A New Age of Accessibility

Library webmasters have struggled to make sites more user-friendly for the disabled since first learning how to use an 'alt' tag. However, conflicting demands have made it difficult to maintain accessibility.

A new set of federal standards may help.

These standards, called Section 508 guidelines, may be a blessing in disguise for those with sites in need of an accessibility overhaul. Not only do the new federal government standards outline a clear blueprint for creating more user-friendly sites, but they can also help you argue for resources, create good policy, and set guiding principles as you move forward with new technologies.

Section 508 falls under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which requires that federal agencies make adjustments for those with visual, audio, mobility, and cognitive impairments, including those who are prone to seizures. The 1998 law specifically applies to electronic information technology. Its main purpose is to create governmentwide accessibility standards for anyone who uses the web or owns software, desktop computers, video and telecommunications products, and other information technology.

How do we create web sites that adhere to Section 508 standards? Keep in mind that small, incremental changes can make a big difference. If, for example, you apply two of the standards to your site each month, you'll have a compliant site in less than a year. You can also focus on fixing the most-used portion of your pages in the first three months, and then work your way through the rest of the site. Most importantly, follow the standards when starting any new pages or web projects.

Since the web is a visual medium, accessibility discussions tend to focus around the visually impaired. But there are many disabilities to consider when designing your site:

Blindness or low vision: These users should be able to read text, not just images, image maps, and tables. Make sure your layout isn't destroyed if the text is enlarged. Maintain contrast, avoid colors as cues for those with color blindness, and don't use frames.

Hearing disabilities: Text-based web sites work well for the deaf or hard of hearing. There is a trend toward using streaming audio and video or interactive applications with sound features that can cause problems for people with hearing disabilities.

Mobility impairments: These users may need devices other than a mouse or a keyboard to surf the web. Some may speak to the computer, while others may use an eye-tracking device combined with a straw in which one can blow to simulate a mouse click or keyboard stroke.

Cognitive impairments: Trouble reading and typing are common but relatively invisible disabilities, and many will need extra time for these tasks. Those with difficulty processing large chunks of text fare better with bulleted lists, graphic illustrations, and short, easy-to-scan paragraphs with large, clear headers. Avoid confusing or poorly presented information.

Seizure disorders: Some flickering images are known to cause seizures.

The good news is that the Section 508 standards are easy to apply if you keep your web site simple. The bad news is that webmasters may have a hard time making their sites Section 508 compliant owing to increasing demand for multimedia presentations, interactive applications, and other complex web projects. HTML was written to present text, and multimedia applications or professional web layout requires advanced skills, especially when accessibility is imperative.

One helpful approach is to educate people about these concerns by holding small workshops, sending e-mail, or raising the issue at relevant meetings. Librarians may get excited about flash animation, and university faculty may get worked up over live streaming video, but it is important to remind people to consider the implications for the disabled.

Some of the demand for fancier, more interactive web sites stems from an underlying philosophical disagreement among webmasters, a rift between those who view the web as a huge but chaotic database of information that needs to be whipped into order and those who see the web as a fledgling multimedia presentation platform.

It's my opinion that information-rich web sites like those created by libraries must err on the side of usability and that presentation does enhance comprehension and learning. In fact, in the case of cognitive disabilities, it may even improve accessibility.

Understanding these disparate ways of viewing the web can help us balance demands. For instance, if library staff want to create a web-based PowerPoint presentation with multimedia components, you'll be qualified to articulate reasons why the presentation needs to be made accessible while also being sensitive as to why they are eager to provide information in a more interesting format than pure text.

There are five key points to convey during such a discussion: 1) according to the Census Bureau, 20 percent of users ages 15 to 64 have some kind of disability; 2) many accessibility guidelines are also good design rules that benefit everyone; 3) unequal access to information for those with disabilities is a civil rights violation; 4) a lawsuit can ensue from failing to provide equal access; and, most importantly 5) librarians have always fought for equal public access to information.

There's a lot you can do to create great accessible web sites for everyone. The standards given to us by Section 508 offer a clear way of providing information for all of our users equally.

Section 508 standards are not the first set of guidelines for web site accessibility. The most well known are those written by the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). What Section 508 adds to the WAI guidelines is a clear, concise, and codified set of standards and a commitment by the federal government to not only comply with these standards but require that vendors do so as well.

The rules apply to federal agencies but may also include public or university libraries that receive state funding. Two major grant programs-the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988 (Tech Act) and the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 (AT Act)-require compliance with Section 508.

However, there are conflicting interpretations of the law. The legal counsel for the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office (CCCCO) and the California State University Chancellor's Office believes that 'without Congressional legislation, the Department of Education lacks authority to compel states to comply with section 508' (www.csus.edu/web/accessibility/CSU_508_memo.htm). On the other hand, the CCCCO states, 'These regulations are applicable to the states by virtue of the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 memo (www.elearn.mtsac.edu/olsc/accessability/508%20Chancellors%20Office.pdf).

No one seems to know whether Section 508 applies to the states, and no one will know definitively until there is case law-which may not happen for years because many such cases are settled out of court. Nevertheless, since universities and public libraries can be sued under the Americans with Disabilities Act, conformity with Section 508 standards for web sites demonstrates our effort to serve all of our patrons equally.