The code within the code Article By Adrian Rayfield
Last edited: 22.10.2006
An introduction to accessibility
We've all seen them on Web pages, compliance icons. But what are they and what do they mean?
When you see these icons of accessibility compliance it means the site or page you are viewing claims to meet standards of accessibility.
So what is accessibility? Many people confuse accessibility with usability but they are two different things and have clear definitions. Accessible web sites are ones that can be accessed by the greatest number of people without limitations on the equipment the visitor is using; like a Web browser for example. Usability is things like how easy a site is to use, is the navigation easy to use and understand for example?
This article is about accessibility not usability.
You may already be familiar with how to code Web pages using either HTML or XHTML, adding accessibility features is no harder than learning the code used in Web pages. The accessibility code, is simply the same code just used as accessibility code, the code within the code if you like. It's nothing new, it's standard HTML 4 +; it's just not widely used.
Why do I need an accessible site?
Many people link accessibility with disability, well it's not always the reason for designing an accessible site, accessibility actually helps everybody to use a web site.
Simply put if your site isn't accessible you could be shutting out potential visitors to your site because they cannot view it or use it. Once you learn how to incorporate accessibility into your code it becomes second nature to include it as you write your code which is much more cost effective rather than going back over the Web site and adding the accessibility features at a later date.
So how do I start?
You may already know the simplest accessibility features and you may even use them without knowing their full impact. For example the alt tag is used with images; you more than likely have seen the effect of an alt tag when you have held your cursor over an image and a tool tip pops up, well that's because of the alt tag. Screen readers used by visually impaired or blind users can't see the images on a page so when the screen reader comes across an image and if it has an alt tag it reads the alt tag out loud, this is why it's important to not only use alt tags but to make sure it's a useful meaning of the image. So an alt tag that simply says 'image' or has its file name is completely useless and is in no way accessible.
Learning to code accessible Web sites is not as daunting as it sounds, within these tutorials and articles you will learn the do's and don'ts of accessible Web site design and be directed to a number of Web sites to aid your learning.
The easiest and best way to start creating accessible web sites is to use W3C (World Wide Consortium) validated code and check it with their validator.
Some basic knowledge of HTML is essential to fully understand the following tutorials.
I've heard of Bobby/webXact, cynthia, but what are they?
These sites are online accessibility validator. The idea behind the sites is they enable you to test your Web pages for accessibility problems, the sites will automatically test your site by looking at the source code and then producing a report highlighting any potential or fatal problems it has found. You simply type in your page URL, select to test the page for either WCAG 1.0 or Section 508, then wait a few seconds for a report to be produced however these reports need careful attention and all warnings need to be manually checked.
All these Web sites can test your pages against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0 and also Section 508 which are explained in brief in the next few paragraphs.
Some useful links:
The services are free and allows you to test web pages for accessibility errors or potential problems, you can test for Section 508 and also W3C WCAG 1.0. It is recommended that sites also be tested by an independent tester as per PAS 78.
What are W3C WAI and WCAG?
W3C WAI:
W3C WAI stands for World Wide Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). The W3C are a consortium that develops the technologies that help run the Web including specifications such as HTML and XHTML, guidelines and software. For more detailed information on the W3C visit the W3C consortium page.
The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) helps accessibility and develops ideas and specifications to aid accessibility on the web. For more detailed information about WAI visit www.w3.org/WAI/about.html .
WCAG:
WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines; these are a set of guidelines set out by the W3C to help explain how to make accessible web pages and sites for people with disabilities.
You can study the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, these recommendations are WCAG 1.0 dated 5th may 1999 and are the latest, you can download several versions onto your computer such as PDF, ZIP and plain text to mention a few.
If you are in the UK and deal with any UK government Web site or page there are a set of guidelines for Government web sites, the UK Government guidelines document comes in three formats, HTML, PDF and MS word document.
What is Section 508?
Section 508 is the USA version of the WCAG, so what is section 508 well in 1998 the US Government made changes to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794d), which basically requires that Federal agencies' electronic and information technology is accessible to people with disabilities, including employees and members of the public. To find out more information visit http://www.section508.gov which has lots of useful information about section 508 and what is required of you or what you should expect if you are disabled.
Section 508 and WCAG have become the de facto standards that most people who want to meet accessibility standards adhere too.
Article written and copyright held by Adrian Rayfield of Rayfields Accessibility © 2006.
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For more information on Rayfields Accessibility Consultancy and Web Development Services please contact us by telephone on 0845 0037 508 or email : accessibility@rayfields.co.uk.
