Accessibility & definitions
Not sure if this is the right place, but here goes:
A recent point by Nigel made us ask 'what exactly is accessibility, and who would need accessibility in web design?'
Does the following list represent a good cross-section of people who would benefit from accessible web design?
Blindness
Low vision
Color blindness
Deafness
Hard of hearing
Motor disabilities
Speech disabilities
Dyslexia, dyscalculia
Attention deficit disorder
Impairments of intelligence
Memory impairments
Mental health disabilities
Seizure disorders
(combinations of the above or age-related)
Do any of these fall outside 'web standards' (possibly hearing)?
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I would say that a list as specific as that above is impossible to generate down to the level of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) because of the number of different special needs that could be included.
I doctored some stuff from the W3C to create a general overview by category in an article, here it is:
Visually Disabled Users
Visually disabled users ranging from colour blind to fully blind have problems with images that do not provide a text description of what they show. Without a text description a user who can't see an image has no way of knowing what it is or what it represents.
These users also have problems understanding sites that are not logically built when "viewed" using a non-visual browser such as a screen reader. A screen reader is a Web Browser that reads Web sites out loud so as to make them accessible to visually disabled users. Often a Web site that looks nice visually will be a complete mess when it is listened to through a screen reader.
Hearing Disabilities
In a similar way to visually disabled users not having any way of understanding an image, users with hearing disabilities have no way of understanding information that is communicated with sound, unless an alternative is provided that does not use sound, such as a text description or an image.
Physical Disabilities
If you are not physically disabled, have you tried using a Web site without your mouse? Unless you were lucky with the site you chose then you probably found it very difficult. Physically disabled users are often incapable of using a mouse. Unless these users needs are taken into account when creating Web site navigation and input methods physically disabled users will sometimes find a Web site completely inaccessible.
Cognitive and Neurological Disabilities
Web sites can be complex, and finding the information we want can be difficult for the most able of us. This is not helped by sites that use an overly complex design, navigation that works differently on different pages (inconsistent) and distracting repetitive animation. All of these problems are compounded for users with Cognitive and Neurological Disabilities and this makes some sites completely inaccessible for them.
I personally think that's a better approach to this definition.
(Much of this is over-simplified but that's because it's aimed at beginners)
Cheers,
Nigel
Accessify Forum Administrator ~ Nigel Peck / MIS Web Design
"Everything I say is not meant to be set in stone" - Van Morrison
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Everyone regardless of Disability is the true answer, though what I assume you are doing is try to label disabled people as individuals whom can be categorised as being different from unaffected people.};-) http://www.xhtmlcoder.com/
WVYFC chose the Yorkshire Air Ambulance as the main charity to fund raise for in 2006
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Although I agree that accessible web design has benefits for many other users, it is obviously more relevant to those with special needs as it often makes the difference between 'seeing' a site and not 'seeing' it at all.
It is after all the core reason that we're here. I don't think anyone disagrees that users with special needs have special needs?
(The next section of the article linked above covers other users who benefit)
Cheers,
Nigel
Accessify Forum Administrator ~ Nigel Peck / MIS Web Design
"Everything I say is not meant to be set in stone" - Van Morrison
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Erm, yeah, think so... confused, us? 
But - disabled or unaffected, it's about usability for people (or devices, if you want to get your site onto WebTV or PDA, for example).
Copywriting a website well can aid those with short attention spans or dyslexia, good colour design can assist colour blindness.
It's not just about cranking up font sizes...
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| Nigel Peck wrote: |
| I doctored some stuff from the W3C to create a general overview by category in an article, here it is: |
Nice pointer the article Nigel -- we've got something similar we've used before, but its more a skeleton of a presentation. http://www.wats.ca/presentations/intro/
Just a couple of things to add to the list in terms of universal design -- we've called them impairments, simply because the impairment may be defined by the context rather than the user. Adding some of these to the list might help round it out so that others realize we're not just talking about people who are blind:
Auditory Impairments
In addition to total or partial hearing loss, noisy environments or areas which require silence, appliances without soundcards and/or speakers, etc.
Mobility Impairments
May include persons with a physical disability, persons with arthritis, parkinsons, cerebal palsy, etc., extreme youth, extreme age, or temporary conditions such as users with broken hands/wrists/arms that prevent normal fine motor control.
Cognitive Impairments
In addition to persons with learning disability or low literacy skills, also includes cultural differences, or people that are travelling in a foreign country, or whose native language is other than that of the resource.
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We're all aiming for the same end, total accessibility to all. I hesitate to say this, but, we will never achieve 100%.
A lot of discussion on this and other sites relates to the variety of browsers and codings. Whilst we can try to cover all versions until there is a definitive standard laid down like an ISO or BS then there will be these differences.
Nigel said
| Quote: |
| I would say that a list as specific as that above is impossible to generate down to the level of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) because of the number of different special needs that could be included |
My youngest son has Aspergers Syndrome, a milder version of Autism, but it still presents problems. Nigel is quite right, we cannot accommodate everybody. Aim for the best mix for your target audience and be prepared to cater for others.
If we all pull together, perhaps with GAWDS as a mouthpiece, we will start to make changes and aim for that 100% accessibility we all crave.
Mike Abbott
Accessible to everyone
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Is the W3C overview a fair indicator of the current 'base' for accessible web design?
Do we have forum users who have first hand knowledge of associated issues for web design?
We'd love to see a more comprehensive set of definitions for web design than just CSS layout and XHTML strict tags
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