HTML and CSS Reference
In-Depth Information
B
APPENDIX
Making the Web
More Accessible
Studies indicate that about 20% of the population has some type of dis-
ability. Many of these disabilities do not affect an individual's ability to
interact with the Web. However, other disabilities can severely affect an
individual's ability to participate in the Web community. For example, on
a news Web site, a blind user could not see the latest headlines. A deaf
user would not be able to hear a news clip embedded in the site's main
page. A user with motor disabilities might not be able to move a mouse
pointer to activate important links featured on the site's home page.
Disabilities that inhibit an individual's ability to use the Web fall
into four main categories:
•
Visual disability:
A visual disability can include complete blind-
ness, color-blindness, or an untreatable visual impairment.
•
Hearing disability:
A hearing disability can include complete deaf-
ness or the inability to distinguish sounds of certain frequencies.
•
Motor disability:
A motor disability can include the inability to use
a mouse, to exhibit fi ne motor control, or to respond in a timely
manner to computer prompts and queries.
•
Cognitive disability:
A cognitive disability can include a learning
disability, attention defi cit disorder, or the inability to focus on
large amounts of information.
While the Web includes some signifi cant obstacles to full use by
disabled people, it also offers the potential for contact with a great
amount of information that is not otherwise cheaply or easily acces-
sible. For example, before the Web, in order to read a newspaper,
a blind person was constrained by the expense of Braille printouts
and audio tapes, as well as the limited availability of sighted people
willing to read the news out loud. As a result, blind people would
often only be able to read newspapers after the news was no longer
new. The Web, however, makes news available in an electronic
format and in real-time. A blind user can use a browser that con-
verts electronic text into speech, known as a
screen reader
, to read
a newspaper Web site. Combined with the Web, screen readers
provide access to a broader array of information than was possible
through Braille publications alone.
“The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of
disability is an essential aspect.”
— Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide Web
STARTING DATA FILES
There are no starting Data Files needed for this appendix.
HTML B1
