This presentation will help you understand:
- The legal requirements behind Web Accessibility
- How do people with disabilities use the web and what assistive technologies they use
- How good usability makes up for better accessibility and improves site’ SEO
- Financial benefits of having an accessible website
2. This presentation will help you
understand:
The legal requirements behind Web Accessibility
How do people with disabilities use the web and what assistive
technologies they use
How good usability makes up for better accessibility and improves
site’ SEO
Financial benefits of having an accessible website
3. Benefits of an accessible website
Expand potential market share (1.3 million Ontarians with disabilities
+ seniors and people with cognitive problems)
Increases findability with search engine optimization (SEO)
Focuses on better website usability
Increases positive company image
Eliminates potentially high legal expenses
4. Purpose and legislature
The goal of web accessibility is
to provide a better access to
information for people with
disabilities.
The government of Ontario has
embarked on the road to make
Ontario a fully accessible
province. The new regulations
are outlined in the
Accessibility for Ontarians With
Disabilities Act (AODA)
5. Web Accessibility guidelines
The actual guidelines are outlined in the
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0)
These are established by the
Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
There are three levels of accessibility
Level A,
Level AA
Level AAA
6. Government of Ontario and the Legislative Assembly
January 1, 2012
New internet and intranet websites must conform with WCAG 2.0
Level AA other than Captions (Live), and Audio Descriptions (Pre-
recorded)
January 1, 2016
All internet websites and web content must conform with WCAG 2.0
Level AA, other than Captions (Live), and Audio Descriptions (Pre-
recorded).
January 1, 2020
All internet and intranet websites and web content must conform with
WCAG 2.0 Level AA
AODA - timelines to meet the
requirements
7. Public sector organizations, businesses and non-profit
organizations (50+ staff)
January 1, 2014
All new websites must conform with Web Content Accessibility
Guidelines, Level A
January 1, 2021
All websites must conform with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines,
Level A A
other than Captions (Live)
and Audio Descriptions (Pre-recorded)
AODA - timelines to meet the
requirements
8. Who are the people with
disabilities?
Unless we understand how
people with disabilities navigate
websites and what assistive
technologies they use, we
cannot build accessible
websites.
There are four main groups of
disabilities:
visual
audio
motor
cognitive
9. Visually impaired use screen
magnifying software or screen
readers such as Jaws.
Screen readers read websites in a
linear order - from top to bottom, left
to right. Remember this when
building the information structure of
the website.
Blind, low vision, color-blind
10. Braille devices allow blind users
read websites.
Just like search engines, screen
readers and Braille devices can
only interpret written text.
Provide alt text for all non-text
elements. This is one of the main
accessibility requirements that will
also improve your site’s SEO.
Blind, low vision, color-blind
11. Deaf or hard-of-hearing
Users can read text but require
captions and transcript to
interpret audio and video
content.
Always provide transcription for
video and audio content.
Transcriptions add keyword-rich
content to your site which improves
your SEO.
12. Limited fine motor skills, slow
response time
Trackball mouse is used by
people with shaky hands or
arthritis.
These can be people with
disabilities but also many seniors.
13. Some people use mouse stick to
tap and navigate sites via
keyboard.
Think about the effort it takes to
navigate the website.
Limited fine motor skills, slow
response time
14. Head wand works in a similar
way and again, requires
enormous effort to tap through
the website.
Websites must be keyboard
accessible. Aim for a minimum
amount of clicks required to get to
information.
Limited fine motor skills, slow
response time
15. If a person can move only the
head he can tap on a switch
placed to the side of the head.
The switch connects to a software
that navigates the site.
Limited fine motor skills, slow
response time
16. Sip and puff device can interpret
users breath patterns to navigate
the web
Limited fine motor skills, slow
response time
Keep in mind that common tasks
take disabled users longer to
complete for. Make sure they are
able extend the time limit e.g. when
filling-out forms.
17. Eye tracking software follows the
movement of the eye and allows
the person to navigate websites.
Limited fine motor skills, slow
response time
In the past, people with disabilities
depended on others to read them a
paper of fill out an application.
Assistive technologies give them
great independence.
18. Learning disabilities, distractibility,
inability to remember or focus
Good usability is paramount for
web accessibility
People who have problems
using websites that are overly
complex or poorly organized
Website must be logically
organized, easy to navigate,
written in simple language
No objects flashing more than
3x per second as it can cause
epileptic seizures
19. The key web accessibility principles
Perceivable
Content is readable for assistive technologies
Graphics and images have alt text
Audio and video content is accompanied by transcript or captions
Operable
Website is keyboard accessible
It is easy to navigate
Users have enough time to read and use content
Does not cause seizures
20. Understandable
Structure is logical and follows linear order
Does not contain extraneous text
Robust
Website does not require specific technology and can be used by
assistive technologies
The key web accessibility principles
21. Perceivable
provide alt text for non-text elements
E.g. alt text for this image would
be:
“venus project by jacques
fresco”
22. When graphics contain useful
information have this info available in
text form
E.g. Use longdesc=http://www.website.com/graph_explanation
or describe the graphic as part of the content
23. Do not use alt text for decorative
images
E.g. This image has no meaning
so the alt text should be empty “
“ Our business promises the best
service you will find on the planet.
Our team is professionally trained to
offer excellent customer service
throughout the contract negotiation
process.
Customer satisfaction is our top
priority and is guaranteed, or your
money back.”
25. Do not use color to emphasize required
fields in forms
26. Accessible forms
Screen readers read forms in linear order
Form must be keyboard accessible
Keep labels close to the fields
Ask for minimum info – too much info means a lot of effort
Help correct errors
When offering options (radio buttons, checkboxes) keep them close
together
27. Use proper color contrast
Contrast ratio for normal-size text should be at least 4.5:1
28. Operable
Website is keyboard accessible
Users can increase font size and adjust color contrast
Avoid splash pages and intro music
(interfere with screen readers)
Content does not open in new window
(users can’t find way back)
Content does not change without direct input
(avoid pop-up windows)
29. Understandable
Website is logically organized
Home page should confirm the company name and the purpose of
the website
Website with extensive navigation allows for “skip to content”
Menus have descriptive titles
Internal pages have consistent layout
30. Website copy
Main titles are in H1 heading, are
meaningful and contain keywords
Subheadings are in H2 heading,
meaningful and contain keywords
Content is further divided into blocks or
paragraphs constructed around a single
major idea
Aim for 9th
grade reading skills
Write clearly using short sentences
Using H1, H2, H3 …
headings helps on-site
SEO and allows users to
scan through the content
as screen readers can be
set to read headings only.
Simple language leads to
better usability and SEO.
31. Avoid acronyms and abbreviations;
or explain them
Avoid slang, industry jargon or
marketing fluff
Use active voice, use positive terms
Ensure that every word and
paragraph is necessary
Give direct instructions
Simple writing helps people
with cognitive problems
better understand the
website. Clear language is
greatly appreciated by most
people.
Website copy
32. Notice the descriptive menu items, meaningful links and intro
paragraphs on this government website.
33. Links
Avoid ‘click here’, ‘go’, ‘read more’ or
images as links as they do not make
sense out of context
Create meaningful links within text
Differentiate links
by color and underline
Don’t place
more than 20 links on a page
Use enough space between links
Users can have the screen
readers read only the links.
Therefore, links have to
make sense out of context.
Sufficient space, large font,
underlining make clicking on
the link easier.
Meaningful, keyword-rich
links also help your SEO.
35. Let’s sum up the benefits of an
accessible website
Expand potential market share. It is estimated that 20% of population
have some kind of disability. These are potential customers.
Improve your positions in search results (SEO)
Better website usability
Positive company image
Eliminate potentially high legal expenses
And most importantly – it’s the right thing to do
36. Penalties for non-compliance with
AODA
Individuals or unincorporated organizations
Impact of
Contravention:
Major Moderate Minor
Major $2,000 $1,000 $500
Moderate $1,000 $500 $250
Minor $500 $250 $200
Corporations
Impact of
Contravention:
Major Moderate Minor
Major $15,000 $10,000 $5,000
Moderate $10,000 $5,000 $2,500
Minor $2,000 $1,000 $500