The document discusses why accessibility is important from humanitarian, legal, market, and technical perspectives. It provides examples of individuals with disabilities and how accessibility features would help them. It notes growing disability populations and legal requirements in various jurisdictions. Technical principles of perceivability, operability, understandability and robustness are introduced. Specific accessibility guidelines are then covered for page structure, images, keyboard, links, tables, forms, and testing.

3. Why Does it matter?

4. Why Does it matter?
Humanitarian Legal
Market Technical

5. Why does it matter?
Humanitarian
• 34 year old, aspiring journalist,
American Sign is native language
• Captioned videos
• Transcripts for audio content
• Alternatives for sound cues

6. Why does it matter?
Humanitarian
Paul wounded while in Iraq,
spinal injury resulted in lack of
ability to walk, partial use of
arms and hands
• Keyboard access
• Visible focus
• Live regions receive focus when
active
• Drag and drop

7. Why does it matter?
Humanitarian
Desiree Sturdevant, Knowbility
blogger
• Uses screen reader
• Alternatives to image content
• Search and other forms,
interactive elements
• Spreadsheets, data tables
• Tab logic, navigation
• Color cues

8. Why does it matter?
Market
• Number of people with disabilities is growing
• 55 million Americans / 1 billion worldwide
• $200 billion in discretionary spending
• More as population ages

9. Why does it matter?
Legal
• International – UN Convention on Rights of People with
Disabilities, 2006
• Global requirements based on WCAG2
• US Federal standards, Section 508
• Other national laws
• State and local laws

10. Why does it matter?
Legal
Website Accessibility Under Title II of the ADA
“The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and, if the
government entities receive federal funding, the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 generally require that state and local governments
provide qualified individuals with disabilities equal access to their
programs, services, or activities...”

11. Why does it matter?
Legal
Website Accessibility Under Title II of the ADA
“One way to help meet these requirements is to ensure that
government websites have accessible features for people with
disabilities...”

12. Why does it matter?
Technical

13. Why does it matter?
Technical

14. Why does it matter?
Technical

15. The principles
POUR
Perceivable Operable
Understandable Robust

16. Page Structure
Structure pages semantically, don’t use mark-up for visual effect

17. Page Structure
Structure pages semantically, don’t use mark-up for visual effect
<h1>Not more than 1</h1>

18. Page Structure
Structure pages semantically, don’t use mark-up for visual effect
<h1>Not more than 1</h1>
<h2>...</h2> <h2>...</h2>

19. Page Structure
Structure pages semantically, don’t use mark-up for visual effect
<h1>Not more than 1</h1>
<h2>...</h2> <h2>...</h2>
<h3>...</h3> <h3>...</h3> <h3>...</h3> <h3>...</h3>

20. Page Structure
Structure pages semantically, don’t use mark-up for visual effect
<h1>Not more than 1</h1>
<h2>...</h2> <h2>...</h2>
<h3>...</h3> <h3>...</h3> <h3>...</h3> <h3>...</h3>
<h4>...</h4> <h4>...</h4> <h4>...</h4>

21. Page Structure
Structure pages semantically, don’t use mark-up for visual effect
<h1>Not more than 1</h1>
<h2>...</h2> <h2>...</h2>
<h3>...</h3> <h3>...</h3> <h3>...</h3> <h3>...</h3>
<h4>...</h4> <h4>...</h4> <h4>...</h4>
<p>
<ul>
<li> </li>
<li> </li>
</ul>
</p>

22. Images

23. Images
• Active (linked) image alt-text is the function of the
image, what the image does, where the link goes.
• If image is text, then the alt-text must contain the
same information as the text in the image.
• If image conveys information (ie graph, chart) alt-
text must convey the same information.
• If image is decorative, redundant or generally
conveys no information, then use alt=”” also
known as empty alt text
• Use alt=”” on a linked image ONLY when text
information is included within the anchor.

24. Images

25. Images
<img src=… alt=“The Kentucky Center" ... >

26. Images
<img src=… alt=“The Kentucky Center" ... >
<img src=… alt=“Register Now" … >

27. Images
<img src=… alt=“The Kentucky Center" ... >
<img src=… alt=“Register Now" … >
<img src="decor.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1">

28. Images
???

29. Keyboard

30. Keyboard
• Many assistive technologies are mapped to
the keyboard, not just for screen readers
• Logical tab order
• Visible focus
• Tab order is organized and in sequence
with the visual order
• Don’t forget drop-down menus, radio
buttons, check boxes and media controls

31. Links

32. Links

33. What Links???

34. Links

35. Links
• Assistive technologies use links to navigate
• Must indicate link target within the text
• Make sense out of context
• Use unique text for specific target
• NOT depend on color alone
• Provide contrast of 4.5 to 1 or higher
• Some designers don’t like underlines – OK as
long as visual ID is clear

36. Tables

37. Tables
Why HTML Tables?
• Best way to present data
• No longer needed for layout
• Present data in machine readable formats, suitable
for assistive technologies
• Defined by semantic mark up
• Can be styled to specification with CSS

38. Tables
Rules of thumb for data tables
• Use <summary> attribute – only read by screen
readers – to define table structure
• Use <caption> element for onscreen title.
• Keep structure as simple as possible.
• Use <th> element for header cells.
• Use <scope> attribute to distinguish column/row

39. Tables
fo’ shizzle...
<table summary=“table has 3 columns and 12 rows">
<caption> On screen text styled as you like </caption>
<tr> <td ></td>
<th scope="col"> Column 1 </th>
<th scope="col"> Column 2 </th>
<th scope="col"> Column 3 </th> </tr>
<tr> <th scope="row"> Row 1 </th>
<td> data </td> <td> data </td> <td>data</td>
</tr>
.
.
.
<tr> <th scope="row"> Row 12 </th>
<td> data </td> <td> data </td> <td>data</td>
</tr>
</table>

40. Tables

41. Forms

42. Forms
Rules of thumb
• Tell users what the form is for
• Keep form design as simple as possible
• Place labels adjacent to input fields (just above or
just to the left)
• A common way of going through a form is using the
tab key – make sure your tab order follows the form
• Position label close to the field in visual display as
well as code

43. Forms
pooped...
• Don’t use color as only method to indicate required
fields.
• Automatic form focus may hinder users who expect
predictable behavior. Forms Mode in screen reader
has that function.
• Default values in text fields. Most users will skip
over a field that has text already in it.
• Auto-tab If the user isn't watching the screen, they
will tab ahead and skip the second field

44. Forms
Where is Waldo?

45. Forms
• Create labels for form elements using the
<label> element
• Use the for/id matchup, as in
<label for="name">Name</label>
<input name="name" id="name" type="text">

46. Forms
Title attribute may be used when you don't have a good way
to use repeated labels
<label for="zip">Zip Code:</label>
<input name="textfield" size="5" id="zip"
title="zip 5 digits" type="text" /> -
<input name="textfield2" size="4" title="zip plus
4" type="text" />

47. Forms
“strawberry FIELDS forever...”
Inform the user first: put required message before the form
controls
1. use word (required) in the <label> or
2. use an "asterisk" (or image of your choice) with
alt="required", image with alt must be within the
<label>
3. use ARIA "aria-required" attribute

48. Forms

49. Forms
The beez neez
<label for="namereq">Name <img src="asterisk.gif" …
alt="Required!"> </label>: <input id="namereq"
name="namereq" type="text" >
1.<label for="namereq2">Name (required):</label>
<input id="namereq2" name="namereq2" type="text">
2.<label for="namereq3">Name *:</label>
<input id="namereq3" name="namereq3" type="text" aria-
required="true">

50. Testing

51. Testing
With toolbars
• Deque FireEyes (for FireBug)
• Web Accessibility Toolbar for IE
• Accessibility Extension for Firefox
• Jim Thatcher’s Favelets
• FANGS

52. Testing
With screen-readers
• JAWS demo is free
• NVDA free open source for Windows
• SystemAccess from Serotek
• FireVox is Firefox extension*
• FANGS is screen reader emulator
* Not available for FireFox 7 and up

53. Testing
Automated one-page testers
• Wave - http://wave.webaim.org/
• WorldSpace - http://worldspace.dequecloud.com/
worldspace/wsservice/eval/checkCompliance.jsp

54. Testing
Color Contrast Analysis

55. More?
“Please Sir, can I have some more?”
• Drupal Accessibility Statement:
http://drupal.org/about/accessibility
• Accessibility and Drupal:
http://drupal.org/node/394094
• Accessibility (for Drupal theming)
http://drupal.org/node/464472
• Drupal Accessibility group
http://groups.drupal.org/accessibility

56. Thank You!
Stalk me on twitter @gdruckman
or
Just google me!