When the Internet was first opened up to the general masses back in the 1990s, it was deemed by many to be nothing more than a spurious conglomeration of a handful of free websites. But it wasn’t long before the Internet exploded into the ubiquitous entity that it is today. The Internet was meant to be accessible for everyone, everywhere. And that includes people with disabilities. Yes, people with disabilities should have access to the Internet too, just like everyone else. Websites must be designed or interfaces must be provided to make web content accessible to people with special needs.
What is Web Accessibility?
In 1999, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) published a set of Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) guidelines. What exactly is web accessibility and what does it refer to? Essentially, web accessibility refers to the ability for people with visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, or neurological impairments to access information on the Internet and interact with it.
Why is Web Accessibility Important?
Why is web accessibility important? The Internet is no longer a “premium service” available to an exclusive subscriber base. It has evolved into something akin to a “utility” such as telephone, electricity, gas, water, and cable TV. The Internet is an essential gateway to managing many aspects of our lives. So it is only fair that people with disability should not be put at a disadvantage by being unable to access it.
Obviously, for a person without disabilities, accessing the Internet from a web browser on your computer or from your smart phone is taken for granted. But if you suffer from a disability that prevents you from being able to read, hear, see, or physically handle the keyboard or mouse inputs to be able to interact with the Internet, then certain provisions need to be made for web accessibility. And that is where the WAI guidelines come into play. Some examples of web accessibility include addressing the readability of fonts on the screen, the use of text-to-audio screen readers, alternative keyboards and input devices, the proper use of colors and images, and so and so forth.
The Challenges of Web Accessibility
Unfortunately, web accessibility is becoming increasingly more difficult to enforce due to the complex nature of the types of media and the types of coding being used to deliver content. Gone are the days of simple plain-text websites with a few static images. Now, we are using websites that rely heavily on Flash, dynamically generated content using AJAX, and audio and video plug-ins. Web pages are evolving to involve less typing and more clicking. Smart phones are being developed on ultra-small screens that require multi-touch pinch and zoom user input techniques. Furthermore, we are seeing a rise in the number of websites that depend on user-generated content such as forums and blogs.
Unless a website is specifically coded from the outset to keep web accessibility in mind, or unless as website specifically offers a separate, text-only version of the content, then web accessibility is going to become increasingly more challenging in the future.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
The best hope for the future of web accessibility is for web developers to adopt the WCAG 2.0 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) set forth by the W3C. These guidelines define the parameters that web content should be developed under that will render it usable with devices that can facilitate web access. Some examples of how to make a website web accessible include:
- Provide text alternatives for any non-text content on a web page.
- Make it possible to interact with the website entirely using a keyboard and not a mouse.
- Design content such that it is not likely to cause seizures when viewed.
- Make the layout of the website easy to navigate in a logical and predictable manner.
- Provide input error correction functionality wherever possible.
- Provide broader support for a variety of user agents (browser types) that include assistive technology devices.
- Provide content that is easy to read for visually impaired readers, that involve a basic color scheme, larger fonts, and less screen clutter.
- Provide interactivity that allows for more time or which is not time-based (such as websites that have inactivity timeouts or which expect a response within a specific amount of time).
While the Internet continues to push the boundaries of Web 2.0, it is important for web developers to support web accessibility, as this will become an issue of increasing necessity that needs to be addressed in the years to come.
