DCLab.com Becoming Accessible To Print Disabled
The visually impaired can now surf much of Data Conversion Laboratory's large
content-driven
website.
 IT
WOULD BE A BIG PROJECT. But Mark Gross, president of Data Conversion Laboratory,
knew it had to be done. Over the last eight years he'd watched his firm's website, DCLab.com,
grow into a huge repository of articles, news, and information about data conversion,
XML/SGML, e-publishing, and technical issues in
general. But he knew that little attention had been paid to the needs of people
with print-disabilities who might wish to access the site. This was not due
to lack of good intentions. Like most companies, it was on the "To-Do" list
when time and resources were available.
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1) Images - use the alt attribute
to describe graphics.
2) Hyperlinks - Use copy that makes sense when read
out of context (e.g. avoid "click here").
3) Page Structure - Use headings, lists, and consistent
structure.
4) Styling - Use CSS for layout and styling where possible.
5) Tables - make line-by-line reading sensible and provide
a summary of table content.
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"We've worked with a number of publishers to make their information more accessible.
But we've been a little neglectful of our own internal information and we're
looking to change that," says Gross.
Between 15% to 30% of the population are thought to have disabilities - many
of these have some level of visual disability. Making websites accessible helps
them become more independent. It provides quick,
easy, and
low
cost
access to services
and information (which most of us take for granted).
It
can broaden the range of employment, educational, and entertainment opportunities
by providing an added means of access and communication.
"Technology has the potential to truly level the playing field for people
with all kinds of disabilities," says Gross. "We've seen it over
the years in many different areas - better design on household appliances,
such as larger
knobs and more readable clocks. Electronic publishing and XML have the potential
to bring this accessibility to information distribution. The same data can
be transformed easily to all kinds of formats and this reformatting of information
is key to people with sight disabilities."
Gross says that the process of making DCLab.com accessible was only begun
this summer. So it will take some time for legacy content to be brought into
shape. But the
Data
Conversion
Laboratory
newsletter, DCLnews, has been accessible
since the July issue.
He also says that keeping a website
accessible is a constant battle. "We have to continually make sure people
are using the appropriate standards or new articles will cease to be accessible
- it's an ongoing struggle," he
says.
Advantages to organizations
Making a website accessible has many benefits for the organization too: "It's
certainly the right thing to do, but it's also good business," says Gross.
"A significant percentage of the population has disabilities and making
information available to them makes business sense. Not only that, but the
principles involved in making information accessible are also good discipline
for people without disabilities - they learn to make information more organized."
Gross also notes that increasing numbers of laws are coming in requiring that
electronic materials be accessible - just like accessible bathrooms and ramps
to public spaces became the law.
"It makes sense to get a head start," observes Gross.
Designer awareness
Mikhail Vaysbukh was one of the DCL team working on making DCLab.com accessible.
He says that web designers need to be aware that many users don't operate
in the same way as them.
"A person with disabilities may not be able to see or process some types of
information easily or at all," he explains. "They might have difficulty reading
or comprehending text and may not be able to use a keyboard or a mouse."
The team at DCL have begun checking all images and animations
on DCLab.com to make sure they incorporate the "alt" attribute
that describes an image (this will take some months to complete). It might seem obvious, but the only way a person with
print
disabilities can
know
what
a picture represents is if there is a written description in the underlying
HTML code. If there is a picture of a donkey, then "donkey" is typed
into the alt attribute.
For example: <img src="images/donkey.jpg" alt="donkey" name="donkey_photo" width="70" height="70">
If the picture was of a donkey grazing, you might make
the alt attribute "donkey grazing."
Hyperlinks
"Hyperlinks are another element that needs to be clear," says Vaysbukh.
"You should use copy that makes sense when read out of context. For example,
you need to avoid saying 'click here' because it doesn't give any indication
of
where
you
will be going when you click on the hyperlink. It is also wise to avoid underlining
text that isn't a hyperlink as it confuses users. It is best to use the <EM>
and <STRONG> tags for emphasizing text."
It is also important to use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), which store formatting
information - such as font faces and sizes - in a separate file or in the head
data of a web page. This stops the page from being cluttered with HTML code
and makes it easier for reading software used by the visually impaired to analyze
the content.
Tables, graphs, and charts need to have a summary describing the information
they contain. That way, users who are print-disabled will be able to grasp
the context. It's also important not to rely on graphics for tables of contents
and navigation bars. There are visitors who use text-to-speech software to
hear
tables of contents because
they are visually impaired. Others may be using a text browser for a PC, handheld,
or smart mobile phone.
Work in progress
All this had to be taken into account on the DCL website. But as Mark Gross
points out, making your website accessible is not something you finish and then
forget about.
"The web is a fast-moving medium. New trends and technologies develop almost
by the day. So an accessible website is really a work-in-progress. The key
is to keep up to pace with new technology and to listen to users feedback -
find out how we can make it easier for them to access the site," says Gross.
DCLnews Editorial
Further Information
Is your website accessible? Find out using CAST, Inc's online
software, Bobby:
http://www.cast.org/bobby/
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
Working Group (WCAG WG)
http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/
If you are visually impaired and have suggestions for improving DCLab, please
send an e-mail to Linda Morone.
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