Transcript Website Accessibility

Media Accessibility
Crystal Gold, M.S.
Assistant Director
Multimedia Development Services, UCTS
University College, IUPUI
What is Accessibility?
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Making information usable and
understandable for EVERYONE
Ensure potential audience pool is as large as
possible
Why is this important to us?
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Over 234 million Americans are using the
Internet (2007)
About 49.7 million Americans have some
level of disability
Organizations receiving federal funding are
governed by the Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA) requiring compliance with specific
guidelines
Why is this important to us?
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The success of an online initiative depends
on it being used.
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Why would you want to restrict use? Open the
potential pool of users as wide as possible!
Ethically, it is good practice to make information
useful for everyone - without limitations
Accessibility goes beyond federal regulations
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Accessible sites tend to convert to the new
technologies faster and easier (PDAs, Cell
phones, etc.)
What is Section 508?
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Section 508
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Information Technology and People with Disabilities
amendment to the Workforce Investment Act of 1998
“Section 508 requires Federal departments and agencies
that develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and
information technology to ensure that Federal employees
and members of the public with disabilities have access to
and use of information and data, comparable to that of the
employees and members of the public without disabilities–
unless it is an undue burden to do so."
What technology is affected?
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The following that is created by or for Federal
departments and agencies:
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Software Applications and Operating Systems
Web-based Intranet and Internet Information and
Applications
Telecommunications Products
Video and Multimedia Products
Self Contained, Closed Products
Desktop and Portable Computers
So we need to make media work for
vision and hearing problems, right?
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That is just the start! There are many other
disabilities that affect someone’s use of
electronic technologies
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Cognitive disabilities
Difficulty reading
Poor vision
Difficulty with motor skills
Physical disabilities that make typing difficult or
impossible
Inability to differentiate between certain colors
Don’t forget old and new
technologies!
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People using non-color displays
People with limited or slow access may not
have all of the latest plug-ins or technology
Slow connections can make page loading
difficult
People on most PDAs, cell phones, and other
small devices require a “stripped down”
version of a page for best viewing
So, why don’t we have an
“Alternate Site”?
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Alternate “Text-Only” sites used to be considered a
great way to get information to those with older
technology and slow connections, as well as those
with disabilities.
UCTS has opted NOT to take this route because:
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We do not want to force others to a “separate” area due to
their differences
It does not meet the spirit of the regulations, just the word
of the law
Basic Guidelines (from W3C)
Provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and
visual content
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Can a user read the same information that is
provided in that voice-over?
Can a person use adaptive technologies to
read the text to them that is provided on the
page?
Basic Guidelines (from W3C)
Don't rely on color alone
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What does it look
like when in black
and white?
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Helps ensure that
contrast is
appropriate and that
color is not being
used to convey
information.
Basic Guidelines (from W3C)
Clarify natural language usage
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Help adaptive technologies read the text
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Use correct pronunciation
Spell out abbreviations
Basic Guidelines (from W3C)
Ensure user control of time-sensitive content
changes
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People may need more time to read text that
is actively moving; allow them to pause or
even rewind.
Basic Guidelines (from W3C)
Use interim solutions
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Be aware of the limitations of adaptive
technologies and do your best to work around
them
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Podcasts are too small for captioning and do not,
at this time, provide auto-caption like some video.
We do not yet know how to make them truly
compliant.
Basic Guidelines (from W3C)
Use W3C technologies and guidelines
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Try to stay away from technologies that
require additional plug-ins (like PDFs).
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Allow users to pick how they would like to receive
information (provide PDF and Word files for
download)
But, I don’t know about media
design…
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If you hire someone to create ANY media
piece for you, it is still your responsibility to
make sure that they are skilled in ADA
compliance.
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Are they knowledgeable about this topic?
Do they share a commitment to making
everything available to everyone?
Where are we now?
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We are doing GREAT for blind/auditory-only
users!
Where are we now?
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We are doing AWFUL for low vision users!
Where are we now?
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These results support the changes in ADA
testing.
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New technology now allows us to test for low
vision and see areas we need to improve.
We are focusing on improving our site for low
vision users in the new redesign of the UCOL
website
Where can I get more
information?
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World Wide Web Consortium http://www.w3.org/
Scenarios http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-UseWeb/#usage
ONLINE SEARCHES:
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ADA Compliance
ADA Guidelines
Web Accessibility
References
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World Wide Web Consortium –
http://www.w3.org/
http://www.access-board.gov/
http://www.internetworldstats.com
http://www.dol.gov/odep/faqs/people.htm