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BS 8878: Systematic Approaches to
Documenting Web Accessibility
Policies and Practices
Brian Kelly
Independent consultant
UK Web Focus
Contact Details
Email: ukwebfocus@gmail.com
Twitter: @briankelly
Blog: http://ukwebfocus.com/
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Slides and further information available at
http://ukwebfocus.com/events/iwmw-2015/
A workshop session at the IWMW 2015 event

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About This Workshop
Structure:
• Introductions
• Current approaches to Web accessibility policies
• Limitations of current approaches
• How BS 8878 can help
• Using BS 8878 (group exercises)
• Reviewing what we’ve done
• What Next?
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Introduction

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About You
• What is your interest in web accessibility?
• What are your responsibilities in this area?
• What knowledge of BS 8878 do you have?
• Do you have any specific issues you would
like to see addressed?
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Introduction

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About Me
Brian Kelly:
• Longstanding #a11y
advocate &
practitioner
• Author of many peer-
reviewed papers on
#a11y
• In 2004 realised
limitations of WCAG
guidelines for
elearning
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http://ukwebfocus.com/papers/#accessibility

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Institutional Accessibility Policies (1)
Survey of accessibility policies in 9 north west universities:
[Edge Hill] – [Liverpool] – [Liverpool John Moores] – [Liverpool Hope] –
[UCLAN] – [Bolton] – [Manchester] – [MMU] – [Salford]
• All linked from home page (and in navigation bars)
• Summarised at http://ukwebfocus.com/2015/07/14/
In brief:
• Aspirational: “The University is committed to*
making its website and the material provided on it
accessible to as many people as possible*”
• Aspirational to conform with WCAG: “All pages on
this site aim to* be accessible to W3C AA compliance
or better, complying with priority 1 & 2 guidelines of
the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines”
5* My emphasis
CurrentApproaches

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Institutional Accessibility Policies (2)
• Specific WCAG conformance levels: “This central
site is intended to* meet at least level 2 (AA) of the
W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Guidelines,
and as far as possible to meet level 3 (AAA)”
• Browser policies: “We try to* make our website
compatible with as many browsers as possible”
• Details of testing processes: “We have also tested
the site extensively in a wide range of browsers and
settings to ensure the site functionality is available to
as many users as possible*”
• Techniques for users: “You can increase or reduce
the text size by using your browser’s zoom function”
6* My emphasis
CurrentApproaches

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Institutional Accessibility Policies (3)
• Specific techniques for users: “Microsoft Internet
Explorer version 8 and above …; Mozilla Firefox: To
alter text size, select ‘zoom’ select zoom in (Ctrl+) or
zoom out (Ctrl-). To remove CSS stylings select …”
• Details of access keys: “Access keys for websites
are defined as: Access Key 1 – Homepage; Access
Key 2 – News;… Access Key 0 – Accessibility Help”
• Techniques used by content providers: “Steps
we’ve taken: Using alt tags on images; Using sufficient
contrast on colours; Using CSS to ...”
• Details of training and support: “Staff are offered a
comprehensive training programme”
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CurrentApproaches

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Reflections
In brief accessibility policies:
• Typically go beyond statements of WCAG conformance
May include details of:
• Specific techniques for users & content creators
• Processes used to create web resources
• Testing processes used to ensure policies are being
implemented correctly
• Contact details in case of accessibility problems
However:
• Approaches are not taken in a consistent manner
• None describe maintenance of policies (or mentioned
mobile!)
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Conclusions: There is a need for a consistent & standardised approach
to build on existing approaches.
CurrentApproaches

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Building on Research
“web accessibility is not
an intrinsic characteristic
of a digital resource but
is determined by
complex political, social
and other contextual
factors, as well as
technical aspects which
are the focus of WAI
standardisation
activities. It can therefore
be inappropriate to
develop legislation …
only associated with
properties of the
resource.”
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Cooper, M., Sloan, D., Kelly, B. and Lewthwaite, S., 2012. A Challenge to Web Accessibility Metrics & Guidelines: Putting
People and Processes First W4A2012: 9th International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility
It’s not just about the resource, it’s about people (wide range of stakeholders), policies (based on the context of
use, the environment, resources, …) and processes (used to ensure policies are implemented correctly)

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Is Accessibility Really Complex?
Is web accessibility really
“determined by complex
political, social and other
contextual factors”?
Surely it’s about:
• A simple set of rules to
be applied to web
resources
• Legislation which
mandates organisations
to use the rule
• Education on how to
implement the rules
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Accessibility as purely a technical issue? Where’s the user? Where
are the blended solutions? How are contextual factors addressed? …
Limitations

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Challenges
Areas which may pose difficulties in ensuring WCAG
compliance e.g.
• Your corporate web site and the constraints of the
CMS
• Your VLE with the limitations provided by the vendor
• Your institutional repository with author-deposited
PDFs but no ALT text for images in MS Word master
• Your plans to digitise lectures, but no funding for
captioning
• Your MOOC plans and the accompanying
uncaptioned video resources
• ….
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Limitations

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Enter BS 8878
BS 8878:
• Developed in UK in parallel with our
holistic accessibility work
• UK standardisation work aligned with ideas
described in “Accessibility 2.0: People,
Policies and Processes”, W4A 2007
• Work led by Jonathan Hassell,
Hassell Inclusion and former
Head of Usability & Accessibility,
BBC Future Media
• Costs £100 
• See Getting Started Guide
and Hassell Inclusion
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BS 8878’s 16 Stages
BS 8878 describes 16 steps which cover 4 stages.
See BS 8878 in 88 Seconds video 13

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BS 8878’s 16 Steps
Step 1: Define the purpose of the web product
Step 2: Define the target audiences for the web product
Step 3: Analyse the needs of the target audiences for the web product
Step 4: Note any platform or technology preferences and restrictions of the web
product's target audiences
Step 5: Define the relationship the product will have with its target audiences
Step 6: Define the user goals and tasks the web product needs to provide
Step 7: Consider the degree of user-experience the web product will aim to provide
Step 8: Consider inclusive design and user-personalized approaches to accessibility
Step 9: Choose the delivery platforms to support
Step 10: Choose browsers, operating systems & assistive technologies to support
Step 11: Choose whether to create or procure web product in-house or contract out
Step 12: Define the web technologies to be used in the web product
Step 13: Use web guidelines to direct accessible web production
Step 14: Assure the web product's accessibility through production
Step 15: Communicate the web product's accessibility decisions at launch
Step 16: Plan to assure accessibility in all post-launch updates to the product
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e.g. WCAG

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In Brief
At its heart, BS 8878 encourages organisations to make all
accessibility decisions based on the purpose of their
product, its specific audiences, and a clear, researched
understanding of the contexts in which those audiences will
use the product.
In the light of this research, organisations can then make high-
level decisions on the overall degree of accessibility they
wish the product to have, and more detailed decisions on the
accessibility of user journeys to each of its goals based on the
relative importance of the goals and the cost-benefits of
making it accessible to that degree.
From there organisations are advised on the relative cost-
benefits of different testing methodologies for them to use
across the lifetime of the product to assure themselves that
they have achieved the degree of accessibility they were
aiming for.
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BS8878

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Group Exercises (1)
You will now use BS 8878 steps to document your policies
& practices for a web site product of interest to you e.g.
• Multimedia on the corporate web site
• Multimedia for use in a VLE
• The university prospectus
• Event amplification (e.g. for a conference, graduation
ceremony, etc.)
• The institutional repository (full of PDFs)
• The corporate web site
• A niche area (e.g. accessibility for blind maths
students)
• …
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GorupExercises

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Group Exercises (2)
Working in small groups:
• Document the steps using the 16 steps
• Use a Google Doc:
 bit.ly/iwmw15-bs8878-1
 bit.ly/iwmw15-bs8878-2 (or iwmw15-a3-2)
 bit.ly/iwmw15-bs8878-3
 bit.ly/iwmw15-bs8878-4
• Give brief summary of your approaches at end of session
Note:
• Document will be world-writeable for another week
• Feel free to continue afterwards
• Content provided under a CC-licence
• Approaches will be documented on UK Web Focus blog
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GorupExercises

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Group Exercises (3)
Reminder:
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GorupExercises

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BS 8878’s 16 Steps
Step 1: Define the purpose of the web product
Step 2: Define the target audiences for the web product
Step 3: Analyse the needs of the target audiences for the web product
Step 4: Note any platform or technology preferences and restrictions of the web
product's target audiences
Step 5: Define the relationship the product will have with its target audiences
Step 6: Define the user goals and tasks the web product needs to provide
Step 7: Consider the degree of user-experience the web product will aim to provide
Step 8: Consider inclusive design and user-personalized approaches to accessibility
Step 9: Choose the delivery platforms to support
Step 10: Choose browsers, operating systems & assistive technologies to support
Step 11: Choose whether to create or procure web product in-house or contract out
Step 12: Define the web technologies to be used in the web product
Step 13: Use web guidelines to direct accessible web production
Step 14: Assure the web product's accessibility through production
Step 15: Communicate the web product's accessibility decisions at launch
Step 16: Plan to assure accessibility in all post-launch updates to the product
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e.g. WCAG

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BS 8878 & Event Amplification for
IWMW 2015
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http://iwmw.org/iwmw2015/technology/
accessibility-event-amplification/
Policy for event
amplification at IWMW
2015
Note:
• Difficulty in writing
this from scratch
• Policy available
under a CC licence
• How ‘patterns’ would
help identify
appropriate
practices

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BS 8878 & Event Amplification for
IWMW 2015
http://iwmw.org/iwmw2015/technology
/accessibility-event-amplification/
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What of the Risks?
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Risk assessment available at
http://iwmw.org/iwmw2015/technology/accessibility-
event-amplification/#risks

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BS 8878 Elsewhere
BS 8878 steps may be
valuable for internal use,
but may be confusing for
end users
Accessibility statement on
Hassellinclusion site is
written for end users
(www.hassellinclusion.com/
accessibility/)
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Possible Accessibility Policy for an Institutional Repository
Possible accessibility policy for an institutional
repository. See blog post at
http://ukwebfocus.com/2011/01/24/web-accessibility-
institutional-repositories-and-bs-8878/
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Statement Note
The repository service is an open-access information storage & retrieval system containing
the university’s research findings and papers, openly and freely accessible to the research
community and public. A full description of each item is provided, and where copyright
regulations permit, the full-text of the research output is stored in the repository and fully
accessible. Items are deposited in the repository from various sources including author
self-deposit, deposit by authorised staff in departments and deposits by repository staff.
Description of
the purpose of
the ‘web
product’
Items are normally provided in PDF format although other formats such as MS Word or
HTML may also be used.
Carry out audit
Items are normally deposited in the format required by the publisher. Popular formats
should be accessible using standard viewing tools. However some formats may require
specialist browsers to be installed.
Audit will show
unusual
formats
Items may not conform to appropriate accessibility guidelines due to the devolved
responsibilities for depositing items & complexities of implementing the guidelines across
the large number of items housed in the repository.
If so, details
should be given
Future developments to the service will include an "Accessibility problem" button which
will enable repository staff to be alerted to the scale of accessibility problems.
Include if
planned
Repository staff will work with the University Staff Development Unit to ensure that
training is provided on ways of creating accessible documents which will be open to all
staff and research students.
Include if true!
Repository staff will carry out periodic audits on the accessibility of repository items,
monitor trends and act accordingly.
Include if true!
The Web interface to repository conform with University Web site accessibility guidelines.

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Conclusions
To conclude:
• BS 8878 provides a standard to address
challenges in enhancing web accessibility
• Benefits in adopting common practices
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What do you think we should do next?

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Book on BS 8878
See http://www.hassellinclusion.com/landing/book/
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“I want you to imagine for a moment that,
Professor Jonathan Hassell's `Including your
missing 20% by embedding web and mobile
accessibility' is like a large set of well labelled
keys. Each chapter is part of that key set and
enables the reader, whether expert or layperson
alike, to unlock the power of BS8878, the British
Standard on Web Accessibility. If your
organisation is looking to embed web accessibility
from the outset or to adopt best practice then you
need go no further, this book is for you.”
Amazon review

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This presentation, “BS 8878: Systematic Approaches to Documenting
Web Accessibility Policies and Practices” by Brian Kelly, is licensed
under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Licence
Note the licence covers most of the text in this presentation. Quotations
may have other licence conditions.
Images may have other licence conditions. Where possible links are
provided to the source of images so that licence conditions can be found.
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Slides and further information available at
http://ukwebfocus.com/events/iwmw-2015/
Licence and Additional Resources