Will I be able to surf when I’m seventy?

I can’t imagine life without surfing. I can accept that I may not be in peek physical condition to hop on a surf board and check out the waves when I’m seventy but not being able to surf the web would be a real blow.

Since publication of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines in 1999 by the Web Accessibility Initiative people have talked about access to goods and services online for disabled people but one major group that has not really been discussed are the elderly. There is a huge cross over between the problems both these groups face and one that needs to be given more attention.

Ageing is inevitable. With that comes gradual deterioration of senses that were otherwise ok. Many of us will experience deteriorating eyesight, gradual loss of hearing, arthritis or similar physical impairments and changes in perception and cognition all of which result in everyday tasks such as surfing becoming less straight forward.

To date there has been some research into the affects of ageing but no one place where research has been collated and reviewed. The WAI-AGE Project (Ageing Education and Harmonisation) aims to address this by education and outreach regarding the requirements of people with Web accessibility needs related to ageing. WAI-AGE is a European Commission IST Specific Support Action with the goal of increasing accessibility of the Web for the elderly as well as for people with disabilities in European Union Member States.

One of the WAI-AGE’s first deliverables is Web Accessibility for Older Users: A Literature Review, which was published on 14 March as a First Public Working Draft. WAI is currently asking for people to review this draft and submit any comments by 4 June 2008, if possible.

The work doesn’t stop there however and WAI is interested in hearing from anyone who would like to joint the WAI-AGE Task Force.

The web is an open forum and one that we all have a vested interest in. If you want to protect your right to surf when you’re seventy I can think of no better way of getting involved.