Web Access Centre Blog

CAPTCHA’s and accessibility have been hotly debated in newsgroups, the press and also recently brought up on this blog. Many people are feeling marginalised by their use and frustrated at not being able to access the online services they want. Facebook, for example, has in the past made heavy use of CAPTCHA even once you’re logged in (and it is rumoured to be reinstated). Google also uses CAPTCHA although they have looked into providing audio alternatives to the visual CAPTCHA (at the time of writing however two people have reported that the audio has not been working). These are two of the fastest growing Internet companies on the web today who are setting precedents of how web pages are delivered.

This article looks at what CAPTCHA is, what it is for, problems and possible solutions. Continue Reading »

One of the joys of doing the Better Connected accessibility assessments, is the chance they give us to see how much residents can do on their local council web sites now. Things are just so much easier for people who don’t find it easy to get down to the council offices, especially for quick tasks like paying bills.

So you can imagine how distressing it is when we have to fail a site because its online payment system won’t function without JavaScript.

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At Techshare 2007 I had the honour of being allowed to speak on one of my hot topics within the field of web accessibility. The presentation, on how to avoid some of the hidden barriers that make web sites difficult for disabled people who don’t have the benefit of screen readers was well received, (phew), and I promised to make it available as a download..

So for those of you who have been expecting it, and anyone else who’s curious, download
Avoid the hidden barriers to accessibility (zip file) 495KB.

Please note: Use Internet Explorer to view the presentation. It refers to issues that don’t affect other browsers. Thanks to Sheena for pointing out that I hadn’t given enough emphasis to this point.

Lastly, many thanks to all of you who attended Techshare 2007, perhaps had no homes to go to, and stayed for my presentation, which was in the last time slot of the last day of the conference.

We were delighted, and honoured, to be announced as the runners up in the Access category in the Nominet Awards coming second to a very deserving Computer Aid International.

While it’s fantastic to be recognised for the work we’ve done, it could not have been achieved without the support of people of all disabilities working with us to help us better understand their needs, as well as our partners and customers; all of whom have contributed to raising the profile of accessibility both within the UK and internationally.

Nominet went looking for examples of British creativity and innovation in use of the Internet. They found a vibrant and thriving scene where a diverse spectrum of stakeholders tackled today’s challenges in innovative ways. We were delighted to receive such high quality entries, across all four categories. Many provided encouraging evidence of creative and determined
attempts to overcome obstacles, and demonstrated flexibility in providing adaptable solutions that delivered significant benefits for users.

Of RNIB specifically they said:

The RNIB has always held accessibility at the heart of its strategy and, over the past seven years since its inception, its Web Accessibility Team has achieved international recognition and respect. The team offers a wide range of services from research and development of web accessibility to provision of a commercial expert consultancy service that assists business to develop and maintain accessible web sites to recognised standards.

The RNIB has developed creative solutions to the challenges of making web sites accessible to the blind and partially sighted and striven to share these with others. Examples of these initiatives include its Web Access Centre, a free online resource about making web sites accessible that provides advice on current best practice, and its ‘Booksite’, an innovative web platform for delivering talking books, magazines and newspapers.

As well as these practical solutions, the RNIB’s entry demonstrated excellent proactive work with key stakeholders worldwide, with results that are far-reaching in terms of decision-making and standards setting. The judges commended RNIB for its ‘universal design for all’ message and
commented that RNIB has a record of undertaking solid hard work that is effective at both the policy and practical level.

Amongst many things the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities focuses on access to information (Article 10 and 21). Two weeks ago at Techshare the RNIB hosted a UN Round Table to look at the Convention on the Rights or Persons with Disabilities, accessibility and the law in the UK and examples of best practice. The Global Initiative for accessible ICT (G3ICT), the UN working Group promoting the Convention and gathering information from around the world, has published a handbook that looks at aspects of accessibility to information including case studies and trends from around the world.

The UN will be publishing a White Paper that discusses some of the topics discussed at the Round Table including how the Convention but in the meantime they have published a handbook on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities based on information they have researched and analysed in the last few months.

Below is the press release about the handbook, there are no details of where you can get a copy but I will post about these as soon as I have them. Updated: a copy of the UN Handbook can be downloaded from here

Aiming to help lawmakers better understand the new Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol, the main United Nations human rights office and its partners today launched a handbook on the treaty’s provisions.

“I hope that the Handbook, in addition to raising awareness, will foster the speedy ratification of the Convention so to end the protection vacuum that has, in practice, affected persons with disabilities,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour.

With 650 million persons with disabilities worldwide, the new guide aims to help address the marginalization that so many have suffered worldwide, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a news release.

Produced by OHCHR along with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs, the handbook allows legislators to become more familiar with the Convention and provides them with the tools to facilitate its ratification.

“This Handbook is our contribution to help bring down barriers, remove prejudices, and outlaw discrimination in the area of disability,” said IPU Secretary General Anders B. Johnsson.

The English version of the Handbook was launched today before some 600 legislators attending the a meeting of the IPU Assembly in Geneva.

The Convention and its Protocol were adopted by the General Assembly in December 2006.

Earlier this year, Bim wrote very eloquently on the subject of Too much accessibility: TITLE attributes, which, if you haven’t read it, or don’t remember what it says, is worth taking a couple of minutes to read over.

In the run up to the annual Better Connected survey, I thought it was worth a quick reminder of the issues, and a few top tips to help you make sure you’re not straying off the accessibility path.

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We’re looking for two Web Accessibility Consultants to join out busy team. The deadline for applications has now been extended to 16th October. Read more about the job description and how to apply.

Early in Spetember I presented at the Irish Design for All e-Accessibility Network on accessibility and AJAX. It was a great opportunity to meet people and discuss issues as well as a chance to listen to presentations given by Steve Faulkner from The Paciello Group, Joshue O’Conner from National Council for the Blind of Ireland and Des Traynor from iQcontent.

I was going to forward the presentation to the delegates and thought I may as well also post it here as well. Read the presentation on screen or get the full text transcript here.

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