Universal Design and Ethical Practices for Designing. Bryan Ayres, M.Ed., ATP, Director Technology & Curriculum Access Center Easter Seals Arkansas

Transcription

1 Universal Design and Ethical Practices for Designing i Accessible Web Environments Bryan Ayres, M.Ed., ATP, Director Technology & Curriculum Access Center Easter Seals Arkansas

2 Contact information Technology and Curriculum Access Center Easter Seals Arkansas 3920 Woodland Heights Road Little Rock, AR Bryan Ayres, M.Ed., ATP Phone: Fax: Toll-free: Web site: e

3 What is universal design? A leader in promoting the concept has been the Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University. The center defines universal design as "design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design."

4 Components of Universal Design Equitable Use Flexibility Simple and intuitive Perceptible information Tolerance for error Low physical effort Size and space for approach and use North Carolina State University (1997) Center for Universal Design

5 Why is web accessibility important? Educational institutions, government agencies and other entities are using the Internet t and web technologies for information dissemination, service delivery, and course delivery. Core services and information are delivered d via the Web so it is critical that all people are able to access the information, whether they have disabilities or not. Well-designed accessible web sites help expedite the delivery of information and services, and are crucial in helping the agency fulfill its mission in the digital age. BESIDES

6 ACCESSIBLE WEB DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO!

7 Web Standards, Overview of Web Accessibility Access for everyone Its really about doing the right thing. It's about helping 65 million Americans with disabilities achieve transparent access to information. Aging baby boomers now in the workforce will need some of the technology solutions emerging from Section 508 efforts. The state of Louisiana works to ensure access for disabled citizens and employees to information, technology, state facilities, and parks and other recreational opportunities by following federal accessibility guidelines. Federal officials say adhering to Section 508 regulations and improving accessibility for people with disabilities make good business sense. Enabling everyone to do their jobs, using the tools that help them best do their jobs, is simply good business and helps individuals become fully integrated into the workplace. The purpose of this web page, although not required by regulation or law, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) seeks to bring State of Louisiana Web sites into basic compliance with Section 508 code by providing the necessary information to State of Louisiana webmasters and designers, to enable them to comply with the Section 508 Standard of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 794d). Section 508 requires that when federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology, federal employees with disabilities have access and use of information and data that are comparable to the access and use by Federal employees who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency. These provisions of the standards provide the requirements that must be followed by federal agencies. Compliance requires adherence to the Section 508 Standard, Section ( ) Paragraphs A through P. To assist with implementation of Section 508

8 Legal Issues Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Prohibits discrimination by recipients of federal financial assistance Covers public institutions that receive federal financial assistance Qualified persons with disabilities must not be excluded from educational entity s programs or services Programs and/or services must be equally effective for participants with disabilities as for their non- disabled peers

9 More Legal Issues The Americans with Disabilities Act and amendments. Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination by public entities Requires effective communication o Information published on websites run by public entities es should be accessible e to users s with disabilities. Martin v. Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, 225 F.Supp.2d 1362 (N.D.Ga. 2002).

10 More Legal Issues Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Requires that electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by the Federal government be accessible to users with disabilities. Standards were mandated and developed in December 2001.

11 What is the cost of developing accessible websites? The cost is generally minimal if accessibility principles are incorporated into the development stage. Retrofitting, on the other hand, is far more expensive. Hence, it is critical that agencies find ways to integrate accessible design and conformance testing into the development process. Most of the initial costs will be on training and acquiring the appropriate tools to assist with authoring accessible sites and with conformance testing. Over a period of time, a well designed, accessible web site is more cost effective because it takes less time to maintain and update. It is more adaptable to emerging technologies and attracts a larger audience. As more web developers are trained to create accessible sites, the costs will diminish.

12 What are the characteristics of an accessible web site? An accessible web site is one that can be used by everyone, including people with disabilities. Some specific characteristics of an accessible site include: clear and logical navigation easy to read text and understandable links text descriptions of essential visual elements transcripts or captions for audio, video, and multimedia content interoperability with assistive technology which may be used to render the web content in a usable format.

13 What are some accessible web design principles? i Web sites that are designed to be POUR Perceivable Operable Understandable Robust will offer the most flexibility and usefulness for individuals id with disabilities as well as many other people.

14 Do I have to "dumb down" my site in order to make it accessible? No. Making a web site accessible is more about including good design elements than removing them. Nearly all sophisticated and visually-attractive web technologies can be rendered d in an accessible manner if designed with accessibility in mind. Creative web designers are able to keep the web site visually pleasing and, at the same time, make it easy for more people to access the site.

15 What about the documents that people post onto the site? Do we have to be concerned about the accessibility of these documents? An accessible Web site includes the accessibility of all its contents, including documents, forms, and other digital objects (multimedia, graphics, etc.). A process for ensuring the accessibility of the content is critical to a web accessibility policy.

16 Web Accessibility Quick Tips The links in the Quick Tips below mostly go to the techniques documents that t provide implementation ti guidance - including explanations, strategies, and detailed markup examples. Images & animations: Use the alt attribute t 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 t links. Use text t that t makes sense when read out of context. For example, avoid "click here." Page organization. Use headings, lists, and consistent structure. t Use CSS for layout and style where possible.

17 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

18 Web development and interaction must work together in order for the Web to be accessible to people with disabilities. content - the information in a Web page or Web application, including: natural information such as text, images, and sounds code or markup that defines structure, presentation, etc. Web browsers, media players, and other "user agents" assistive technology, in some cases - screen readers, alternative keyboards, switches, scanning software, etc. users' knowledge, experiences, and in some cases, adaptive strategies using the Web developers - designers, coders, authors, etc., including developers with disabilities and users who contribute content authoring tools - software that creates Web sites evaluation tools - Web accessibility evaluation tools, HTML validators, CSS validators, etc.

19 Web Accessibility Images Alt attributes and alt text for images or pictures or images that carry information Alt text for links/destinations Alt null for redundant information. Charts, Graphs M i lt t th i t t May require an alt tag on the image or a text description internally or in another place.

20 Web Accessibility Color Color as a way of conveying information alone is difficult for persons with color blindness or with screen readers. Adequate contrast Alt tags for color that conveys information can assist screen readers in making sense of information

21 Web Accessibility Forms Visually associate each control with its prompt by positioning the prompt immediately adjacent to or immediately above the control. Use alt title attribute when a legend or title is necessary

22 Web Accessibility Page Structure and Style Use structural elements for their intended purpose. Avoid HTML structural markup for visual effects. Relative units to ensure scalability of page size, layout, etc. Provide consistent page layout and navigational scheme for entire site.

23 Web Accessibility Tables Every cell tells a story; heading cells should be in the first row and column Consider id attributes for heading cells For table elements, include a summary or caption attribute.

24 Web Accessibility Multi-media (audio, video) Include a text transcript for each information loaded audio file. Provide synchronized text equivalents (captions) for the audio content of a multimedia presentation. Provide synchronized audio descriptions of significant video information in multimedia presentations. Web content requires accessible tools or browser plug-ins.

25 Web Accessibility The content must be accessible to persons with disabilities, regardless of the content delivery format or tool required. Sites must provide a link to an accessible version of the tool. Tools embedded within Web pages must be keyboard accessible, or the option to open the content in a stand-alone version should be provided.

26 Web Designer versus Faculty or Rehabilitation Counselor or other Contributor Accessible use of documents that would be included in web pages. Provide a digital or editable copy of documents. Provide tagged alternative text or captions for images. Use hierarchical style and formatting so that an index is created.

27 You are invited to contribute Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology (QIAT) These indicators were designed with IDEA in mind. The Southwest ADA Center, DBTAC and the Great Lakes ADA Center, DBTAC invite you to participate in a wiki for post-secondary education to apply the indicator areas to institutes of higher education

28 Resources 01.ibm.com/software/awdtools/tester/polic y/accessibility/index.html tive.html p pp

29 Resources y Free tools and turn-key vendors can: Spot problems Check for accessibility and security Serve as a tool for educating web designers and developers

30 Resources Alliance for Technology Access, Louisiana Universal Design for Learning Initiative, Southwest ADA Center, DBTAC U.S. Department of Education, idea2004.html

31 Resources Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology, Americans with Disabilities Act, The Center for Universal Design, Center for Applied Special Technology,

32 Resources W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, Louisiana Department of Education, Quick Tips for Creating Accessible Documents, San Jose State University, Voluntary Product Accessibility Template

33 Resources United States Access Board United States Access Board

34 Thanks for Participating! Please check our web site for other workshops on software, hardware, strategies and processes. Technology & Curriculum Access Center, Easter Seals Arkansas in Collaboration with the Southwest ADA Center, DBTAC, and the Arkansas Department of Education, Special Education Unit Bryan Ayres, M.Ed., ATP, Director, Technology & Curriculum Access Center