The Internet started in the late 1960s with a network connecting computers at four universities in California to allow them to share information. Today, more than 400 million computers are connected to the Internet and more than 1 billion users tap the World Wide Web (technically a part of the Net) to find information on everything from weather to war, from chess to chat rooms.
I use the Internet several hours every day both in my job as a software engineer and for personal use. As a person with muscular dystrophy, I have greater access through the Internet to information and services I need than I would otherwise have.
Online I can read the news, shop, check my bank accounts, read books, download e-books, play chess or chat with friends and family. I even use the Internet to read Quest.
Online Isn’t a Straight Line
While the Internet is an enormous source of information and services, many Web sites are poorly designed, difficult to use or uninformative.
Friends and family members tell me they often get discouraged using the Internet. They say, “It takes too long to find what you’re looking for … There are too many useless Web sites to weed through.” I just tell them that getting the most out of the Net takes patience and the more you use it, the easier it becomes.
For millions of people with disabilities, however, finding information and useful Web sites is much more difficult than for able-bodied people. The majority of Web sites aren’t designed to accommodate our needs and the assistive technology devices we use to operate our computers. This difficulty is enormously important.
Judy Brewer, director of the Web
Accessibility Initiative at the World Wide Web
Consortium,
says, “People with disabilities need full
access to the Web in order to participate fully
in today’s society.” (The international
consortium of companies in the computer industry
develops standards and guidelines for the Web.)
Jon Gunderson, director of the Center
for Instructional Technology Accessibility at
the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign,
says, “There are so many resources available
on the Web for business, education and access to
the government that if Web sites are not accessible
to people with disabilities, they will not have
the same ability to use the services and participate.”
His center runs courses and develops tools on Web
accessibility.
Section 508
The good news is that the computer industry, businesses
and government agencies are starting to recognize
the importance of access to the Internet for people
with disabilities.
In 1998, Congress created the Section
508 amendment to the Rehabilitation Act, which
requires federal agencies to make their electronic
and information technology accessible to people
with disabilities. Section 508 mandates that the
Web sites and software developed or purchased by
federal agencies be as accessible to their employees
with disabilities and members of the public with
disabilities as to everyone else.
By establishing a minimum expectation for accessibility
of federal Web sites, Brewer says, Section 508 has
helped promote awareness of the need for Web accessibility
“since the U.S. government must verify that
any products or services they purchase support accessibility.
So there is a ripple effect which goes beyond the
government itself.”
Accessible federal Web sites are vital for people
with disabilities to obtain information on government
programs and services they need. But despite the
legal requirement, federal agencies are still a
long way from full compliance with Section 508.
While most federal and state government Web sites
have made at least some progress, “Few government
Web sites fully comply with even the basic level
of requirements in Section 508, let alone the more
comprehensive accessibility guidance in W3C/WAI’s
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines,” Brewer
says. “They’ve often done only half
of what they need to make their Web sites really
work well for people with different kinds of disabilities.”
Nonetheless, “The level of awareness is higher
than it was before, and many organizations have
Web accessibility policies in place,” Brewer
says of businesses, organizations and government
agencies around the world.
The irony is that designing accessible Web pages
is relatively easy.
The Path to Improvement
Several accessibility issues affect Internet users
with neuromuscular diseases.
One of the Web design features that I find troublesome
to handle with my voice recognition software is
the use of frames.
Frames allow Web sites to display multiple pages
within a single window, with each page in its own
frame. When using frames you have to click somewhere
on the frame if you want to scroll down on the Web
page within that frame.
But when you’re using voice recognition software
or some other alternative input device, clicking
every frame to look at each page is both time-consuming
and annoying. Web sites should avoid using frames
or offer “no frames” versions so that
people using alternative input devices can easily
access information.
Designers also can create Web pages with variable
font sizes for people who require larger fonts;
or provide alternative pages in addition to the
main Web page — for example, an additional
text-only page for people using screen readers or
a no-frames page for people using alternative input
devices. Many companies already do this for people
who access Web pages using PDAs or cell phones.
Many other techniques are available, and would
make a world of difference: having keyboard equivalent
commands for those who can’t use a mouse device;
correctly setting the tabbing order so users can
navigate a page using the tab key; and giving each
page a unique title so users can easily distinguish
where they are on a Web site.
All of these approaches would save time and stress
on weak hand muscles or the taxing process of voice
input.
What Can You Do?
So what can be done to make more Web sites accessible
to people with disabilities?
Companies and organizations should evaluate their
Web sites, then develop a plan for making them accessible
as soon as possible. And Web site developers, people
with disabilities and other interested people should
become aware of problems and issues related to Web
accessibility.
The W3C/WAI Web site has information on Web accessibility
and the guidelines and tools for designing accessible
Web sites. Businesses can use the resources “Improving
the Accessibility of Your Web Site”
and “Implementation Plan for Web Accessibility” to help them get started.
As an individual Web user, you can:
• let companies know when you’re having
difficulty with their Web sites and inform them
how making their Web sites accessible is in their
interest
• lobby your state and federal government
officials about Web accessibility
• go to the W3C/WAI Web site and help to define
Web accessibility standards, participate with one
of their interest groups, or just learn what the
standards are and how to help promote them
Access to the Web is as important for people with
disabilities as access to buildings, education and
services. And as individuals, companies, organizations
and Web designers become more aware of the guidelines,
techniques and tools for designing accessible Web
sites, access to the Web will continue to improve.
I know what a difference accessibility can make
because using the Web has dramatically improved
my life.
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Scott R. Bennett is a software systems engineer in Taunton, Mass. |
