Doing the Right Thing
How to build socially responsible web infrastructure.
By Abhijeet Chavan and Chris Steins
Planning, July 2003

What is web accessibility and why is it so important?

For starters, it's the law. If your organization receives federal funding or has a federal contract for technology products and services, your website must be accessible to individuals with disabilities. That has been true since 2001, when Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1998 went into effect. The law specifies that "members of the public with disabilities have access to and use of information and data, comparable to that of the. . . members of the public without disabilities."

Numerous people have disabilities--about one-fifth of the U.S. population, in fact. Individuals with visual, hearing, mobility, and cognitive impairments may not be able to visit inaccessible websites. And the growing population of senior citizens who are using the Internet also has special needs and require web accessibility.

Web accessibility is not a new concept. Assistive technologies, enabling persons with disabilities to access the web, have been available for some time. However, even as an increasing number of people are beginning to rely on the Internet for information, news, email, shopping, and entertainment, accessibility to the web is often neglected in the fast-moving world of web development. Just as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 sets guidelines for accessibility in public places, Section 508 ensures that the benefits of the Internet are universally available by making web accessibility a requirement for federal or federally funded websites.

Section 508 has heightened public awareness of web accessibility. Arkansas, Connecticut, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia are among the states with laws or policies in place for web accessibility. Even organizations not subject to federal website requirements, such as nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and private businesses, are adopting Section 508 as a web accessibility standard.

The benefits

As the exciting possibilities of e-government slowly become reality, more citizens will depend on the web to access information, conduct transactions, and interact with their governments. Planners are building and using web infrastructure in the form of web applications, web-based mapping systems, and discussion boards to engage citizens in the planning process.

The Boston Indicators Project uses the web to measure the effectiveness of planning policies and makes this information available to citizens. The Neighborhood Knowledge California website enables citizens to access complex geographic data and spatial analysis using just a web browser. Both projects recognize that stakeholders should have equal access to planning information and processes made available via the web.

Just as a building's wheelchair-accessible ramp is useful to a parent with a baby stroller, accessibility enhancements, by improving a website's usability, provide benefits to all web users regardless of disability. Take the example of audio and video clips. Text alternatives for multimedia content are required by Section 508 guidelines. This makes the content available to search engines and data-mining software, thus improving a website's visibility on search engine listings. These text alternatives also make websites easier to read using a slower Internet connection and reduce a web server's load and bandwidth requirements.

Individuals using older computers or newer evolving technologies can also benefit from accessible websites. Text alternatives for multimedia content can be viewed using an old computer that cannot play sound files. Hand-held devices can pull in graphics-free, text-only versions of web pages over wireless connections.

Accessibility recommendations providing for clear navigation and direct, concise content are likely to benefit users for whom English is a second language or those with low literacy levels. By providing equal opportunities to all, accessible websites may also reduce legal liability. Raising awareness of the requirements of people with disabilities can reinforce your organization's socially responsible attitude and help create a workplace that is more welcoming to people with disabilities.

Strategies and solutions

Once a website has been built, it can be expensive to retrofit later. That is why it is important to make accessibility a requirement at the beginning of a new project. Clear policies and goals will make it easier to identify and implement accessibility features. Furthermore, if your project receives federal funding, accessibility is likely to be a funding requirement as well.

A common misconception is that accessibility can only be addressed by adding a separate text-only version of your website. Not so! Such text-only versions often end up being limited or outdated and are therefore not recommended unless as a last resort. Another assumption is that addressing accessibility considerations results in websites that are ugly or limited in functionality. You do not have to compromise aesthetics or functionality for accessibility. Web accessibility is not about removing features but about adding enhancements.

When several authors contribute to a website, it can be difficult to maintain consistent accessibility standards. A simple but effective solution is to develop page templates that implement the website's accessibility requirements. Make these templates available to your website authors and web developers, so that the pages they create will better meet your standards.

The State of Washington set accessibility standards for all state departments and agencies by creating accessible page templates. Software maker Macromedia offers ready-to-use accessible page templates that can be used to build accessible websites. The Illinois Technology Office is working with state agencies to create specially designed templates based on the Illinois Web Accessibility Standards, to help state agencies' web staff easily create accessible, customizable web pages.

Many planning web applications that use dynamically generated maps, charts, tables, and diagrams to represent spatial data managed within a geographic information system (GIS) face unique accessibility challenges. Data tables with large amounts of information take a long time to read, and that can accessibility for users with visual impairments. Color-blindness can also hinder people from viewing maps.

The technology to make digital maps accessible to all users with visual impairments does not exist yet. However, the information displayed in elaborate GIS maps could be made more accessible by incorporating the same data as a data table in text format.

For complex data, many federal agencies are offering email and telephone support so users can contact someone to get the information they cannot access over the web. "It's the data you need, not the map," says Doug Wakefield, an accessibility specialist with the independent federal Access Board. For example, to make its mapping database meet accessibility requirements, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website is planning to offer a telephone support system to meet accessibility requirements.

Five tips for accessibility

People use the web in very different ways. A website should therefore present information so that it can be accessed regardless of the hardware or software being used. Do not assume that everyone uses the same kinds of devices in the same way.

Most web accessibility problems can be fixed rather simply. (To find out if your website is accessible see the accompanying sidebar.) Images embedded in web pages can be annotated with alternate text. When accessed through devices that do not display images such as a screen-reader, this alternate text can be used to describe the image. Adding alternate text to all images (where possible) makes it more accessible to all users.

A good place to start is the list of Quick Tips provided by W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative. An earlier article we wrote for this magazine ("A Web For Everyone: Creating Accessible Planning Websites," July 2001), also covered basic web accessibility techniques. Watchfire's Bobby and other testing software applications can test your website and reveal accessibility issues. Here are some additional tips for building accessible websites:

• Write for the web. Text suitable for a book may not be appropriate for a website. Usability expert Dr. Jakob Nielsen of Nielsen Norman Group recommends that no more than half the text you would have used in a hard-copy publication should be used on the website. Avoid long continuous blocks of text and use shorter paragraphs and bulleted lists, which are easier to scan for web users in a hurry. Split long pages containing a lot of information into multiple, shorter pages, and avoid phrases like "click here " or "click on arrow icon."
  
  
• Improve navigation. Poorly designed Javascript-based pop-up or pull-down menus can present serious accessibility obstacles. Make sure it is possible to navigate your website using alternate browsers, with or without Javascript, or without using a mouse. If you are uncertain, add a redundant set of text-only navigation links on every page.

A "site map" listing the contents makes a website more accessible. Provide a convenient link to this site map from every page of your website. All users will benefit from a site map, not just those with disabilities. For example, the website of the American Planning Association features a site map containing text links that can be easily reached via a link in the footer of every page.

Consistent navigation on every web page is a good practice, but it can present some accessibility challenges. Users with visual impairments browsing the web using a screen-reader may have to hear the same header and navigation links over and over again on every page they visit. Users that cannot use a mouse due to mobility impairments may be using the tab key to tab through all the navigation links on a page.

To understand the challenges faced by a user who has a mobility impairment, try navigating your favorite web sites without using your mouse. Instead, use only the keys on your keyboard to operate your web browser. You will quickly see how frustrating navigating websites can be.

The solution to this problem is simple yet extremely effective. Provide a "skip navigation" link to skip over header and navigation links will help users with this. For example, the website of the U.S. Geological Survey has a "navigation" link in the header of every page that allows the user to skip navigation links altogether.

• Make forms accessible. Inaccessible forms are a common cause for websites failing to meet the Section 508 requirements. A web form that looks great online may be confusing to someone listening to it when using a screen reader. To correct this problem, use the "label" tag to associate form fields with their labels. Group the form fields so that they make sense when heard using a screen-browser. Some web forms may be difficult to navigate for someone who cannot use a mouse. Use "Tabindex" attributes to set the tab order of the form fields.
  
  
• Define access keys. Keyboard access is important for users who cannot use a pointing device, such as a mouse. Access keys are essentially keyboard shortcuts that give a user quick and easy access to different sections of the website. You can define access keys for important or popular pages of your website. Here is a suggested scheme:
  
  Access key 1 = Home page
  Access key 2 = Skip navigation
  Access key 8 = Site map (or Search page)
  Access key 9 = Feedback
  Access key 0 = Accessibility statement
  Site-wide access keys are easy to implement and benefit all users. The website of the Southern California Compass project assigns access keys to frequently accessed pages of the website. (Disclosure: Urban Insight, the firm for which we work, was hired to develop this website.)
  
  
• Add an accessibility statement. This is probably the easiest step to take. An "accessibility statement" is a web page that clearly outlines the accessibility measures implemented on the website. List the accessibility standards met by the website. If you have defined "access keys" for the website, you can list them on this page. If you use any additional technologies such as documents in Portable Document Format (PDF) or multimedia content, provide links to necessary tools, browser plug-ins or instructions.

Be honest about which sections of the website may not be accessible. Provide the user with information on how to obtain the inaccessible content in an alternate format. List a phone number or a contact person that users can reach in case they need assistance. Access Washington features a statement that lists the accessibility measures taken by the State of Washington.

In the two years since Section 508 regulations were first implemented, it has become easier to build accessible websites. Professional web development software includes accessibility features. Auditing tools make it possible to test a website for accessibility. But it is up to us to encourage and implement good practices.

Web accessibility is not just a legal requirement for some; it is a smart strategy with benefits for everyone.

Is My Website Accessible? 6 Quick Tests
1. Try browsing your website using only your computer's keyboard. Is it easy to navigate? Can you access all sections of your website?
2. Turn off Javascript in your web browser and then visit your website. Can you still access all sections of your website?
3. Does your website meet the Section 508 guidelines? Check your website's main page in WatchFire's online Bobby tool: www.cast.org/bobby.
4. Does your website use valid HTML? Check your website using W3C's HTML online validator: validator.w3.org.
5. Is your website readable to a person with color-blindness? Find out using VisCheck's online tool: www.vischeck.com/vischeck.
6. How does your website look in a text browser? Find out using LynxViewer: www.delorie.com/web/lynxview.html.

Resources
Introduction to Web Accessibility, WebAIM: www.webaim.org/intro
W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative website: www.w3c.org/wai
Federal IT Accessibility Initiative: www.section508.org
Boston Indicators Project: www:bostonindicators.org
Neighborhood Knowledge California: www.nkca.ucla.edu.
American Planning Association: www.planning.org.
U.S Geological Survey: www.usgs.gov.
Southern California Compass: www.socalcompass.org
Access Washington: access.wa.gov
Macro media Accessibility: www.macromedia.com/accessibility.

Abhijeet Chavan is the Chief Technology Officer of Urban Insight and Managing Editor of PLANetizen. Chris Steins is the organization's Chief Executive Officer and PLANetizen's Editor. Urban Insight, a Los Angeles-based web development firm, offers web accessibility consulting.