Selling an Idea or a Product

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Web site usability for people with disabilities
RNIB Campaign for Good Web Design Julie
Howell Digital Policy Development
Officer julie.howell_at_rnib.org.uk www.rnib.org.uk/
webaccesscentre
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RNIB Campaign for Good Web Design est.
1999 Accessible web sites, systems and services
are those that can be used by everyone,
regardless of ability/disability, technology and
circumstance.
www.rnib.org.uk/webaccesscentre
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According to Government figures...

• Approximately 8.7m people in the UK have a
  disability as defined by the DDA
• Disabled people have a combined spending power
  estimated at 45bn per annum
• Which is a lot of money
• However
• We think these figures are CONSERVATIVE...

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Impairments that can affect use of the web

• Sight loss or blindness
• what helps image description, control of layout
• Hearing loss or deafness
• what helps text transcript of audio
• Diminished dexterity (arthritis, hand tremor)
• what helps keyboard access
• Cognitive impairments (memory, concentration)
• what helps logical navigation, plain English

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Numbers of people that face discrimination due
to bad web design practices

• 9m deaf and hard of hearing people
• 6m people are dyslexic
• 2m blind and partially sighted
• 1.8m people experience colour blindness
• 1.2m people with learning disabilities
• 450,000 people with epilepsy
• 350,000 people affected by strokes
• 85,000 people with multiple sclerosis
• other conditions such as cerebral palsy, head
  injury, injuries caused by accidents, etc.
• These figures alone far exceed the Governments
  estimate of 8.6m people with disabilities

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• According to Forrester research...
• commissioned by Microsoft (2004)
• 57 of the work-age population will benefit from
  
• accessible technology
• Because each day we age and our bodies change
• and we need technology that adapts with us
• www.microsoft.com/enable/aging

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WWW inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee
"The power of the web is in its universality.
Access by everyone regardless of disability is
an essential aspect."

• WAI Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
• www.w3.org/wai
• The WAI guidelines ARE NOT a standard
• The WAI guidelines ARE NOT the law
• The WAI guidelines ARE one component of a
  toolkit
• for alleviating disability discrimination
• Other components include
• user involvement
• automated testing
• usability testing
• expert analysis

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1995 Disability Discrimination Act and the web a
brief history

• May 1999 WAI Guidelines
• May 1999 RNIB Campaign for Good Web Design
• October 1999 DDA Section 21 came into effect
• December 1999 Govt Guidelines (OEE)
• August 2000 RNIB Campaign Report
• February 2002 DRC Code of Practice (revised)
• July 2003 RNIB issued county court proceedings
• December 2003 DRC Formal Investigation
• ? 2004 DRC FI report
• Recommended article Mason, Casserley Howell
  Web site design and the DDA in Computers Law,
  Dec 01/Jan 02

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Accessibility and Usability

• Accessibility, usability AND creativity are all
  essential aspects of good design
• Accessible technical (WAI guidelines)
• Usable experiential (user testing)
• Beware an accessible site can still be unusable
  You must follow the technical guidelines for
  accessibility and test for usability

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A brief word about formats...

• It is becoming increasingly possible to provide
  accessible/usable content via formats such as PDF
  and Flash
• Increased access to broadband signals a sharp
  increase in audiovisual content
• www.macromedia.com/macromedia/accessibility
• access.adobe.com
• ncam.wgbh.org

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Julie Howell Digital Policy Development Officer

• Julie.Howell_at_rnib.org.uk
• 01733 37 50 74
• RNIB, Bakewell Road, Orton Southgate,Peterborough
  PE2 6XU

www.rnib.org.uk/webaccesscentre