Ensuring Access for your Web-based Clients with Special Needs
Accessibility Standards
At this stage of the World Wide Web's development, it is fair to
say that universal access for some people is still way off. In part,
this situation is a result of factors like:
- a lack of awareness of the issue;
- the size of the special needs audience relative to other user
groups, and;
- the costs involved in ensuring that the site is accessible.
As part of its Internet strategy and more recently, as part of
the Government On-Line Common Look and Feel Standards,
the Federal Government has established a series of accessibility
standards for all Federal Government departmental Web sites. Based
in a large measure on the international standards established by
the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the Canadian Federal Government
has taken a leading role in the online inclusion of special needs
audiences. As more countries and jurisdictions begin addressing
the issue of online accessibility, the W3C standards have become
the model of choice.
Building Your Web Site with the Accessibility Standards in Mind
Addressing the needs of Canadians who use assistive technologies
has become increasingly important to many of our clients over the
last year. This has been driven by several different factors for
different groups: for many of our Federal Government clients, the
driving force is clearly the accessibility section of the Common
Look and Feel Standards and their need to meet the government-wide
requirements. Other clients have identified the need ahead of any
imposed requirement, addressing accessibility issues at the same
time as they invest the time and resources building or re-designing
their Web site. Finally, other clients have addressed the question
of accessible Web design because their clientele has demanded
it.
To be effective, accessible Web design demands that accessibility
issues are factors from the initial design steps of the project.
While it is always possible to rework a site to include access elements,
experience has proven that it is much simpler, more relevant and
cost effective to begin the design process with accessibility in
mind.
Research
Addressing the research needs of clients who are developing an
accessible Web site has exposed us to many of the unique issues
that must be addressed when working with a special needs audience.
Needs Assessment: A key element of developing
an accessible site is talking to the people who are going to use
the site, finding out what they need, how they use the site and
what they would like to be able to do. The special needs community
can present unique challenges to this process not only in terms
of recruitment, but also with respect to incorporating the use of
assistive technologies within the research. Effective research must
integrate the effects of assistive technology and the unique requirements
of your users.
Online Survey Tools: A good research methodology
is built with the audience in mind. However, many existing online
research tools were not built with assistive technologies in mind.
While many research suppliers are not in a position to conduct online
research with special needs audiences, Phase 5 has worked with its
partners and has developed a solution.
Expert Evaluations: Bobby is one of the most widely
recognized and accepted automated tools for providing clients with
an evaluation of a Web site. Unfortunately, it should not be regarded
as the final word on whether a special needs audience will be able
to interact with your site. Once your site has been evaluated by
someone who understands all the intricacies of the special needs
audience using assistive technology, only then can you be confident
that special needs users will be able to effectively use and navigate
your site.
On-going Evaluation: It is not enough to design a site once and
assume that the requirements of the special needs community (or
any other community for that matter) are being met and will continue
to be met in the future. As your goals, technology, and information
content changes, so to do the needs of your users. To effectively
meet their changing needs it is essential that you return to them
to identify where you are meeting their needs and where there is
room for improvement.
Our Experience
Since 1991, Phase 5 has been helping some of the most successful
companies and government organizations find out what their clients
really want and need. We've also been helping them with their online
presence by delivering accurate and insightful information about
their online clients. We have helped our clients stop guessing and
have enabled them to start delivering valuable user experiences.
We have been exposed to many different aspects of the accessibility
issue, and have addressed all of the issues identified for several
clients, including HRDC, PWGSC and Transport Canada. For more information
on how we can help you, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Useful Resources
|
