W3C logoWeb Accessibility Initiative (WAI) logo

WAI: Strategies, guidelines, and resources to make the Web accessible to people with disabilities

WAI-AGE Project Deliverable page - DRAFT

Page Contents

 Introduction

This document contains an overview of the proposed education and outreach material to be updated or prepared within the WAI-AGE project.

Full proposed document listing

Materials to support industry implementations

This is a draft report summarizing the review of existing W3C/WAI educational and outreach materials, and recommending revisions to materials that do not presently reflect the needs of older Web users with accessibility requirements, and the development of new education and outreach materials which would focus directly on the needs of older Web users with accessibility requirements. These revisions and newly developed materials would promote industry awareness and implementation of Web accessibility guidelines that meet the needs of older Web users.

Review of existing WAI educational resources:

Using preliminary results from D2.1: Analysis – Literature Review and Analysis of Comparative Needs (hereafter called “Literature Review”) as a frame of reference, WAI-AGE staff reviewed existing WAI educational resources and identified candidate resources to revise, and candidate new resources to develop.

Initial results from our preliminary analysis shows that existing Web accessibility guidelines are not well known or understood by many of those writing accessibility guidelines and making recommendations for ageing or disability communities. They often do not build on previous work, and may reflect a lack of technical knowledge by the guideline-writers. Cognitive disabilities were found to be an overwhelming barrier for some users, for instance information overload, difficulty comprehending the interface, dealing with navigating drop-down menus and new windows, and even working with accessibility features. The issues of usability and technical vs usable accessibility is discussed by some authors. The use of assistive technology is infrequently considered, either by ageing users themselves or by coaches who may be working with them. Incremental increase in impairments disguises the onset of disability for some users and can impede identification of functional changes that could be accommodated using accessibility solutions.

WAI has developed over forty different educational resources promoting awareness and supporting implementation of Web accessibility guidelines and technical solutions. These educational resources include introductions to Web accessibility; overviews of Web accessibility guidelines; online resources for training, evaluation, and retrofitting; business case and implementation planning resources; standards harmonization resources; and policy references links. The requirements of Web users with accessibility needs due to ageing are addressed only minimally in these resources to date, and these resources so far have not been effective in communicating to developers the relevance of Web accessibility guidelines for older users. EOWG’s existing resources are available :

Recommendation for revision of existing WAI educational resources for Industry

WAI-AGE staff’s draft recommendations after review of EOWG deliverables and review of preliminary results of the literature review are to revise three out of the following resources. These recommendations will be discussed at upcoming meetings of the WAI-AGE Task Force (TF) and the Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG) and evaluated on the basis of their potential contributions towards the objectives of the project, and the feasibility of the workload given the available staff resources.

 How People with Disabilities Use the Web

Revise: http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-Use-Web/Overview.html

Abstract
This document provides an introduction to use of the Web by people with disabilities. It illustrates some of their requirements when using Web sites and Web-based applications, by presenting different scenarios of people using the Web; describes how different functional limitations can create barriers to Web use and accessibility provisions that help ensure accessibility; and describes assistive technologies used by people with different functional requirements. It provides supporting information for the guidelines and technical work of the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).
Rationale
This resource provides an introduction to the design requirements of users with disabilities for managers and developers, illustrating a breadth of requirements across different types of disabilities. It currently includes only one scenario of an older user.
Proposal
Add multiple additional research-based scenarios describing older users with different types of functional needs, different ages, and different levels of familiarity with computers, mobile devices, and the Web.

 Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization

Revise: http://www.w3.org/WAI/bcase/Overview.html

Abstract
This resource includes information to help organisations develop a customized business case for Web accessibility, and includes guidance on incorporating social, technical, financial, and policy factors into a specific organization's business case.
Rationale
This is an esssential resource for people making decisions regarding allocation of resources to Web accessibility projects. A significant demographic which many organizations seek to address includes older users, and this resource provides a good opportunity to highlight the needs of older users.
Proposal
Revise language throughout the suite to be more inclusive of the needs of older users; and add information regarding the demographics of older users to the section on social factors.
Documents
Requirements and Changelog for Business Case
Draft Business Case updates

 Why Standards Harmonization is Essential to Web Accessibility

Revise: http://www.w3.org/WAI/Policy/harmon

Abstract
This document explains the role that harmonization of standards plays in increasing accessibility of the Web for people with disabilities. It examines how adoption of a consistent set of international standards, the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) guidelines for Web content, authoring tools, browsers and media players, can drive more rapid progress on Web accessibility, and make the design and development of accessible Web sites more efficient.
Rationale
This resource is important in explaining the benefits of harmonizing accessibility standards for Web users with disabilities, and has been useful in promoting awareness of the problems resulting from the development of divergent sets of guidelines. There is a similar proliferation of fragmented standards occuring in the area of guidelines for older users. Expanding this resource to also address the proliferation of standards for older users would extend its impact, and help avoid a newly emerging source of standards fragmentation.
Proposal
Revise language to be more inclusive; expand discussion of fragmentation issues to include guidelines for older users; further develop the rationale for harmonising standards.

 Involving Users in Web Accessibility Evaluation

Revise: http://www.w3.org/WAI/eval/users

Abstract
This resource describes effective ways to include users with disabilities in evaluation of Web accessibility.
Rationale
This resource is important for advising developers how to get effective feedback on accessible Web design from users.
Proposal
Expand the discussion about the diversity of older users, and approaches to involving them in evaluation.
Documents
Requirements and Changelog for Involving Users

Recommendations for development of new educational resources for Industry

WAI-AGE staff’s draft recommendations after review of EOWG deliverables and review of preliminary results of the literature review are to revise three out of the following resources. These recommendations will be discussed at upcoming meetings of the WAI-AGE Task Force (TF) and the Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG) and evaluated on the basis of their potential contributions towards the objectives of the project, and the feasibility of the workload given the available staff resources.

 The Overlapping Relationship Between Web Accessibility and Usability

Rationale
Much of the literature on older web users combines usability and accessibility issues. Usability and accessibility overlap and the line between them is not clear, particularly in the area of cognitive disabilities. Questions frequently arise with regard to what should be included in Web accessibility guidelines, versus what are general usability guidelines that should not be included in accessibility guidelines. A resource that addresses this issue directly would be valuable in discussion of covering the needs older users in accessibility guidelines.
Proposal
Develop a resource which clarifies issues in the areas of accessibility and usability, with reference to the needs of older Web users.

 Developing Accessible Web Sites for Older Users

@@expand description - what will this be; type of content; layout; ...

Rationale
This document describes how to use existing Web accessibility guidelines to create Web sites for older users. It highlights the relationship between the accessibility needs of older users and the needs of people with disabilities, and guides the readers to more in-depth resources such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, the WAI-AGE Literature Review documents, or other relevant resources.
Proposal
In some situations, developers are tasked to create Web sites for older users. Often they are not aware of the relationship between the accessibility needs of older users and the needs of people with disabilities. In fact, they may not even be aware of the existence of standards for Web accessibility at all. This resource would explain to them how they could benefit from existing Web accessibility guidelines, and how to use them to create accessible Web sites for older users.

 Exemplary articles addressing the needs of older users on the Web

@@possibility of videos

Rationale
The extent of coverage of the needs of older users in traditional and new media can be enhanced by provision of sample story material.
Proposal
This resource would be a set of at least three articles, paralleling some of the revised and new resources but in a story-line and/or blogging format, and addressing different aspects of the business case and user requirements of older Web users. Possible topics could include: “Is your organization meeting the needs of older Web users?” or “What role does usability play for older users with accessibility needs?”

Materials to support user awareness

This is a draft report summarizing the review of existing W3C/WAI educational and outreach materials, and recommending revisions to materials that do not presently reflect the needs of people with accessibility needs due to ageing, and the development of new education and outreach materials which focus directly on the needs of people with accessibility needs due to ageing. These revisions and newly developed materials would be directed to the organizations representing and serving the ageing population, and to individuals with accessibility needs due to ageing.

Review of existing WAI educational resources:

Using preliminary results from D2.1: Analysis – Literature Review and Analysis of Comparative Needs (hereafter called “Literature Review”) as a frame of reference, WAI-AGE staff reviewed existing WAI educational resources and identified candidate resources to revise, and candidate new resources to develop.

Initial results from our preliminary analysis shows that existing Web accessibility guidelines are not well known or understood by many of those writing accessibility guidelines and making recommendations for ageing or disability communities. They often do not build on previous work, and many reflect a lack of technical knowledge by the guideline-writers. Cognitive disabilities were found to be an overwhelming barrier for some users – for instance information overload, difficulty comprehending the interface, dealing with navigating drop-down menus and new windows, and even working with accessibility features. The issues of usability and technical vs usable accessibility is discussed by some authors. The use of assistive technology is infrequently considered, either by ageing users themselves or by coaches who may be working with them. Incremental increases in impairments can disguise the onset of disability for some users and can impede identification of functional changes that could be accommodated using accessibility solutions including assistive technologies.

WAI has developed over forty different educational resources promoting awareness and supporting implementation of Web accessibility guidelines and technical solutions. These educational resources include introductions to Web accessibility; overviews of Web accessibility guidelines; online resources for training, evaluation, and retrofitting; business case and implementation planning resources; standards harmonization resources; and policy references links. The requirements of Web users with accessibility needs due to ageing are addressed only minimally in these resources to date, and these resources so far have not been effective in communicating the relevance of Web accessibility guidelines for older users to organizations representing and serving the ageing population, and to individuals with accessibility needs due to ageing.

Recommendation for revision of existing WAI educational resources for users

WAI-AGE staff’s initial recommendations are to revise three of the following resources to better reach an audience which includes organizations representing and serving the ageing population, and individuals with accessibility needs due to ageing (hereafter collectively referred to as “older users and their organizations”). These recommendations will be discussed at upcoming meetings of the WAI-AGE Task Force (TF) and the Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG). As the three resources in this section would each be substantial projects, they would either need to be very carefully scoped, or at least one of these replaced by a less substantial project, or balanced with less resource-intensive new resources for D5.3.

 Before and After Demonstration Web site

Revise: http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/2005/Demo/Overview

Abstract
This resource suite demonstrates how different technical approaches to Web site design and development can create barriers for Web users with disabilities, and how these barriers can be addressed by using WCAG 1.0.
Rationale
Demonstration materials can be one of the best ways to help explain aspects of Web accessibility that otherwise too often can sound abstract. Revising this resource suite to more clearly discuss and demonstrate the needs of older users, while at the same time updating the content to reflect WCAG 2.0, would make this a valuable resource for older users and their organizations.
Proposal
Update the content to reflect WCAG 2.0 guidelines and success criteria; and update the content of the demonstration site and the narrative in the supporting pages to more clearly reflect the needs of older users.

 Alternative Web Browsing

Revise: http://www.w3.org/WAI/References/Browsing

Abstract
This reference list includes a variety of alternative and assistive browsers which may be helpful for people with disabilities and/or accessibility needs due to ageing.
Rationale
It is currently significantly outdated, but has the potential to be useful to older Web users and to organizations that represent and serve older Web users, particularly given the observation that assistive technologies are infrequently considered in the case of older Web users who encounter accessibility-related barriers on the Web.
Proposal
Update the content to reflect assistive technologies that can currently be used to support alternative and/or adaptive access to the Web by people with disabilities and older users. Include information on ease-of-use and other features of the alternative and adaptive approaches that might be of interest to older users.

 Web Accessibility Training Resource Suite

Revise: http://www.w3.org/WAI/training/

Abstract
This resource suite includes suggested training syllabi and training resources relating to Web accessibility.
Rationale
It is currently significantly outdated, but has the potential to be useful in supporting training efforts by organizations interested in providing training on Web accessibility, whether they be user organisations or developers, as the scope of possible training objectives and linked training materials is potentially broad.
Proposal
Update the content and revise the text of the resource suite to enable it to be used as a more effective resource for people interested in promoting awareness of the need for accessibility for older Web users.

Recommendations for development of new educational resources for Users

WAI-AGE staff’s draft recommendations after review of EOWG deliverables and review of preliminary results of the literature review are to revise three out of the following resources. These recommendations will be discussed at upcoming meetings of the WAI-AGE Task Force (TF) and the Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG) and evaluated on the basis of their potential contributions towards the objectives of the project, and the feasibility of the workload given the available staff resources.

 Improving your Web Experience by Using Adaptive Strategies

Rationale
Even with an updated reference list or database of alternative and adaptive technologies (see previous section), older users (and also many younger people with disabilities) would benefit from a welcoming online Web resource which introduces adaptive strategies and assistive technologies.
Proposal
Develop a resource which provides a general introduction to the use of adaptive strategies (including basic suggestions for finding and configuring accessibility settings in browsers) and assistive technologies for Web users who may benefit from this information but do not necessarily consider themselves as having disabilities, and may have low levels of computer literacy.

 Online Slide-Set on Web Accessibility and Ageing

@@consider possibility of video version

Rationale
WAI-AGE staff can only get on the road to do so many in-person presentations, but cannot directly reach everyone who is interested in Web accessibility and ageing. An online presentation, with presenter notes and explanations, would enable us to reach far more people with information about our findings from the literature review, the resources available through the project, and strategies for promoting Web accessibility in the ageing community.
Proposal
Develop an online set of slides and presenter notes, also to be potentially used as self-study notes, briefly explaining the project but mainly incorporating the findings of the literature review and introducing the resources available through the project.
Documents
Requirements and Changelog for Slides
Draft slides introducing WAI-AGE

 Responding to Organisations with Inaccessible Web Sites

Rationale
While it can be frustrating to encounter accessibility barriers when trying to use the Web, it can be equally frustrating figuring out how to contact the organisations which own the inaccessible Web site, and explaining in a useful way what kind of barrier was encountered and what needs to be fixed.
Proposal
Develop a WAI Resource page suggesting different options for contacting organisations which have inaccessible Web sites, and providing samples of letters and materials to send them.

 WAI-AGE Flyer (Online & Handout)

Rationale
An attractive hard-copy flyer describing the project and key themes and resources can be useful for exhibits, presentations, and outreach and recruitment meetings. Having this available online as a downloadable file will enable it to be used in more locations.
Proposal
Design and produce an attractive flyer which describes the project and key themes and resources available through the project.