Accessible Web Development

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-32
Author(s):  
Claire Kearney-Volpe ◽  
Amy Hurst
Keyword(s):  
Visual Information ◽  
Web Design ◽  
Derived Categories ◽  
Web Development ◽  
Screen Reader ◽  
Design Concepts ◽  
Independent Verification ◽  
Accessibility Issues ◽  
Cascading Style Sheets ◽  
Web Developers

There are a growing number of jobs related to web development, yet there is little formal literature about the accessibility of web development with a screen reader. This article describes research to explore (1) web development accessibility issues and their impact on blind learners and programmers; (2) tools and strategies used to address issues; and (3) opportunities for creating inclusive web development curriculum and supportive tools. We conducted a Comprehensive Literature Review (CLR) to formulate accessibility issue categories, then interviewed 12 blind programmers to validate and expand on both issues in education and practice. The CLR yielded five issue categories: (1) visual information without an accessible equivalent, (2) orienting, (3) navigating, (4) lack of support, and (5) knowledge and use of supportive technologies. Our interview findings validated the use of CLR-derived categories and revealed nuances specific to learning and practicing web development. Blind web developers grapple with the inaccessibility of demonstrations and explanations of web design concepts, wireframing software, independent verification of computed Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and navigating browser-based developer tool interfaces. Tools and strategies include seeking out alternative education materials to learn independently, use of CSS frameworks, collaboration with sighted colleagues, and avoidance of design and front-end development. This work contributes to our understanding of accessibility issues specific to web development and the strategies that blind web developers employ in both educational and applied contexts. We identify areas in which greater awareness and application of accessibility best practices are required in Web education, a need to disseminate existing screen reader strategies and accessible tools, and to develop new tools that support Web design and validation of CSS. Finally, this research signals future directions for the development of accessible web curriculum and supportive tools, including solutions that leverage artificial intelligence, tactile graphics, and supportive-online communities of practice.

scholarly journals An Integrated Approach To Teaching Web Development

2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karina Hauser ◽  
David Olsen ◽  
Kelly Fadel
Keyword(s):  
Web Application ◽  
Web Design ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Web Development ◽  
Application Research ◽  
Approach To Teaching ◽  
Programming Skills ◽  
Use Of The Internet ◽  
Web Developers

The growing use of the Internet has led to a steep increase in the demand for web developers who possess web design, database, and programming skills.  The demand for these skills is reflected in the new IS2007 model curriculum, which suggests that web developers obtain in-depth knowledge of databases and web programming. While these topics are commonly covered in Information Systems (IS) curricula, they are traditionally taught independently in separate courses, leaving students with a fragmented view of how to integrate the various components of a data-driven web application.  Research on learning has shown that activation of existing knowledge is an important step in the learning process. This study shows how a common business case can be used to support the activation of existing knowledge in different classes related to web development. The detailed examples show how to use the same business case to teach database, web design, and programming skills.

scholarly journals Image Accessibility for Screen Reader Users: A Systematic Review and a Road Map

Electronics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 953
Author(s):  
Uran Oh ◽  
Hwayeon Joh ◽  
YunJung Lee
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Input Device ◽  
Screen Reader ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Road Map ◽  
Holistic Understanding ◽  
Feedback Modalities ◽  
Image Accessibility

A number of studies have been conducted to improve the accessibility of images using touchscreen devices for screen reader users. In this study, we conducted a systematic review of 33 papers to get a holistic understanding of existing approaches and to suggest a research road map given identified gaps. As a result, we identified types of images, visual information, input device and feedback modalities that were studied for improving image accessibility using touchscreen devices. Findings also revealed that there is little study how the generation of image-related information can be automated. Moreover, we confirmed that the involvement of screen reader users is mostly limited to evaluations, while input from target users during the design process is particularly important for the development of assistive technologies. Then we introduce two of our recent studies on the accessibility of artwork and comics, AccessArt and AccessComics, respectively. Based on the identified key challenges, we suggest a research agenda for improving image accessibility for screen reader users.

Comparing ten WCAG tools for accessibility evaluation of websites

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Shashank Kumar ◽  
Jeevitha Shree DV ◽  
Pradipta Biswas
Keyword(s):  
User Interaction ◽  
Web Accessibility ◽  
User Profile ◽  
Syntactic Analysis ◽  
Color Contrast ◽  
Careful Evaluation ◽  
Accessibility Issues ◽  
Web Developers ◽  
Compare And Contrast ◽  
Common User

BACKGROUND: Web accessibility is one of the most important aspects of building a website. It is important for web developers to ensure that their website is accessible according to WCAG standards for people with different range of abilities. There is plethora of tools for ensuring conformance to WCAG standards but not many studies compared performance of automatic WCAG tools. OBJECTIVE: This paper compares a set of ten WCAG tools and their results in terms of ease of comprehension and interpretation by web developers. We proposed a Common User Profile format to help personalize contents of website making it accessible to people with different range of abilities. METHODS: We selected ten WCAG tools from World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to evaluate landing pages of two popular websites. For each webpage, we identified accessibility issues and recommended alternate suggestions to help developers improve accessibility. Further, we highlighted accessibility issues that cannot be captured only through conformance to WCAG tools; and proposed additional methods to evaluate accessibility through an Inclusive User Model. We then demonstrated how simulation of user interaction can capture usability and accessibility issues that are not detected through only syntactic analysis of websites’ content. Finally, we proposed a Common User Profile format that can be used to compare and contrast accessibility systems and services, and to simulate and personalize interaction for users with different range of abilities. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: After careful evaluation of two websites using the ten tools, we noted that, both websites lacked color contrast between background and foreground; lack of sign language alternatives; opening of pop-ups without proper warnings and so on. Further, results from comparative analysis of selected web accessibility tools noted that, there is no single tool that can be found ideal in all aspects. However, from our study, Utilitia Validator by Utilitia SP. z O.O was considered the most feasible tool. By rectifying and incorporating issues and alternate suggestions by simulation study and Common User Profile format respectively, developers can improve both websites making it accessible to maximum audience.

Reimagining Business Planning, Accessibility, and Web Design Instruction: A Stacked Interdisciplinary Collaboration Across National Boundaries

2020 ◽  
pp. 004728162096699
Author(s):  
Zsuzsanna B. Palmer ◽  
Sushil K. Oswal ◽  
Rita Koris
Keyword(s):  
Interdisciplinary Collaboration ◽  
Web Design ◽  
Social Model ◽  
Business Planning ◽  
Student Groups ◽  
Social Model Of Disability ◽  
Business Plans ◽  
Accessibility Issues ◽  
National Boundaries ◽  
Collaboration Project

The authors present the results of a study of a three-way international collaboration project among one Hungarian class and two classes from Michigan and Washington, respectively. This multifaceted study focused on business planning, web design, and accessibility with the aim of investigating the effect of accessibility instruction on the production of business plans and websites. The distinguishing feature of this study was its emphasis to orient the three student groups on disability and accessibility issues from the perspective of the critical social model of disability advanced by disability studies theorists. The researchers collected quantitative and qualitative pre/postproject survey data from their three classes. They combined this data with the text of student emails sent among the project teams and instructor notes about their teaching to arrive at conclusions about the effectiveness of the collaboration using a mixed-methods approach. The results from the data analyses revealed significant benefit of the client–provider relationships among the three classes and the accessibility instruction provided by the Washington class to the other two classes on the business plans and websites.

Web Accessibility and the Law

2011 ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly Yu
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Web Design ◽  
Web Accessibility ◽  
Legal Responsibility ◽  
Web Pages ◽  
State Laws ◽  
Section 508 ◽  
Rehabilitation Act ◽  
Accessibility Issues

Through a series of federal and state laws and standards, the legal foundation concerning Web accessibility that impact people with disabilities and their ability to fully overcome digital barriers and participate in the Web environment has been established. Currently, the concept of accessible design or universal design is increasingly becoming an important component of Web design. However, the unanswered questions in laws, the absence of the obligation in fulfilling legal requirements, and the general unawareness of the need to make Web pages accessible have created barriers in implementing the Americans with disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act as amended in 1998, and others. In many cases, the absence of obligations is due to unfamiliarity with legal responsibility of creating accessible Web sites. As a result, the response to Web accessibility concerns frequently comes about only on an ad hoc basis. Identifying these barriers is the first step toward solutions. There are legal and practical approaches for addressing Web accessibility issues in policies, education, research and development, and technology and tools.

The Ethics of Web Design

2008 ◽  
pp. 3410-3429
Author(s):  
Jack S. Cook ◽  
Laura Cook
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
Web Site ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Web Design ◽  
Web Accessibility ◽  
The World ◽  
Technological Issue ◽  
Accessibility Issues ◽  
Web Designers ◽  
Complete Access

Web accessibility is really not a technological issue but rather a cultural problem. A Web site is said to be Web accessible if anyone, regardless of capabilities or disabilities, using any kind of Web browsing technology to visit the site has full and complete access to the site’s content and has the ability to interact with the site if required. If properly planned from the start, a Web site can be functional, accessible and aesthetically pleasing. This chapter focuses on ensuring access to information available on the Internet. The overall objective is to increase awareness of Web accessibility issues by providing rationale for why Web designers should be interested in creating accessible sites. Specifically, this chapter identifies some of the emerging digital barriers to accessibility encountered by those with disabilities. Current efforts to address these barriers legally are identified and their effectiveness for breaking down barriers is discussed. The World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C’s) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is discussed, followed by a study of the 50 most visited Web sites. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the importance of this topic and future developments.

scholarly journals Accessibility in Web Development Courses: A Case Study

Informatics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Mexhid Ferati ◽  
Bahtijar Vogel
Keyword(s):  
The Elderly ◽  
Motivation To Learn ◽  
Web Development ◽  
Relevant Topic ◽  
University Curricula ◽  
Accessibility Guidelines ◽  
Development Course ◽  
Web Developers ◽  
The Web

Web accessibility is becoming a relevant topic with an increased number of people with disabilities and the elderly using the web. Numerous legislations are being passed that require the web to be universally accessible to all people, regardless of their abilities and age. Despite this trend, university curricula still teach traditional web development without addressing accessibility as a topic. To investigate this matter closely, we studied the syllabi of web development courses at one university to evaluate whether the topic of accessibility was taught there. Additionally, we conducted a survey with nineteen students who were enrolled in a web development course, and we interviewed three lecturers from the same university. Our findings suggest that the topic of accessibility is not covered in web development courses, although both students and lecturers think that it should. This generates lack of competence in accessibility. The findings also confirm the finding of previous studies that, among web developers, there is a low familiarity with accessibility guidelines and policies. An interesting finding we uncovered was that gender affects the motivation to learn about accessibility. Females were driven by personal reasons, which we attribute to females having an increased sense of empathy. Finally, our participants were divided in their opinions whether accessibility contributes to usability.

The Value of Web Design Standards for Mobile Computing

2011 ◽  
pp. 214-226
Author(s):  
Matt Germonprez ◽  
Michel Avital ◽  
Nikhil Srinivasan
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Computing ◽  
Resource Availability ◽  
Web Design ◽  
Heterogeneous Environments ◽  
Design Standards ◽  
Device Independence ◽  
Cascading Style Sheets ◽  
Hypertext Markup Language ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Build Systems

The multiple and ever-evolving standards that govern mobile computing result in multilayered heterogeneous environments of mobile devices and services. Thus, as mobile computing becomes more prevalent, it is important that designers build systems that support as many unique, in-use, and userdefined characteristics as possible. This study explores the related effects of two existing standardized technologies: hypertext markup language (HTML) and cascading style sheets (CSS). Furthermore, whereas we investigate the impact of the CSS standard in the context of computing in general and mobile computing in particular, we also focus on two emerging roles of this standard: device independence and usability. Our findings suggest that the application of the CSS standard can improve data delivery across independent devices with varied bandwidth and resource availability, thereby providing device independence and improved usability respectively. We demonstrate that through their effect on device independence and usability, CSS plays an important role in the evolution, expansion, and openness of mobile computing.

Applying the WDP Technique to Usability Inspections in Web Development Organizations

2010 ◽  
pp. 324-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tayana Conte ◽  
Verônica T. Vaz ◽  
Jobson Massolar ◽  
Andrew Bott ◽  
Emilia Mendes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Web Application ◽  
Web Applications ◽  
Evaluation Method ◽  
Web Design ◽  
Usability Evaluation ◽  
Heuristic Evaluation ◽  
Web Development ◽  
Industrial Case Study ◽  
Development Organizations

This chapter presents the WDP (Web Design Perspectives-based Usability Evaluation), an inspection technique specifically designed to assess the usability of Web applications. This technique combines Web design perspectives and the heuristic evaluation method proposed by Nielsen (1994b). In addition to describing the components of the WDP technique this chapter also illustrates its use in practice by means of an industrial case study where the technique is applied to inspect a real Web application. In this case study, developers and requirement assessment staff applied the WDP technique to evaluate the usability of modules developed from scratch for a Web application. The results of this case study indicate the feasibility of performing usability inspections with the participation of a software project’s stakeholders, even when stakeholders are not usability experts.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document