Web Accessibility Including People with Disabilities- Introduction
Some people with disabilities use adaptive technology to access computers. Web accessibility standards provide guidance to allow adaptive technology to function with websites and to allow people with disabilities to have more equal access to information. As librarians, we may be in an especially good position to promote web accessibility.
| Group* | Examples of web accessibility affecting some members of this group | Example of adaptive technologies sometimes used |
|---|---|---|
| Motor |
Individuals who do not use their hand to use a mouse may rely on various other input devices, such as the keyboard. Keyboard accessibility: allows people to reach everything on the page with the keyboard. A quick, rough test for Libguides authors who are sighted: Open a Libguide in Internet Explorer and see if you can reach all the parts of a page using the Tab key. IE shows a dotted line around the active part of the page. |
|
| Cognitive |
Some people with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, learn better by hearing content aloud. PDF accessibility: If a pdf is accurately ocr'ed (optical character recognition), the Kurzweil 3000 adaptive software can read the pdf aloud. |
Kurzweil 3000. Reads articles and text aloud. |
| Hearing |
Captioning: Allows access for Deaf and hard of hearing users, as well as improved access for language learners and others. |
|
| Vision |
People who are blind generally use screen readers to read the computer screen aloud. Screen readers are intended for use with a keyboard, not a mouse. Keyboard accessibility: allows people to reach everything on the page with the keyboard. PDF accessibility: If a pdf is accurately ocr'ed (optical character recognition), the screen reader adaptive software can read the pdf aloud. Audio description: brief, audible description of visual content of videos. |
Screen readers: Jaws, Voiceover on Macs. Reads a computer screen aloud. Used with a keyboard, not a mouse. |
*These groups were taken from WebAIM's Introduction to Web Accessibility. These are not official categories or diagnoses; rather, they are ways to understand how some people are affected by web accessibility. As WebAIM explains, "Though estimates vary, most studies find that about one fifth (20%) of the population has some kind of disability. Not all of these people have disabilities that make it difficult for them to access the internet, but it is still a significant portion of the population. Businesses would be unwise to purposely exclude 20, 10, or even 5 percent of their potential customers from their web sites. For schools, universities, and government entities it would not only be unwise, but in many cases, it would also violate the law....Each of the major categories of disabilities requires certain types of adaptations in the design of web content. Most of the time, these adaptations benefit nearly everyone, not just people with disabilities. Almost everyone benefits from helpful illustrations, properly-organized content, and clear navigation. Similarly, while captions are a necessity for deaf users, they can be helpful to others, including anyone who views a video without audio. "
