Accessibility and new technologies

By Gian Wild

About me

• Started in accessibility in 1998
• Worked on the first accessible Australian web site
• Worked as the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games accessibility specialist
• Spent six years working on the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, 2.0

Brief introduction to accessibility

It allows people with disabilities to:

• access information like anyone else
• interact with others without being categorised as “disabled”
• undertake activities which they are not otherwise able to do

Types of disabilities

Disabilities affecting vision
Disabilities affecting how the mind interprets information
Disabilities affecting movement
Disabilities affecting hearing

Rules and regulations

Australian Human Rights Commission Disability Discrimination Act Web Advisory Notes
Whole of Victorian Government Web Standards: Accessibility Standard
Both require conformance with W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, Version 1.0

What about WCAG2?

Issues:

• Documentation
• Accessible technologies
• Compliance levels
• Cognitive disabilities
• Testability
• Usability

What should we do now?

Wait for AHRC
Wait for Victorian Government
Learn what you can

Videos and accessibility

Videos cause problems for:

• vision impaired (visual content and access to video is problematic)
• hearing impaired (audio content is problematic)
• physically impaired (access to video is problematic)
• cognitively impaired (access to video is problematic)

Videos and accessibility

• An alternative, information, contact details provided
• Videos are limited in size
• Consistent video type
• Videos do not automatically start
• Videos open in a new window
• Users control the video with keyboard OR mouse
• Audio descriptions and captions are provided

Video examples

Live in Victoria transcripts
Koorie film with captions
Koorie film with audio descriptions

Flash and accessibility

Flash can cause problems for:

• vision impaired (visual content, access to Flash and interactivity is problematic)
• hearing impaired (audio content is problematic)
• physically impaired (access to Flash and interactivity is problematic)
• cognitively impaired (access to Flash and interactivity is problematic)

Flash banners and accessibility

• An alternative is provided
• Flash is limited in size
• Page appears in a logical order with Flash disabled
• Users control the video with keyboard OR mouse
• There is a link to the required Flash version

Complex Flash and accessibility

• Users control the Flash with keyboard OR mouse
• Flash uses MSAA techniques
• Users can manipulate content
• High colour contrast
• No flickering
• No patterned backgrounds

Flash examples

Indonesian learning activity
Dignubia
Crossword puzzles

PDFs and accessibility

PDFs cause problems for:

• physically impaired (visual content is problematic)
• cognitively impaired (visual content and access to PDF is problematic)

PDFs and accessibility

• An alternative, information, contact details provided
• PDFs are limited in size
• PDFs do not automatically start
• PDFs open in a new window
• PDFs are tagged

PDF examples

eGovernment Accessibility Toolkit

key-features

Web 2.0 technologies

YouTube
Vodcasts
Facebook
Twitter
Maps

What else is in the factsheets?

JavaScript and accessibility
Web Manager’s checklist
Web Developer’s checklist

Questions?