Transcript Workshop Brussels

Setting up a Quality Mark for web accessibility
and the results of two years of web evaluation
testing in the Netherlands
Eric Velleman,
January 31, 2005
Seminar Braillenet / Edean
Bartiméus Accessibility Foundation - www.accessibility.nl
Introduction
Bartiméus Accessibility Foundation - www.accessibility.nl
Online shopping
• Increased with 50%
• Increased
participation of
younger generation
• 30% of shopping was
outside own country
60
50
40
30
20
10
• But is it accessible??
•
Numbers in millions
0
2003
2004
people shopping online
Source: Forrester ‘The 2004 European Online Retail Consumer’
Bartiméus Accessibility Foundation - www.accessibility.nl
Online government
• 93% of EU member
states have a website
• 90% of all countries
online offer information,
databanks, legislation
online
• 30% offers online
services
Global eGovernment readiness:
• United States
• Denmark
• England
• Germany
• Switserland
• Netherlands (11th place)
• But are they accessible??
Source: Global eGovernment readiness report 2004
Bartiméus Accessibility Foundation - www.accessibility.nl
Does it pay off?
For people with disabilities and for ROI? Yes!
• Accessibility saves you money
• 60% decrease in serverload, easier
maintenance….
• Multi platform and multi modality included
• ‘Top of the Web’ research for the Commission:
filling out income tax online saves Europeans a
total of 7 million hours per year
‘Does eGovernment pay off?’ research by Dutch Ministry of Internal affairs shows that eGovernment pays off even though in the long run,
significant changes in the backoffice are necessary.
Bartiméus Accessibility Foundation - www.accessibility.nl
Quality Mark and
evaluation scheme
Bartiméus Accessibility Foundation - www.accessibility.nl
Our Mission
Ensure that people with disabilities
and age-related impairments (and all of us)
can enjoy “full citizenship” in the Information
Society
Bartiméus Accessibility Foundation - www.accessibility.nl
The problem
Buyers, sellers and users need reliable
information on accessibility and services to
help them make informed decisions and
advance clear communication.
Bartiméus Accessibility Foundation - www.accessibility.nl
The solution
Create a web site and evaluation scheme
where stakeholders can obtain and share
vital information on accessibility and control
the quality of products and services.
Bartiméus Accessibility Foundation - www.accessibility.nl
Targets
Provide harmonisation of evaluation and
interpretation in the accessibility market by
- Harmonized accessibility standards
for evaluation and interpretation (also
European
- Promoting the sharing of information
between all stakeholders
Bartiméus Accessibility Foundation - www.accessibility.nl
More targets
• Conferences, interactive workshops,
discussion lists and focus groups to
facilitate sharing of information
• Ensuring representation from all
stakeholders
• Promoting best practices, (V)PAT with
control mechanism
• Identify experts (designers, evaluators…)
• Elevate the business response
Bartiméus Accessibility Foundation - www.accessibility.nl
Implementation
Bartiméus Accessibility Foundation - www.accessibility.nl
Brochure and normative document
Bartiméus Accessibility Foundation - www.accessibility.nl
Quality Mark drempelvrij.nl
• Transparant and clear‘Normative document’
• Ensuring representation from all stakeholders
• Support websites (www.drempelsweg.nl for users
and www.accessibility.nl for ‘business’)
Bartiméus Accessibility Foundation - www.accessibility.nl
Extra stimulation
• 0 – 12 checkpoints conformant
Report indicating problems and general
solutions
• 12 – 16 checkpoints conformant
‘Orange’ logo with link to PAT and complaints
procedure
• 16 checkpoints conformant
‘Green’ logo with link to PAT and complaints
procedure
Bartiméus Accessibility Foundation - www.accessibility.nl
Identifying experts
Accessible builders/designcompanies
Accessible websites/best practice
Bartiméus Accessibility Foundation - www.accessibility.nl
Identify best
practice
examples
Bartiméus Accessibility Foundation - www.accessibility.nl
Succes after 2 years of evaluation
and raising awareness
Bartiméus Accessibility Foundation - www.accessibility.nl
Current state in most countries
• Percentage of
accessible website
In the Netherlands:
• 1.000.000 websites
• 33 accessible
Percentage of total Dutch websites
Sites
Accessible
Percentage of government sites
Sites
Bartiméus Accessibility Foundation - www.accessibility.nl
Accessible
Conformance with guidelines
Dutch situation:
• 2 checkpoints: designers
‘please the test’
• 4 government websites
had the Quality Mark
(less than 0,4 percent of
the total. Dec.2004)
• Monitor 2004 shows 2 of
the 100 sites accessible
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
2001
2002
2 checkpoints
2003
2004
16 checkpoints
Bartiméus Accessibility Foundation - www.accessibility.nl
Results of actions
• Results of Drempelsweg campaign, drempelvrij,
burger@overheid, accessibility foundation and
others:
• Awareness (85% population, 67% companies)
• 33% of participants are accessible
• 101 paying participants
• Participants include multinational companies
• Significant increase in accessibility of websites
• 350 Declarations of Intent
• Clear website
• List of preferred suppliers
• Increasing demand for usability testing protocols
Bartiméus Accessibility Foundation - www.accessibility.nl
More information
- www.wabcluster.org: Harmonisation of Evaluation
Methodology in coordination with WAI and Support-EAM.
- www.support-eam.org: Establishing a European quality
mark and supporting services.
- www.drempelvrij.nl: the Foundation that is now
responsible for the Dutch Quality Mark logo
- www.accessibility.nl: (registration for the quality mark)
- www.drempelsweg.nl: about the drempels weg project
Bartiméus Accessibility Foundation - www.accessibility.nl