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http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/workshops/mla-2005-02/
A Holistic Approach To
Web Accessibility
Brian Kelly
UKOLN
University of Bath
Bath
Lawrie Phipps
JISC TechDis Service
York
Email:
Email:
[email protected]
[email protected]
URL:
URL:
http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/
http://www.techdis.ac.uk/
UKOLN is supported by:
TechDis is supported by:
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
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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
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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
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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?
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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
Which reflects your views most closely?
• 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
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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
What figures do
WAI AA
3 (<2%)
7 (4%)
you expect?
WAI A
70 (43%) 93 (56%)
See <http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/
workshops/webmaster-2004/talks/phipps-kelly/survey/>
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!
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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.
Similar low level of compliance with WAI guidelines found by
SiteMorse using automated checker across UK disability
organisations’ Web sites − which led to heated debate!
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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?
A – for small, volunteer organisations, colleges,…
AAA – for large, well-funded nationals, Oxbridges, ..
A – addresses some disabilities
AAA – addresses all disabilities
X Univ. has AA policy
How? Can't! Committee
decreed policy, then
appointed me!
A – achievable easily with today's technologies
AAA – needs new technologies, new formats
…
If there is a lack of consensus, how can we specify
what we want, implement this, check this, …
Note see <http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/#priorities>
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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?)
• Specify document collections with the LINK element
and "rel" and "rev"
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I think this means the format is appropriate (i.e. HTML for slides)
but others argue it means resources, expertise, … available
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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, …)
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A WCAG AAA Web Site?
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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?
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"
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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 …
WAI WCAG Flaws
Logical Flaws – Nit-picking?
• On 1 Aug 2002 when XHTML 1.0 released WAI AA
site (possibly) became A (unless upgraded overnight)
W3C Web Site
W3C Web site is not fully
AA compliant 
DRC Web Site
DRC Web site is not
AA compliant:
• Accessibility report
still not in HTML
• HTML problems
Conclusions
But it has been checked
If treatingby
WCAG
rigourous
usersas
who
find it
standard
is flawed what should we do?
accessible!
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
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Video
Clip
2
Video
Clip
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The User Experience (in HE)
E-learning
Fieldwork
CAA
Web
resources
Labwork
Student
Lectures
Tutorials
Peer
learning
Library
Group
work
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Viva Voce
LP
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
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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
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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
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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
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LP BK
TechDis – UKOLN Approach
Holistic framework for e-learning accessibility published
in CJLT:
• Focusses on the user
and recognises:
• External pressures
Users
e.g. funders, QAA, …
Needs
• 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"
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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.
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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
Q: What about accessibility?
A: We'll have to remove it, shame – they liked it *
Q. What's it for?
A. Keep kids amused while parents borrow books
Q. Why not provide building blocks, bouncy castle,
... as equivalent real world accessible alternative
* Many people feel threatened by such questions
The Tate Gallery's i-Map learning resource about Picasso &
Matisse paintings for blind users is another good example
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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
• Think holistically!
• Select guidelines / standards that mean
something to the context of the resource
This may not be new to you. You probably make
such choices when designed exhibitions, etc.
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