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.

scholarly journals Comparing Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools and Evaluating the Accessibility of Webpages: Proposed Frameworks

Information ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Alsaeedi
Keyword(s):  
Web Accessibility ◽  
Web Content ◽  
Evaluation Tools ◽  
Wcag 2.0 ◽  
Web Contents ◽  
Accessibility Evaluation ◽  
Accessibility Issues ◽  
Accessibility Guidelines ◽  
Content Accessibility ◽  
Web Developers

With the growth of e-services in the past two decades, the concept of web accessibility has been given attention to ensure that every individual can benefit from these services without any barriers. Web accessibility is considered one of the main factors that should be taken into consideration while developing webpages. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) have been developed to guide web developers to ensure that web contents are accessible for all users, especially disabled users. Many automatic tools have been developed to check the compliance of websites with accessibility guidelines such as WCAG 2.0 and to help web developers and content creators with designing webpages without barriers for disabled people. Despite the popularity of accessibility evaluation tools in practice, there is no systematic way to compare the performance of web accessibility evaluators. This paper first presents two novel frameworks. The first one is proposed to compare the performance of web accessibility evaluation tools in detecting web accessibility issues based on WCAG 2.0. The second framework is utilized to evaluate webpages in meeting these guidelines. Six homepages of Saudi universities were chosen as case studies to substantiate the concept of the proposed frameworks. Furthermore, two popular web accessibility evaluators, Wave and SiteImprove, are selected to compare their performance. The outcomes of studies conducted using the first proposed framework showed that SiteImprove outperformed WAVE. According to the outcomes of the studies conducted, we can conclude that web administrators would benefit from the first framework in selecting an appropriate tool based on its performance to evaluate their websites based on accessibility criteria and guidelines. Moreover, the findings of the studies conducted using the second proposed framework showed that the homepage of Taibah University is more accessible than the homepages of other Saudi universities. Based on the findings of this study, the second framework can be used by web administrators and developers to measure the accessibility of their websites. This paper also discusses the most common accessibility issues reported by WAVE and SiteImprove.

Web Accessibility Research and Practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-49
Author(s):  
Mona M. Alnahari ◽  
Joyram Chakraborty ◽  
Mona Mohamed
Keyword(s):  
Arabian Gulf ◽  
Web Accessibility ◽  
Gulf Region ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Wcag 2.0 ◽  
Arabian Gulf Region ◽  
The World ◽  
Accessibility Issues ◽  
Arabic Speaking

Web accessibility is the practice of having websites that are accessible to all people, including persons with disabilities. Several research studies have been done around the world to improve web accessibility. However, advances in Arabic web accessibility studies are limited. Research has indicated that a significant number of Arabic websites have accessibility issues, which becomes a restraint to people with disabilities from accessing and using the web. This research reviews current studies in web accessibility presented within the cultural background of several Arabic-speaking countries, particularly the Arabian Gulf region of Gulf Cooperation Council, and addresses services offered by the countries. The authors evaluate 54 websites in the Gulf region regarding accessibility issues. The results show that all websites do not satisfy WCAG 2.0 (AA). This paper highlights the deficiencies in Arabic web accessibility and provide some recommendations and suggestions for improvements.

Programming a User Model with Data Gathered from a User Profile

2012 ◽  
pp. 235-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Scherer ◽  
Ademar V. Netto ◽  
Yuska P. C. Aguiar ◽  
Maria de Fátima Q. Vieira
Keyword(s):  
Human Error ◽  
User Interaction ◽  
User Profile ◽  
User Model ◽  
User Profiles ◽  
User Characteristics ◽  
Human Errors ◽  
User Behaviour ◽  
Electrical Systems ◽  
The Relationship

In order to prevent human error, it is essential to understand the nature of the user’s behaviour. This chapter proposes a combined approach to increase knowledge of user behaviour by instantiating a programmable user model with data gathered from a user profile. Together, the user profile and user model represent, respectively, the static and dynamic characteristics of user behaviour. Typically, user models have been employed by system designers to explore the user decision-making process and its implications, since user profiles do not account for the dynamic aspects of a user interaction. In this chapter, the user profile and model are employed to study human errors—supporting an investigation of the relationship between user errors and user characteristics. The chapter reviews the literature on user profiles and models and presents the proposed user profile and model. It concludes by discussing the application of the proposed approach in the context of electrical systems’ operation.

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.

Code in action: Closing the black box of WCAG 2.0, A Latourian reading of Web accessibility

First Monday ◽  
2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Kreps ◽  
Mhorag Goff
Keyword(s):  
Web Accessibility ◽  
Web Content ◽  
Wcag 2.0 ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Heterogeneous Nature ◽  
Version 2.0 ◽  
Accessibility Guidelines ◽  
Content Accessibility ◽  
Web Developers ◽  
The Web

The focus of much academic work on Web accessibility has been concerned with the lack of implementation of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. There seems, as yet, however, to have been little critical reflection on the Guidelines themselves — save perhaps some awareness of the heterogeneous nature of the Web, and the difficulties facing Web developers trying to ensure their work displays true to their intentions across a wide range of different browsers and devices, making use of continually evolving and contested code. Yet, as this paper highlights, the long drawn out process by which version 2.0 of the WCAG came into being hides many skeletons, including aspects of the process of developing standards that bear closer scrutiny, and reveal much when viewed through Latourian eyes. The findings of this paper suggest that the WCAG2.0 are almost irrelevant today — to the detriment of those for whom they were made — and that the process of creating them was at fault.

scholarly journals Requirements for Large Scale Web Accessibility Evaluation

2020 ◽  
pp. 275-283
Author(s):  
Fabio Paternò ◽  
Francesca Pulina ◽  
Carmen Santoro ◽  
Henrike Gappa ◽  
Yehya Mohamad
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Web Applications ◽  
Web Accessibility ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Automatic Evaluation ◽  
Web Resources ◽  
Accessibility Evaluation ◽  
Accessibility Issues ◽  
Evaluation And Monitoring ◽  
Over Time

Abstract The recent European legislation emphasizes the importance of enabling people with disabilities to have access to online information and services of public sector bodies. To this regard, automatic evaluation and monitoring of Web accessibility can play a key role for various stakeholders involved in creating and maintaining over time accessible products. In this paper we present the results of elicitation activities that we carried out in a European project to collect experience and feedback from Web commissioners, developers and content authors of websites and web applications. The purpose was to understand their current practices in addressing accessibility issues, identify the barriers they encounter when exploiting automatic support in ensuring the accessibility of Web resources, and receive indications about what functionalities they would like to exploit in order to better manage accessibility evaluation and monitoring.

Accessibility Issues of Educational Web Sites

2012 ◽  
pp. 277-286
Author(s):  
Serhat Kurt
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Web Accessibility ◽  
Current Status ◽  
The World ◽  
Accessibility Issues ◽  
Accessibility Guidelines ◽  
Practical Recommendations ◽  
The Web

The World Wide Web (Web) has become an essential part of our daily life. Web accessibility remains an important issue because many people have limited access to the Web. It is essential to make this content accessible to all people. This chapter provides an overview of the importance of web accessibility. It explains the current status of the issue, accessibility guidelines and techniques to evaluate and achieve web accessibility. Useful resources and practical recommendations to increase accessibility are also included.

Web Accessibility Policy for Students with Disabilities in U.S. Postsecondary Distance Education

2010 ◽  
pp. 357-373
Author(s):  
Heidi L. Wilkes
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Web Accessibility ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Societal Implications ◽  
Common Mechanism ◽  
Education Demand ◽  
Legal Context ◽  
Accessibility Issues

“Web accessibility” is the ability to access information online. In distance education, most instructional material is located online, and anything that prevents a person from accessing these materials becomes a barrier to distance education. Demand for distance education is growing, and the Web is the most common mechanism for its delivery. Not all Websites are accessible, despite the availability of design guidelines. The purpose of this chapter is to inform Web accessibility policy decisions at U.S. postsecondary institutions by increasing the awareness of Web accessibility issues in distance education, examining societal implications, and discussing methods for improvement. This chapter also reviews the current U.S. legal context and provides alternative cost-justification and cost-benefit frameworks for consideration by policymakers.

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