Code in action: Closing the black box of WCAG 2.0, A Latourian reading of Web accessibility

First Monday ◽  
2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Kreps ◽  
Mhorag Goff
Keyword(s):  
Web Accessibility ◽  
Web Content ◽  
Wcag 2.0 ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Heterogeneous Nature ◽  
Version 2.0 ◽  
Accessibility Guidelines ◽  
Content Accessibility ◽  
Web Developers ◽  
The Web

The focus of much academic work on Web accessibility has been concerned with the lack of implementation of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. There seems, as yet, however, to have been little critical reflection on the Guidelines themselves — save perhaps some awareness of the heterogeneous nature of the Web, and the difficulties facing Web developers trying to ensure their work displays true to their intentions across a wide range of different browsers and devices, making use of continually evolving and contested code. Yet, as this paper highlights, the long drawn out process by which version 2.0 of the WCAG came into being hides many skeletons, including aspects of the process of developing standards that bear closer scrutiny, and reveal much when viewed through Latourian eyes. The findings of this paper suggest that the WCAG2.0 are almost irrelevant today — to the detriment of those for whom they were made — and that the process of creating them was at fault.

scholarly journals Comparing Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools and Evaluating the Accessibility of Webpages: Proposed Frameworks

Information ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Alsaeedi
Keyword(s):  
Web Accessibility ◽  
Web Content ◽  
Evaluation Tools ◽  
Wcag 2.0 ◽  
Web Contents ◽  
Accessibility Evaluation ◽  
Accessibility Issues ◽  
Accessibility Guidelines ◽  
Content Accessibility ◽  
Web Developers

With the growth of e-services in the past two decades, the concept of web accessibility has been given attention to ensure that every individual can benefit from these services without any barriers. Web accessibility is considered one of the main factors that should be taken into consideration while developing webpages. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) have been developed to guide web developers to ensure that web contents are accessible for all users, especially disabled users. Many automatic tools have been developed to check the compliance of websites with accessibility guidelines such as WCAG 2.0 and to help web developers and content creators with designing webpages without barriers for disabled people. Despite the popularity of accessibility evaluation tools in practice, there is no systematic way to compare the performance of web accessibility evaluators. This paper first presents two novel frameworks. The first one is proposed to compare the performance of web accessibility evaluation tools in detecting web accessibility issues based on WCAG 2.0. The second framework is utilized to evaluate webpages in meeting these guidelines. Six homepages of Saudi universities were chosen as case studies to substantiate the concept of the proposed frameworks. Furthermore, two popular web accessibility evaluators, Wave and SiteImprove, are selected to compare their performance. The outcomes of studies conducted using the first proposed framework showed that SiteImprove outperformed WAVE. According to the outcomes of the studies conducted, we can conclude that web administrators would benefit from the first framework in selecting an appropriate tool based on its performance to evaluate their websites based on accessibility criteria and guidelines. Moreover, the findings of the studies conducted using the second proposed framework showed that the homepage of Taibah University is more accessible than the homepages of other Saudi universities. Based on the findings of this study, the second framework can be used by web administrators and developers to measure the accessibility of their websites. This paper also discusses the most common accessibility issues reported by WAVE and SiteImprove.

Museum Website Accessibility Examined Using Automatic Diagnostic Tools

2021 ◽  
pp. 218-233
Author(s):  
Celeste Eusébio ◽  
Maria João Carneiro ◽  
Leonor Teixeira ◽  
Diana Lemos
Keyword(s):  
Web Accessibility ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Global Index ◽  
Web Content ◽  
Wcag 2.0 ◽  
Accessibility Guidelines ◽  
Museum Websites ◽  
Content Accessibility ◽  
The Web

This chapter examines the website accessibility of museums located in Portugal (N = 575), based on the web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG 2.0), and on the three type of conformance levels (A, AA, and AAA), using two web diagnostic tools: AccessMonitor and TAW (Test de Accessibilidad Web). The results show that the average accessibility of museum websites is 5.80 on a scale from 1 to 10. However, while according to AccessMonitor, there are 14 websites (2.43% of the total) with a level of accessibility of 10 (excellent web accessibility practices); there are also some websites with a global index lower than 3 (classified as bad practice). The results obtained through TAW show that an average of 58.43 problems were identified in each website analyzed. These results highlight that several improvements should be introduced in the websites of Portuguese museums in order to make information available to all people.

The BenToWeb Test Case Suites for the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0

2008 ◽  
pp. 402-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christophe Strobbe ◽  
Johannes Koch ◽  
Evangelos Vlachogiannis ◽  
Reinhard Ruemer ◽  
Carlos A. Velasco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Test Case ◽  
Web Content ◽  
Wcag 2.0 ◽  
Accessibility Guidelines ◽  
Content Accessibility ◽  
The Web

Implementing Recommendations From Web Accessibility Guidelines: A Comparative Study of Nondisabled Users and Users With Visual Impairments

2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 956-972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Schmutz ◽  
Andreas Sonderegger ◽  
Juergen Sauer
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
Visual Impairments ◽  
Web Accessibility ◽  
Task Completion ◽  
Web Content ◽  
Wcag 2.0 ◽  
User Groups ◽  
Accessibility Guidelines ◽  
Perceived Usability ◽  
Content Accessibility

Objective: The present study examined whether implementing recommendations of Web accessibility guidelines would have different effects on nondisabled users than on users with visual impairments. Background: The predominant approach for making Web sites accessible for users with disabilities is to apply accessibility guidelines. However, it has been hardly examined whether this approach has side effects for nondisabled users. A comparison of the effects on both user groups would contribute to a better understanding of possible advantages and drawbacks of applying accessibility guidelines. Method: Participants from two matched samples, comprising 55 participants with visual impairments and 55 without impairments, took part in a synchronous remote testing of a Web site. Each participant was randomly assigned to one of three Web sites, which differed in the level of accessibility (very low, low, and high) according to recommendations of the well-established Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0). Performance (i.e., task completion rate and task completion time) and a range of subjective variables (i.e., perceived usability, positive affect, negative affect, perceived aesthetics, perceived workload, and user experience) were measured. Results: Higher conformance to Web accessibility guidelines resulted in increased performance and more positive user ratings (e.g., perceived usability or aesthetics) for both user groups. There was no interaction between user group and accessibility level. Conclusion: Higher conformance to WCAG 2.0 may result in benefits for nondisabled users and users with visual impairments alike. Application: Practitioners may use the present findings as a basis for deciding on whether and how to implement accessibility best.

Web Accessibility for Persons with Motor Limitations

2014 ◽  
pp. 234-262
Author(s):  
Iyad Abu Doush
Keyword(s):  
Web Accessibility ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Web Content ◽  
Section 508 ◽  
Motor Disabilities ◽  
Standards And Guidelines ◽  
Accessibility Guidelines ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
Web Developers ◽  
The Web

Nowadays the internet is an important medium for serving people. Using the internet can help people completing several tasks and accessing different types of information (e.g., reading news, finding location for places, buying and selling products online, and so on). Accessing the internet is not an easy task for people with motor disabilities. The main barriers come from two issues: difficulty or inability in using the mouse and difficulty or inability on typing on the keyboard. The web accessibility guidelines are a set of suggested techniques to be used by web developers when designing, implementing, and maintaining websites to make them easy to access by people with disabilities. This chapter presents the importance of applying web accessibility standards and guidelines when designing and developing web pages. These guidelines are obtained from Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG), section 508, and other literature. The challenges and barriers encountered by people with motor disabilities when they use the web are presented. Then, different techniques that can be used by web developers to ensure the accessibility of websites for people with motor disabilities are introduced. At the end a discussion on evaluating and testing the website conformance to the web accessibility standards and guidelines is presented. Several evaluation techniques that can be used for web accessibility evaluation is introduced and explained to clarify the process of web accessibility testing.

Web Accessibility for Persons with Motor Limitations

2015 ◽  
pp. 1496-1524
Author(s):  
Iyad Abu Doush
Keyword(s):  
Web Accessibility ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Web Content ◽  
Section 508 ◽  
Motor Disabilities ◽  
Standards And Guidelines ◽  
Accessibility Guidelines ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
Web Developers ◽  
The Web

Nowadays the internet is an important medium for serving people. Using the internet can help people completing several tasks and accessing different types of information (e.g., reading news, finding location for places, buying and selling products online, and so on). Accessing the internet is not an easy task for people with motor disabilities. The main barriers come from two issues: difficulty or inability in using the mouse and difficulty or inability on typing on the keyboard. The web accessibility guidelines are a set of suggested techniques to be used by web developers when designing, implementing, and maintaining websites to make them easy to access by people with disabilities. This chapter presents the importance of applying web accessibility standards and guidelines when designing and developing web pages. These guidelines are obtained from Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG), section 508, and other literature. The challenges and barriers encountered by people with motor disabilities when they use the web are presented. Then, different techniques that can be used by web developers to ensure the accessibility of websites for people with motor disabilities are introduced. At the end a discussion on evaluating and testing the website conformance to the web accessibility standards and guidelines is presented. Several evaluation techniques that can be used for web accessibility evaluation is introduced and explained to clarify the process of web accessibility testing.

An Inclusive Method to Support the Web Accessibility Assessment and Awareness-Raising

2020 ◽  
pp. 27-49
Author(s):  
Maria Alciléia Alves Rocha ◽  
Gabriel de Almeida Souza Carneiro
Keyword(s):  
Web Applications ◽  
Web Accessibility ◽  
Web Pages ◽  
Web Content ◽  
Awareness Raising ◽  
Accessibility Issues ◽  
Accessibility Guidelines ◽  
Content Accessibility ◽  
Fine Tune ◽  
The Web

Web content should suit both a general audience and visually-impaired individuals. Therefore, Web applications should be assessed against accessibility standards as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and the Brazilian e-Government Accessibility Model (eMAG). This chapter presents MIAV's development process and the obtained results. The MIAV complies with the WCAG and eMAG, combining automated and user-opinion-based assessment approaches. First, a pilot test was run to fine-tune MIAV. Next, participants were asked to identify and report several accessibility issues on IFFluminense's Portal, Q-Academico, and Moodle. They then suggested enhancements for better browsing experience. AccessMonitor was run and tested the same Web pages to generate two indicators: the average accessibility index and the percentage of nonconformities by accessibility level. Results showed that none of the evaluated applications met all the accessibility criteria. These experiments allowed IFFluminense's IT degree students to raise an awareness of the significance of Web accessibility.

scholarly journals Web Accessibility, Libraries, and the Law

2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla Fulton
Keyword(s):  
Web Accessibility ◽  
Web Content ◽  
Disabled People ◽  
Section 508 ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
Federal Laws ◽  
Accessibility Guidelines ◽  
Content Accessibility ◽  
Reference Section ◽  
The Web

With an abundance of library resources being served on the web, researchers are finding that disabled people oftentimes do not have the same level of access to materials as their nondisabled peers. This paper discusses web accessibility in the context of United States’ federal laws most referenced in web accessibility lawsuits. Additionally, it reveals which states have statutes that mirror federal web accessibility guidelines and to what extent. Interestingly, fewer than half of the states have adopted statutes addressing web accessibility, and fewer than half of these reference Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act or Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0. Regardless of sparse legislation surrounding web accessibility, librarians should consult the appropriate web accessibility resources to ensure that their specialized content reaches all.

scholarly journals Transferring web accessibility through localization and internationalization standards

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesús Torres del Rey ◽  
Lucía Morado Vázquez
Keyword(s):  
Data Exchange ◽  
Web Accessibility ◽  
Web Content ◽  
Pragmatic Approach ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Current Localization ◽  
Accessibility Guidelines ◽  
Key Aspects ◽  
Content Accessibility ◽  
Web Developers

Abstract In recent years, translation and localization studies have started to include accessibility, and web accessibility in particular, as one of the key aspects to take into consideration when adapting a web product to another language and culture (web localization). This paper provides a comprehensive insight of the connections between these two fields and concepts and, above all, it discusses the possibility of transferring accessibility throughout the localization process. In particular, we analyze how the use of current localization and internationalization data exchange standards is connected to this notion of transfer, and how those standards may be capable of transferring accessibility qualities or information, or supporting localizers in their task. Finally, we present an analytical and pragmatic approach to explore this transferability challenge, which includes the study of the techniques proposed by the W3C to help web developers fulfil a set of success criteria that are included in the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, in relation to their possible integration in localization and internationalization standards.

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