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CS952 Database and Web Systems Development: Lecture 8: Accessibility

This lecture discusses accessibility in web development. It covers the importance of accessibility, legal requirements, and guidelines from the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. WCAG 2.1 provides principles and success criteria for perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust web content. The lecture also discusses considerations for mobile vs desktop, vision impairments, color blindness, screen readers, and reading level.

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Kareem Nabil
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45 views16 pages

CS952 Database and Web Systems Development: Lecture 8: Accessibility

This lecture discusses accessibility in web development. It covers the importance of accessibility, legal requirements, and guidelines from the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. WCAG 2.1 provides principles and success criteria for perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust web content. The lecture also discusses considerations for mobile vs desktop, vision impairments, color blindness, screen readers, and reading level.

Uploaded by

Kareem Nabil
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CS952 Database and Web

Systems Development

Lecture 8: Accessibility
Structure of the course

1. HTML - Overview and forms


2. PHP - Form handling & Database linkage
3. CSS - Stylish pages
4. JavaScript - Form handling
5. Security and Accessibility

2
Accessibility
• What is accessibility?
– To make sure that everyone can use the internet,
irrespective of circumstance
• There is a wide range of disabilities such as
– Visual impairments
– Auditory impairments
– Mobility impairments
– Cognitive disabilities
Legal Requirements
• Aside from ethical/moral and financial reasons, there are legal
requirements
– UK - Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (amended 2005) and the
Equality Act (2010)
– Australia – Disability Discrimination Act 1992
– USA – Americans with Disabilities Act
– USA – Section 508 of Rehabilitation Act procurement policy for
federal government agencies
– Other countries have similar legislation
– Cases are being brought to court: Sydney Organizing Committee
for the Olympic Games, SOCOG, RNIB, Ramada/Priceline …
Accessibility
• The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
committed to accessibility
– "The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by
everyone regardless of disability is an essential
aspect.“
– Tim Berners Lee, W3C Director
• W3C Web Accessibility Initiative(WAI) have
produced Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
(WCAG)
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1)

• W3C Recommendation 30th January 2018


• The latest version is available from
– http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/
• See also
– Understanding WCAG 2.1
WCAG 2.1 Outline
• Provides a stable technical standard with guidelines
• Organized under 4 principles
– perceivable
– operable
– understandable
– robust
• For each guideline, there are testable success criteria
– at three levels: A, AA, and AAA
WCAG 2.1 Guidelines (1)
• Perceivable
– Provide text alternatives for any non-text content so that it
can be changed into other forms people need, such as
large print, braille, speech, symbols or simpler language
– Provide alternatives for time-based media
– Create content that can be presented in different ways (for
example simpler layout) without losing information or
structure
– Make it easier for users to see and hear content including
separating foreground from background
WCAG 2.1 Guidelines (2)
• Operable
– Make all functionality available from a keyboard
– Provide users enough time to read and use
content
– Do not design content in a way that is known to
cause seizures
– Provide ways to help users navigate, find content,
and determine where they are
WCAG 2.1 Guidelines (3)
• Understandable
– Make text content readable and understandable
– Make Web pages appear and operate in
predictable ways
– Help users avoid and correct mistakes
• Robust
– Maximize compatibility with current and future
user agents, including assistive technologies
W3C Further Guidelines

• WAI has also published an updated Working


Draft of the User Agent Accessibility
Guidelines (UAAG) 2.0
• UAAG defines how browsers, media players,
and other "user agents" should support
accessibility for people with disabilities and
work with assistive technologies
Mobiles vs Laptops and Desktops
• Think about your audience
• Mobiles (tapping, swiping, touching)
– Text entry is slow and error prone
– Assume taps might result in errors
– Avoid text entry and have completion support
• Laptops and desktops (typing and clicking)
– Text entry is fairly fast and less error prone
– For clicking, it is easier if the clickable area is not too
small
Vision
• Some people don’t see as well as others
• Font sizes should be made relative to the
base (avoid fixed value sizes)
• Avoid hard-to-read fonts
• Increase font size in your browser and check
your layouts work and scale
• Use a big screen and walk away to check
that everything is readable
Vision (2)
• Don’t rely on colour and bear in mind colour
blindness
– www.color-blindness.com/coblis-color-blindness-
simulator
• People with poor or no vision use screen readers
• For images, give meaningful alt values
• Give links meaningful text (not just “click here”)
• Provide supports for keyboard shortcuts for
tabbing and scrolling
Reading Level

• Aim for plain English


• US Grade Level
– Average American adult can only read at a 7th
to 9th grade level
– Aim for about 8 years education
• Explain acronyms
Resources

• W3C Web Accessibility Initiative


• Accessify
• WebAIM: Web Accessibility In Mind
• Isolani
• WaSP(Web Standards Project)

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