Developing countries, developing experiences: approaches to accessibility for the real world.

Developing Countries, Developing Experiences: approaches to accessibility for the real world Brian Kelly , University of Bath, UK Sarah Lewthwaite , University of Nottingham, UK David Sloan , University of Dundee, UK W4A 2010, Raleigh, NC, April 26 th 2010

Outline
Lessons from applying web accessibility in the Developed World
Digital Accessibility and Social Inclusion
Observing patterns of best practice
A framework for policymakers in the Developing World

Lessons from Web Accessibility Policy in the Developed World
Successes
Accessibility (WCAG) integrated into Web Standards movement
Section 508 influencing market approach to web accessibility
Limitations
Known shortcomings of the WAI model
Debates on role of accessibility in standards (re)development (HTML 5!)
Uneven focus on accommodating specific impairments
Balancing ‘conformance’ with ‘helping people’

Digital inclusion and aversive disablism
In the UK, digital inclusion initiatives have not always been inclusive! Why?
Theory from disability studies to explain behaviour:
aversive disablism
hierarchy of disabilities
Might this be holding back research and development and willingness to adopt accessibility?
Case 1: security vs accessibility (CAPTCHAs, other demands for supply and recall of profile information)
Case 2: text’s domination of definitions of ‘accessible content’

Alternative approaches to accessibility
Less formal approaches to accessibility that might influence how we use the web to optimise inclusion:
Aggregating information in alternative media
www.boagworld.com approach to sharing web design info (podcast, show notes/transcript, blog, twitter, discussion forum…book)
Amplified conferences: using social web technology to overcome barriers to access that may be due to disability, economy or geography

Developing effective Web accessibility policies
How do we promote accessibility within a wider, and globally applicable, digital inclusion objective?
Challenges we know need to be considered:
Complex use cases – web applications versus informational web
Dealing with existing (and often complex) publishing technologies, environments and workflows
User agent limitations
Resource limitations: expertise, time, cost (more significant in less affluent countries)

Developing effective Web accessibility policies
Balancing:
Taking advantage of guidelines in defining current best practice in making a web site accessible
With
Addressing known limitations in current best practice by using the web to make real world tasks more accessible to more people
Sharing examples of how aggregation of solutions, or use of non-web alternatives can be embraced in a web accessibility policy

Advancing directions of accessibility R&D
We need to ensure aversive disablism does not distort a globally-appreciated definition of web accessibility
Acknowledge and address the effect of text bias in current accessibility work on populations with low literacy
Consider the effectiveness of open source accessibility solutions on communities where pirated versions of proprietary software may be the norm
Embrace the convergence of mobile usability and accessibility

Closing thought
Let’s be wary of a “wholesale colonial export of accessibility” to the developing world, and instead adopt an approach that is culturally- and context-sensitive

Brian Kelly
[email_address] twitter: @briankelly
Sarah Lewthwaite
[email_address] twitter: @slewth
David Sloan
[email_address] t witter: @sloandr

Developing countries, developing experiences: approaches to accessibility for the real world.

by David Sloan

Accessibility

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