Implementing A Holistic Approach To E-Learning Accessibility

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Implementing A Holistic Approach To E-Learning
Accessibility
http//www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/conference
s/alt-c-2005/

• Brian Kelly
• UKOLN
• University of Bath
• Bath

Lawrie Phipps JISC TechDis Service York
Email B.Kelly_at_ukoln.ac.uk
Email Lawrie.Phipps_at_heacademy.ac.uk
Co-author Caro Howell, University of Bristol
Note Permission is granted to record or
broadcast this talk for non-commercial purposes.
UKOLN is supported by TechDis is supported
by
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About This Paper

• This paper
• Summarises the role of W3C WAI and WAI WCAG
  guidelines in helping to provide universal access
  to digital resources
• Describes some of the difficulties experienced in
  implementing guidelines
• Describes some of the limitations and dangers
  with the guidelines
• Provides a holistic framework for e-learning
  accessibility

BK
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About The Speakers

• Brian Kelly
• Works for UKOLN a national centre of expertise
  in digital information management
• Web adviser to the UK higher further education
  and cultural heritage communities
• Funded by JISC and the MLA
• Lawrie Phipps
• Works for TechDis, an educational advisory
  service, working across UK, in the fields of
  accessibility and inclusion
• Senior Advisor for Higher Education
• Funded by the JISC

This paper is based on the experiences gained by
TechDis and UKOLN over several years in advising
the HE/FE sector on best practices for Web
accessibility
BK
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W3C WAI and WCAG

• W3C (World Wide Web Consortium)
• Body responsible for coordinating development of
  Web standards
• WAI (Web Accessibility Initiative)
• W3C group responsible for developing guidelines
  which will ensure Web resources are widely
  accessible
• WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)
• One of three sets of WAI guidelines. WCAG
  provides advice of accessibility on Web content
  (e.g. HTML pages)
• Other two WAI guidelines cover accessible user
  agents (UAAG) and accessible authoring tools
  (ATAG)

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Interpretation of WAI WCAG

• How do you interpret WAI WCAG (must use ALT tags
  for images HTML must be valid must use style
  sheets for presentation )
• Mandatory, with following characteristics
• Clearly defined rules ? Objective
• Checking mostly objective
• Penalties for non-compliance
• Similar to checking that HTML complies with the
  standard
• Advisory, with following characteristics
• Useful guidelines, to be interpreted in context
• It's about providing useful, usable resources
• Checking mostly subjective
• It's similar to checking that a Web site is
  well-designed

BK
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WAI WCAG AA and AAA

• In order to achieve WAI WCAG AA compliance
• Avoid deprecated features (e.g. FONT)
• Use W3C technologies when available and
  appropriate (no Flash, MS Word or PowerPoint)
• .. use the latest versions of W3C formats
• Create documents that validate to published
  formal grammars (i.e. HTML must be valid)
• In order to achieve WAI WCAG AAA compliance
• "Specify the expansion of each abbreviation or
  acronym in a document where it first occurs"
  (BBC?)
• Specify document collections with the LINK
  element and "rel" and "rev"

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The WAI Model

• The WAI model for Web accessibility is based on
  three components
• Content
• Authoring Tools
• Browsers
• Get all three right and you'll have universal
  accessibility
• But
• We have no control over browsers authoring
  tools
• The browsers and authoring tools aren't great
• The content guidelines are flawed
• Is universal accessibility really possible?

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WCAG and E-learning

• WCAG 2.0 draft (implicitly) acknowledges that
  accessibility to everyone is not possible
• Our target is to make things as accessible to as
  many people as possible given the need to have
  practical techniques and criteria.
• But there are issues for learning e.g. "Make
  text content readable and understandable"
• Issues
• How practical are guidelines in e-learning
  (rather than for informational resources)?
• How practical are they in the HE context?
• Contextual issues
• Backwards compatibility issues

• "Clearly identify who benefits from accessible
  content, and who will benefit from each
  requirement e.g
• Impairments of intelligence, memory, or thinking
• The inability to interpret and/or formulate
  language symbols, learning disabilities"

BK ? LP
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The e-learning User Experience (in HE)
LP
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Usability

• Accessibility is not a product
• Creating a resource that is inclusive is a
  process
• The process must involve users
• The experience of the JISC X4L programme
• Creating learning materials
• A tick list for accessibility

LP
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Usability as a process

• of accessibility, objectives and needs
• You need to consider your context
• What do your community want or need to access
• Prioritise those areas test them with the users

LP
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The Holistic Approach

• Accessibility is only important in achieving a
  user's objective
• This objective does not (usually) state I want
  to read Wuthering Heights on a Web site that is
  XHTML Strict and complies with WCAG AAA
• Create an ALT tag for pathos?
• You have resources other than the Web

LP
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Pragmatism and Holism

• You have limited resources
• Prioritise
• Seek to implement a basic level of accessibility
  but test the important resources with users
• Usability of material is as important as
  accessibility
• Be flexible, state that you want to support users
  and provide a contact

LP ?BK
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TechDis UKOLN Approach
Holistic framework for e-learning accessibility
published in CJLT

• Focuses on the user
• and recognises importance of
• External pressures e.g. funders, QAA,
• Technical infrastructure
• Resource implications
• Learning teaching outcomes
• and requires quality assurance based on
  documented policies and systematic checking

Remember UK legislation expects organisations to
take "reasonable measures"
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I-Map A Case Study
http//www.tate.org.uk/imap/pages/animated/primit
ive/picasso/nude_arms.htm

• Independently of our work Tate Gallery were using
  a similar approach
• Need for an educational resources about
  Picasso/Matisse
• Aimed at visually impaired users
• Recognition that a universal approach was
  inappropriate
• Developed a hybrid approach

i-Map Web site breaks WAI guidelines (e.g. it
uses proprietary formats) and took a user-focused
and pragmatic (what expertise do we have)
approach. Positive comments received from target
audience
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Further Developments

• Need to develop a more formal methodology to
  support holistic approach to IT development
  programmes
• JISC-funded QA Focus project developed
  methodology
• Supportive of open standards best practices
• Recognises need for diversity (due to immaturity
  of technologies, richness of usage scenarios,
  ...)
• Recommendation that programmes allow for
  diversity experimentation
• Argues for diversity rather than universality
• Freedom to experiment on some areas
• Tolerance of mistakes in some areas
• Opt-out mechanisms

This approach is being further developed through
joint work with UKOLN, TechDis, AHDS CETIS
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Conclusions

• To conclude
• WAI guidelines have been developed for a reason
  so seek to understand them and implement them if
  and where appropriate.
• Be flexible if implementation is difficult or
  conflicts with (for example) learning.
• Think holistically! Students dont come to HE to
  only sit in front of a screen.
• Select guidelines / standards that mean something
  to the context of the resource.
• Document your processes.

BK
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Questions

• Any questions?

Acknowledgements Many thanks to JISC for funding
UKOLN and TechDis and the QA Focus project.