CETL Resources: Accessibility

Web Accessibility

 The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) develops international standards for the Web: HTML, CSS, and many more. The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) develops standards and support materials to help you understand and implement accessibility.

Used with permission from https://www.w3.org/WAI/videos/standards-and-benefits/ 

Accessibility: addresses discriminatory aspects related to equivalent user experience for people with disabilities. Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can equally perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with websites and tools. It also means that they can contribute equally without barriers. 

Usability: is about designing products to be effective, efficient, and satisfying. Usability includes user experience design. This may include general aspects that impact everyone and do not disproportionally impact people with disabilities. Usability practice and research often does not sufficiently address the needs of people with disabilities.

Inclusion: is about diversity, and ensuring involvement of everyone to the greatest extent possible. In some regions this is also referred to as universal design and design for all. It addresses a broad range of issues including:

• accessibility for people with disabilities;
• access to and quality of hardware, software, and Internet connectivity;
• computer literacy and skills;
• economic situation;
• education;
• geographic location;
• culture;
• age, including older and younger people;
• and language.

Several accessibility requirements also benefit people and situations that are a focus of inclusive design. For example, Web Accessibility Benefits People With and Without Disabilities describes accessibility benefits for:

• people with low literacy or not fluent in the language,
• people with low bandwidth connections or using older technologies,
• new and infrequent users, and,
• mobile device users.

However, accessibility focuses on disability and does not try to address broader issues. Other efforts, such as internationalization, address other inclusion issues. Keeping accessibility focused on disabilities encourages research and development on the specific needs of people with disabilities, and solutions that are optimized for these specific needs.

Accessibility, usability, and inclusion are closely related aspects in creating a web that works for everyone. Their goals, approaches, and guidelines overlap significantly. It is most effective to address them together when designing and developing websites and applications.

There are a few situations when it’s important to focus specifically on one aspect. For example, when developing standards and policies. Researching the accessibility needs of people with disabilities helps with developing those.

The following information briefly:

• explains the distinctions and overlaps between accessibility, usability, and inclusive design,
• encourages increased coordination across research and practice in these disciplines, and,
• points out the importance of maintaining the focus of accessibility on people with disabilities.

Accessibility primarily focuses on people with disabilities. Many accessibility requirements improve usability for everyone, especially in limiting situations. For example, providing sufficient contrast benefits people using the web on a mobile device in bright sunlight or in a dark room. Captions benefit people in noisy and in quiet environments. Some people have age-related functional limitations, and may not identify these as “disability”. Accessibility addresses these situations too.

Accessibility includes:

• Requirements that are technical and relate to the underlying code rather than to the visual appearance. For example, they ensure that websites work well with assistive technologies. This includes screen readers that read aloud content, and screen magnifiers that enlarge content. Voice recognition software used to input text is another form of assistive technology. These aspects are typically not a focus of usability research and practice.
• Requirements that relate to user interaction and visual design. Inadequate design can cause significant barriers for people with disabilities. That is why they are included. For example, understandable instructions and feedback for website forms and applications is good usability. They also help people with cognitive and learning disabilities. Without such requirements, some people with disabilities may be excluded from using the Web.

There is a significant overlap between accessibility and usability. ISO 9241-11, defines usability as:

The “extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals effectively, efficiently and with satisfaction in a specified context of use”.

This could address accessibility when:

• “specified users” includes people with a range of disabilities, and
• “specified context of use” includes accessibility considerations such as assistive technologies.

But usability practice and research often does not consider the needs of people with disabilities.

Suggested Accessibility/Disability Statement for Syllabus

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities.

If you have an Academic Accommodation Plan (AAP) issued through MHU Accessibility Services, please arrange a time to present your plan and to discuss your specific accommodation needs.  If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation and do not have an approved AAP, please contact the MHU Accessibility Services Coordinator located in 309 Renfro, email:  Judith_Harris@mhu.edu, or by phone at 828 689-1410.