What is really meant by accessible?

Making a Web site accessible involves more than just using alternative text descriptions for images. To start with, an accessible Web site is easier to read and to navigate, by anyone, anywhere at anytime.

The average Internet surfer will scan a Web page for relative content in just a few seconds. If a page contains, for example, 10 links and these are scattered through many paragraphs of intensive reading, most people will simply scan the page looking for keywords and because links stand out, they will usually just see the links and filter out the text.

If your links say click here then when people scan your page, all they will see is click here and -- since they don't have time to read the text -- they'll click their back button and find another Web page to read, one where it is easier to find what they are looking for.

To look at it from an accessibility point of view, what if -- instead of saying click here your links were made up of keywords? For example, let's say that you own a cake shop and have a Web site about the different types of cakes that you produce. Read the following two examples and make up your own mind as to which paragraph is better:

Example 1 (Inaccessible) Example 2 (Accessible)

This way, when someone scans your page they see words related to the topic they are searching your page for and they stay on your page, digging deeper for the information they want.

This is just one of the many examples of how accessible Web design can improve the quality of your Web page for everyone.

Web site accessibility and the law

UK legislation on making Web sites accessible came into effect in October 2004. It requires all businesses to take reasonable steps to ensure that their Web site is available to users with disabilities. Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)

My commitment to accessibility

I am an officially approved member of the Guild of Accessible Web Designers (GAWDS) and am working towards meeting all specifications listed in the Dive into Accessibility Web site. This is part of my commitment to producing valid, accessible and usable Web sites.

Test Your Site For Accessibility

Web Page (Required)

e.g. http://www.isocdisab.org/

Accessibility Report Mode

Section 508 WCAG - Priority 1 WCAG - Priority 1,2 WCAG - Priority 1,2,3

Do not fail pages for WCAG 1.0 Priority 2 and 3 errors, simply warn me.

Include the Alternative Text Quality Report

Include File source on Accessibility Failures

Run the Potential Screen Movement and Flickering Report

Test for animated Gifs - Could add time to processing

Emulate this Browser:

Cynthia 1.0 MS Internet Explorer 6.0 MS Internet Explorer 5.5 MS Internet Explorer 5.01 MS Internet Explorer 5.0 MS Internet Explorer 4.4 MS Internet Explorer 4.01 MS Internet Explorer 4.0 MS Internet Explorer 4.0 Compatibility Mode MS Internet Explorer 4.0 Solaris Netscape 6.0 Netscape 6.1 Netscape 4.5 Netscape 4.5 Mac PPC Netscape 4.0 Netscape 4.0 OS/2 Netscape 4.0 Win 3.x Netscape 4.0 Linux Netscape 3.0 Netscape 3.0 SunOS Netscape 3.0 OS/2 Netscape 2.0 Opera 3.0 Opera 3.1 Opera 3.2 Opera 3.21 Opera 3.5 Opera 3.6 Lynx WebTV

The W3C's Quick Tips for building accessible sites

For complete guidelines & checklist: www.w3.org/WAI

• Images & animations:Use the alt attribute to describe the function of each visual.
• Image maps: Use the client-side map and text for hotspots.
• Multimedia: Provide captioning and transcripts of audio, and descriptions of video.
• Hypertext links: Use text that makes sense when read out of context. For example, avoid "click here."
• Page organization: Use headings, lists, and consistent structure. Use CSS for layout and style where possible.
• Graphs & charts: Summarize or use the longdesc attribute.
• Scripts, applets, & plug-ins: Provide alternative content in case active features are inaccessible or unsupported.
• Frames: Use the noframes element and meaningful titles.
• Tables: Make line-by-line reading sensible. Summarize.
• Check your work: Validate. Use tools, checklist, and guidelines at http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG

(c) W3C (MIT, INRIA, Keio) 2001/01