Architecting & Designing for AccessibilityAccessibilityWhy?What is Accessibility? Some Accessible Design PhilosophyFormal DisabilitiesQuasi-disabilities… a.k.a. “Access Barriers”Assistive / Adaptive TechnologySlide 8Accessibility LegislationPolicy – In-house RulesStandardsDesign ConsiderationsVisual StyleImages & MultimediaMarkupQuality ContentSlide 17TipsTesting, Simulation & RepairBest Testing ToolLocal Accessibility OpportunitiesReferencesAccessibility Resources OnlineSlide 24Architecting & Designing for AccessibilityArchitecting & Designing for AccessibilityMisty McLaughlinInformation Architecture & Design IOctober 19, 2004Misty McLaughlinInformation Architecture & Design IOctober 19, 2004Accessibility•Why and What•Types of disabilities•Assistive / adaptive technology•Legislation, policy, standards•Design techniques•Testing, simulation and repair tools•Opportunities to practiceWhy?•20 million: Americans with disabilities that seriously affect their use of the Web•50%: Americans over 65 with disabilities•500-750 million: People with disabilities internationally•$690 million: Annual cost to make federal websites accessibleFrom “Who Are the Disabled?” and Maximum AccessibilityWhat is Accessibility?Some Accessible Design PhilosophyPoint of Cohesion•Same information, same tasks•Does not depend on a single sense or abilityPoints of Contention•Accessibility v. usability •Is accessibility a patch or a fundamental design consideration?Formal Disabilities•Cognitive / learning•Auditory•Motor / physical•Speech•Visual- legal blindness- impaired vision- color blindnessQuasi-disabilities…a.k.a. “Access Barriers”•Slow internet connection•Old browser•Missing plug-ins•No speakers•Small display (old monitors, handheld devices)•No mouse•Age•Language issues•Noisy environment•Eyes or hands busy•Photosensitive epilepsyAssistive / Adaptive TechnologyAs defined by the Assistive Technology Act of 1998: “…any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.”“…mediates and decodes the technology for users with disabilities.”“…make information devices more accessible.”Assistive / Adaptive TechnologyAuditory Closed captioningVisual Screen readers & magnifiers, refreshable Braille displayMotor / physicalAlternative keyboard layout & mouse systemSlow-mo softwareSpeech Special voice recognition softwareCognitive / learning???Accessibility LegislationNational•Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) – 1990•Section 508 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act – 1973- Requires that electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by the Federal government be accessible to people with disabilities. Statewide•Chapter 206 of the Texas Administrative Code, the “Access to Information” Law - 2002Policy – In-house Rules•UT Austin’s Web Accessibility Policy- Section 508 compliant- Accessibility policy link required- Responsibility- Testing & DocumentationStandardsChecklists, guidelines, & practical info•W3C’s WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)–Over 60 checkpoints–International acceptance (EU, Canada, Australia)•Section 508 Guidelines- Applies only to federal agencies, legally- 16 checkpoints- based on WCAG’s most critical points- objective & measurableFrom Maximum AccessibilityDesign ConsiderationsSome rules•“The ultimate error that any developer of accessible applications can commit is to modify the user’s environment.”--John Paul Mueller, Accessibility for Everybody•Graceful transformation, understandability, navigability--Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, W3CVisual StyleColor•Don’t use color to convey primary meaning•High contrastFont•Sans-serif•Relative font sizeImages & Multimedia•Provide a text-equivalent to visual or audio information (alt-text or captions)•If video, captions / alt-text should be synchronized•Avoid flickering“The Living Room Candidate,” American Museum of the Moving ImageSimulation exercise for the non-disabled:1) Turn your speakers off and watch.2) Turn your monitor off and listen.Markup•Correct, structural rather than fixed markup•Use CSS to control page elements (but don’t convey critical info through CSS)•Elastic, relative unitsAvoid:•Font tags, fixed pixel sizesQuality Content•Plain, readable language•Quality descriptions and link text•Clear referents•Avoid jargon and specialized language unless your audience is insider-onlyFrom Maximum AccessibilityCan Use If You Do ItCarefullyDon’t Do It If You Can Help ItImage Maps Images that blink or flickerData tables Decontextualized pop-upsGraphs and chartsScriptsFramesApplets and pluginsFormsTips•1-pixel accessibility info at the top of your page•“Skip navigation” or “skip to main content”•Offer alternative stylesheet optionTesting, Simulation & Repair•W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) - comprehensive list•* Accessibility Toolbar (for IE) *•Evaluating Web Site Accessibility (checklists, tips, and more)Simulation of www.utexas.edu appearance for users with diabetic retinothopyBest Testing ToolUser testing with groups of users who have mixed disabilitiesLocal Accessibility Opportunities•Accessibility Internet Rally - AIR-Texas - AIR-University•UT’s Accessibility Institute- Free training- Accessibility research- Site evaluation and user testing•Knowbility Accessible Technology - Community training programs- Annual accessibility conference (free to UT students, faculty & staff)•Jim Thatcher, Accessibility Consultant- Free training- Site evaluationReferencesClark, Joe. Building Accessible Websites. New Riders, 2002.Slatin, John and Rush, Sharron. Maximum Accessibility: Making Your Web Site More Usable for Everyone. Boston: Addison-Wesley, 2003.Mueller, John Paul. Accessibility for Everybody: Understanding the Section 508 Accessibility Requirements. Berkeley: Apress, 2003.Thatcher, Jim. Constructing Accessible Websites. San Francisco: Apress, 2003.Van Duyne, Douglas and Landay, James and Hong, Jason. The Design of Sites: Patterns, Principles, and Processes for Crafting a Customer-Centered Web Experience. Boston: Addison-Wesley. 2002.Accessibility Resources OnlineGlossaryToolbarResource CenterCourse / tutorialQuestions?Contact