Accessibility Information

The Web can present barriers to people with different kinds of disabilities:

People with visual disabilities can have problems with:

• unlabeled graphics, undescribed video
• poorly marked-up tables or frames
• lack of keyboard support or screen reader compatibility

• lack of captioning for audio
• proliferation of text without visual signposts

• lack of keyboard or single-switch support for menu commands

• lack of consistent navigation structure
• overly complex presentation or language
• lack of illustrative non-text materials
• flickering or strobing designs on pages

• use accreditation standards like 'Bobby'
• refer to WIC initiatives
• avoid the heavy use of graphics and animation
• Develop 'Access Keys' to be used by those who find it difficult to use a mouse.

• use of the Web is spreading rapidly into all areas of society
• there are barriers on the Web for many types of disabilities
• millions of people have disabilities that affect access to the Web
• web accessibility has carry-over benefits for other users

But for people with disabilities, it's sometimes a "mixed blessing":

It is displacing traditional sources of information & interaction

• schools, libraries, print materials, discourse of the workplace.
• some of the traditional resources were accessible; some not.

The Web is becoming a key, but sometimes inaccessible, resource for:

• news, information, commerce, entertainment
• classroom education, distance learning
• job searching, and workplace interaction
• civic participation -- laws, voting, government information, services

An accessible Web will mean unprecedented access to information for people with disabilities.