatile body powered hook and self adjusting suspension system

Websites

Websites with graphics

Solutions

Removal of Navigational button or arrow to replaced to accommodate those who are visually impaired.

The US Department of Justice requires that websites must provide a text format rather than a graphical format assures accessibility to the Internet for individuals using screen readers.

E Government

Solutions

Retrofit government kiosks- licence renewal, voting, etc

Online transparency

UK created the Allcomms, a all party website to encourage debate on accessibility issues

http://www.apcomms.org.uk/

W3 Review

The W3 Accessibility sub committees review of:

HTML

Style Sheets,

Multimedia,

MathML,

DOM,

XML,

Graphics,

Mobile Access,

Internationalization.

Web site Checklist

Provide an Access Instruction Page for Visitors

Provide support for text browsers

Attach "Alt" tags to graphic images

Hyperlink photographs with descriptive text "D"

Caption all audio and video clips by using "CC" hyperlinks

Provide alternative mechanisms for on-line forms (such as email or voice/TTY phone numbers)

Avoid access barriers such as the posting of documents in PDF, table, newspaper or frame format or requiring visitors to download software. If posting in PDF, the HTML text or ASCII file must also be posted.

Strategy

Treat new virtual communities the same way new buildings comply with building code regulations to prior to access

Consult with the disability community, especially those members most likely to request accommodations

Entities when upgrades occur should select software programs and/or hardware equipment which are adaptable for people with disabilities

More Strategies

Create proactive policies

Cost-effective approach to purchasing adaptive technology

Adaptive technology training

Access guidelines for distance learning

Print materials translated into alternate formats such as electronic text and Braille

Evaluate your Website

Bobby-CAST, the Center for Applied Special Technology, http://www.jimthatcher.com/bobbyeval.htm

Web Accessibility Checker

http://checker.atrc.utoronto.ca/index.html

http://aprompt.snow.utoronto.ca/download.html

WEBXACT

http://webxact.watchfire.com/

More Resources

IBM

www.Ibm.com/able/resources/firefox.html

Peter Korn, Accessibility Architect Sun Microsystems Inc

The World Denied: Web Accessibility the Movie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRNdTIFkG1w&feature=related

Extensive Links

SNOW

http://snow.utoronto.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=159&Itemid=127

ACTRA

http://joeclark.org/access/webaccess/JVoluntAdmin.html

Tools

List of courseware accessiblity tools


Website Evaluation and Repair Tools



Conclusion

A robust and strong digital economy requires the removal of barriers through the deployment of accessible design elements in our computer, information technology and communications. By directing our research and policy directives to address these problems, we will overcome the digital divide and ensure full participation in the global digital economy.

Contact Information

Glenn McKnight

Foundation for Building Sustainable Communities

http://www.fbsc.org

email [email protected]

ODESSA Project

Open Desktop Software Support Association