Information Scotland

The Journal of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland

June 2004 Volume 2 (3)

Accessibility

Universal medium

Jake Wallis discusses accessibility issues in his work with electronic publishing.

"The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect."

Tim Berners-Lee, World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Director and inventor of the World Wide Web (W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, 2004)

This quote from Berners-Lee demonstrates how concerns about disability and the accessibility of online information resources ties in with his original conceptualisation of the Web as a universal medium of communication. One of the goals of the W3C, the organisation of which he is now the director, is:

"To make the Web accessible to all by promoting technologies that take into account the vast differences in culture, languages, education, ability, material resources, access devices, and physical limitations of users on all continents" (W3C, 2004).

In working with the SAPIENS (Scottish Academic Periodicals Implementing an Effective Networked Service) electronic publishing service (http://sapiens.strath.ac.uk/) to produce an online version of Information Scotland, one of the primary aims of CILIPS is to enhance access to the publication by creating a version which can interoperate with the various assistive technologies that may be used by people with disabilities. SAPIENS is based at the University of Strathclyde’s Centre for Digital Library Research where an emphasis is placed on interoperability in the development of online information resources.

Defining web accessibility

The W3C describes web accessibility as relating to:
"Websites and applications that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with" (W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, 2003)

The terminology can vary from country to country but in the context of its remit the W3C states that some people with disabilities may have:
"limitations of sensory, physical or cognitive functioning which can affect access to the Web. These may include injury-related and aging-related conditions, and can be temporary or chronic." (W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, 2001)

The relevant UK legislation (the Disability Discrimination Act 1995) defines a "disabled person" as having:
"a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities". (Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1995)

In most countries at least 10% of the population is disabled and the average age of the population is increasing. Aging can result in accessibility issues such as changes in levels of hearing, vision, dexterity and memory (W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, 2003). These factors, combined with the current emphasis on lifelong learning and the use of information and communications technologies in the delivery of services such as education, increase the importance of an awareness of web accessibility.

Universal design

In the context of the web, accessibility has broader implications. Not only does it mean access to online resources for those with disabilities but also for those using older technology, low bandwidth connections or mobile devices. The most effective means of creating accessible websites is to put an emphasis on the content and its structure. In this way the content will be accessible to various devices, browsers and assistive technologies, and will remain so as technology changes. This is the “universality” that Berners-Lee refers to above.

Good practice

The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative Web Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/) are the current international standard for web accessibility. The W3C provides a set of checkpoints for its guidelines (www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/full-checklist.html) which are easier to refer to. The guidelines have three levels of priority and logos are available to allow content providers to indicate their level of conformance. The W3C have further distilled their guidance into a number of quick tips (www.w3.org/WAI/References/QuickTips/).

The articles that appear in the online edition of Information Scotland meet the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative’s Conformance Level A. The Royal National Institute for the Blind and the National Library for the Blind both also provide useful resources to guide online content providers in the creation of inclusive web services.

The article structure in Information Scotland is defined by XHTML and presentation is applied using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). In this way the article structure is kept separate from its presentation. The article will appear in a meaningful way if the client’s browser does not fully implement CSS (which some older browsers do not). The presentation can be overridden by user style sheets which might be defined in the client’s browser to suit any personal preferences the user might have (for example a particular colour contrast to assist readability).

Content providers are ethically and, in many cases, legally obliged to create accessible resources which will allow the Web to be accessible to all. In order to stay within the bounds of the Disability Discrimination Act SAPIENS and Information Scotland adhere to international standards on the creation of accessible web content.

Jake Wallis is Researcher at the Centre for Digital Library Research (jake.wallis@strath.ac.uk).

Relevant online resources

Information Scotland
www.slainte.org.uk/publications/serials/infoscot/contents.html

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
www.w3.org/

W3C – Web Accessibility Initiative
www.w3.org/WAI/

Disability Discrimination Act 1995
www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1995/1995050.htm

Royal National Institute for the Blind – Web Access Centre
www.rnib.org.uk/xpedio/groups/public/documents/PublicWebsite/public_webaccesscentre.hcsp

National Library for the Blind – Accessibility
www.nlb-online.org/mod.php?mod=userpage&menu=1702&page_id=29

Information Scotland Vol. 2 (3) June 2004

Information Scotland is delivered online by the SAPIENS electronic publishing service based at the Centre for Digital Library Research. SLAINTE (Scottish libraries across the Internet) offers further information about librarianship and information management in Scotland.

Last updated: 6 July 2004