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Overview of "Web Accessibility for Older Users: A Literature Review"

Quick link: Web Accessibility for Older Users: A Literature Review

Introduction

Web Accessibility for Older Users: A Literature Review analyzes guidelines, professional articles, and scientific literature on the requirements of people with Web accessibility needs related to ageing.

The focus of the Literature Review is particularly on Europe, yet it also includes research outside of Europe and most of the findings apply internationally.

The Literature Review is a deliverable of the WAI-AGE Project; a project that focuses on education and outreach regarding the requirements of people with Web accessibility needs related to ageing.

Who the Literature Review is for

The purpose of the Literature Review is to inform education and outreach to better promote accessibility solutions for older Web users, and potentially develop profiles or extensions to WAI guidelines.

The Literature Review itself is primarily for researchers and academics. However, the outcomes from the Literature Review will be used to develop resources for users, industry, and others.

What is in the Literature Review

Web Accessibility for Older Users: A Literature Review summarizes literature and statistics about how older adults use the Web, age-related functional limitations, and requirements of older Web users in the "Older adults and age-related functional limitations" section. The bulk of the literature review analyzes:

• Existing literature reviews
• Previous approaches to ‘senior friendly’ Web guidelines
• Relationship with WAI guidelines
• Training older adults to Use ICT and the Web
• Studies of older Web users’ specific disabilities
• Aspects of Web Design affecting the elderly
• Involving the elderly in Web design and development
• General usability studies involving elderly people

An initial finding of the Literature Review is that while existing WAI guidelines address many requirements of older Web users, there is little reference to the WAI guidelines in literature about and guidelines covering the needs of older Web users.

Technical report format

The Literature Review follows the W3C format for technical reports that includes several sections at the beginning: links to different versions, editors, copyright, abstract, and status with the link to errata and the email address for comments.

Who develops the WAI-AGE Literature Review

The Literature Review is developed under the Web Accessibility Initiative: Ageing Education and Harmonisation (WAI-AGE) Project, supported by the European Union's 6th Research Framework Programme (FP6). WAI-AGE work is conducted with the Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG), which is part of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).

Invitations to participate in the WAI-AGE project, and to review and comment on the Literature Review, are announced on the WAI home page and WAI Interest Group mailing list.

Opportunities for contributing to WAI work are introduced in Participating in WAI.

Document Information

Content last updated: 16 June 2008 (to be updated with future publications of the Literature Review in 2008)
Editors: Shawn Lawton Henry and Andrew Arch. Developed with the Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG).

[Contacting WAI] Feedback welcome to wai-eo-editors@w3.org (a publicly archived list).