+++E-Access Bulletin - Issue 116, August 2009.

A Headstar Publication. http://www.headstar.com/eab/ .

Please forward this free bulletin to others (subscription details at the end). We conform to the accessible Text Email Newsletter (TEN) Standard: http://www.headstar.com/ten/ .

++Special Notice: Future Democracy '09- UK's Leading E-Democracy Conference Is Back - 25 November, Central London http://www.headstar-events.com/edemocracy09/

Contents.

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Registration costs just £195 + VAT for delegates from public sector, educational and voluntary bodies and £295 + VAT for private sector. For more see: http://www.headstar-events.com/edemocracy09/

[Sponsored Notice ends].

++Section One: News.

Contents.

+01: Academic Urges Shift From Accessibility To 'Adaptability'.

An approach to improving web access for people with disabilities based on 'adaptability' rather than 'accessibility' is urged by a leading academic in this month's E-Access Bulletin.

Brian Kelly, UK Web Focus at UKOLN, the national digital library research body based at the University of Bath, says 'adaptability' adopts the UN Convention's view that disability results from the interaction between people with impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinder their participation in society.

"Disability is therefore a social construct and not an attribute of an individual," Kelly says. "In particular, resource accessibility is the matching of a resource to an individual's needs and preferences - and is not an attribute of a resource.

"This is a different philosophy from that which underpins the WAI [World Wide Web consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative] approach, which argues that universal accessibility can be provided by focusing solely on the individual web resource, the tools used to create the resource and the browsers used to access the resource."

The web adaptability approach does not reject the valuable guidelines which have been developed by WAI, Kelly says. "Rather, the approach feels they should be regarded as guidelines which can be helpful in many but not all circumstances. It is essential that the WAI guidelines are used in a pragmatic fashion, and not as a series of inflexible rules."

The adaptability approach focuses on real-world deployment challenges rather than continuing to mandate use of guidelines independent of their context of use, the technical complexities of today's web environment, the rich diversity of uses made of the web and the differing individual users' needs and requirements, he says.

NOTE: For a full report by Brian Kelly on web adaptability versus accessibility see Section Three, this issue.

And you can comment on this story now, on EAB Live: http://www.headstar.com/eablive/?p=319 .

+02: Application Opens Up Twitter To Disabled Users.

Keyboard-accessible links, audio cues and simplified layouts are some of the features present in 'Accessible Twitter', a new application under development to make the popular microblogging service more accessible to disabled users.

Users sign in to the application ( http://www.accessibletwitter.com/ ) with their regular Twitter username and password and are then presented with a tweaked version of the service with improved usability and accessible alternatives to many features.

These include headings and page titles which are designed to work with screen-readers; a large default text size and high colour contrast for easy viewing; and audio cues to alert the user when the character limit of 140 is almost reached when writing a 'tweet'.

The application's creator, US-based web developer and accessibility advocate Dennis Lembree, told E-Access Bulletin he hopes Twitter will eventually incorporate the accessibility features he has highlighted in his work. He is not optimistic this will happen in the near future, however. "I think very gradually [Twitter] may improve, but not [through] anything significant soon. Twitter is happy with other companies and developers using the API [application programming interface] and creating a wide variety of applications."

Lembree said that disabled users of technology were "almost always" overlooked by developers.

Though still in the 'alpha' development stage, Accessible Twitter is currently available for anyone to use and is supported by all major internet browsers. The 'beta' version of the application will include more of Twitter's features which have been adapted to increase their accessibility, including "Open Authentication, uploading photos, and better error handling", said Lembree.

And you can comment on this story now, on EAB Live: http://www.headstar.com/eablive/?p=321 .

+03: Survey Uncovers "Depressing Picture" For Employees.

A low level of accessibility found in internal ICT systems for staff is creating a "depressing picture for employment of people with disabilities", according to a new survey carried out in conjunction with E-Access Bulletin.

The research, conducted by Bloor Research with E-Access Bulletin and Ability Magazine, found private sector organisations have more accessible internal ICT systems than organisations in the public sector, with 44% of private sector companies surveyed having more than 70% of their internal systems accessible, compared with only 29% of public sector bodies surveyed.

Both sectors were asked how this picture is likely to change by the end of 2010. The private sector again came out on top, with 60% of respondents claiming that by the end of 2010 more than 70% of their systems will be accessible, compared to just 44% of public sector organisations.

However, the overall picture is still a gloomy one for the job prospects of disabled workers, the survey finds. "Although there is pressure to improve the internal systems, there will be a large number of systems that are still not accessible in 2011 and this will limit job opportunities," it says.

Despite its shortcoming in internal systems, the public sector was found to have a greater overall level of accessibility in its external systems. These differences are "probably caused by the e-gov pressure for citizen access on the one side and inaccessible internal legacy systems in the public sector on the other," the survey finds.

The full paper with results and conclusions of the survey can be found at: http://fastlink.headstar.com/bloor2 .

And you can comment on this story now, on EAB Live: http://www.headstar.com/eablive/?p=324 .

++News in Brief:

Contents.

+04: Signed Games:

The use of sign language in videogames is being explored through the inclusion of a deaf character in an upcoming instalment of the popular game 'Half-Life 2: Episode Three'. Gabe Newell, co-founder of the game's developers Valve, hosted a recent focus group for deaf gamers, where he said the character's inclusion is "an excuse to build the technology for signing" into a game: http://fastlink.headstar.com/sg1 .

+05: World Nominations:

Global nominations for accessible cultural websites or web-based services are invited in a new international category at this year's Jodi Awards, which reward achievements in accessible digital culture. The awards, whose previous winners include the Tate Modern and British Museum, take place on 2 December, and deadline for nominations is 25 September: http://fastlink.headstar.com/jodi3 .

+06: Techshare Programme:

Richard Schwerdtfeger, chair of IBM's Accessibility Architecture Review Board, and Cynthia Waddell, executive director of the International Center for Disability Resources on the Internet, are the keynote speakers for Techshare 2009, an event which explores digital technology for disabled users. Topics to be covered at the event - hosted by the Royal National Institute of Blind People in London 16-18 September - include web accessibility, e- learning and mobile devices: http://www.techshare.org.uk .

[Section One ends].

++Sponsored Notice: Accessify Forum- Six Years of Accessibility Discussion.

Contents.

Accessify Forum has been the number one destination for accessibility discussion on the web for nearly six years. Celebrating our sixth birthday next month, you'll find discussion of accessibility at all levels, from beginner to guru.

The site has recently been redesigned and the forum system improved. This is still ongoing and you can join in the discussions.

So whether you're looking to learn more about accessibility, want to help others and improve on your own knowledge, or just to browse the archives, come and join us at: http://www.accessifyforum.com/

[Special notice ends].

++Section Two: 'The Inbox'- Readers' Forum.

Contents.

Please email all contributions or responses to: inbox@headstar.com .

+07: Tactile Culture:

In last month's issue reader Margot Whitfield of the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada asked about information on tactile access to cultural exhibits.

Stefanie Armbrust of the UK's Office for Disability Issues says: "I know that the British Museum ( http://www.britishmuseum.org/ ) does touch tours and handling sessions".

And Rachel Ethier Rosenbaum, President of The Carroll Center for the Blind in Newton, Massachusetts and regular correspondent to E- Access Bulletin, says: "We at the Carroll Center worked extensively with the museums in Boston in the 1970s and 1980s to create accessible opportunities to blinded persons, using gloves to touch sculptures etc.

"Ellie Rubin at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) took this to heart and implemented a good system . . . I do not know if they have continued to provide these tactile experiences. You can check with them. We also worked with the Museum of Science in Cambridge."

After checking with the MFA at Rachel's suggestion, we received a prompt response from Hannah Goodwin, Manager of Accessibility. She writes: "The program here at the MFA for people who are blind or have low vision is alive and well...and expanding. We access all of the collections and temporary exhibits, working with all art, including that which cannot be touched.

"We have regular partnerships with a few groups, and have irregular visits from other groups, and lots of individuals, including visitors who have become members. We have a few volunteers who are blind. We try really hard to make sure our members' events and all of our family programs are fully inclusive."

[Further responses please to inbox@headstar.com].

+08: Museum Challenge:

As a follow-up query on access to museums, Linda Woodbury of San Diego, California writes: "If anyone has information on audible descriptive services in museums, will you publish that. . . certainly not the type that a sighted person listens to as he or she walks around. Instead, [I am looking for] in depth descriptions of paintings etc.

"I live in a city with many, many museums, boasting of 'best practices' and 'must-see exhibits'. Yet, it's not an option for me as a totally blind individual to enjoy a day (even the 'free Tuesdays') due to lack of access."

[Responses please to inbox@headstar.com].

+09: TV Input:

Also in last month's issue, Flávia Oliveira Machado, a degree student from Brazil, wrote to ask for input with her dissertation about TV audio description.

Rachel Ethier Rosenbaum of The Carroll Center for the Blind (see 'Tactile Culture', above) says: "The American Foundation for the Blind in NY conducted research for the US department of Education on the effectiveness of audio description done by WGBH in Boston with the at least five million Dollars provided to WGBH by the US government."

And Joan Greening, Development Officer, Royal National Institute of Blind People, suggested that Flávia consults the institute's relevant web resources at: www.rnib.org.uk/audiodescription .

[Further responses please to inbox@headstar.com].

+10: BBC Obstacles:

James Wright, a reader from the West Midlands, UK, writes in to ask: "Have you tried the obstacle course of trying to get around the BBC iPlayer? I am amazed at what a maze it is trying to find the correct programme and download it. Even the simpler task of listening to a radio programme can be hit and miss and very daunting to blind people.

"Why is it that these huge corporations seem unable to satisfy the needs of blind and disabled users? It appears that the larger the body, the more difficult they find it to provide easy accessibility. Surely I am not alone, surely there are other blind people out there wrestling with this iPlayer problem.

"I look forward to the day when as well as a link to a contents page there is a link to a blind users' screen-reader page. Is it too much to hope that technology will be able to advance to this aspiration in the not too distant future?"

[Responses please to inbox@headstar.com].

+11: Audiobook Query:

Ken Ingham, President of Amazability in Waban, Massachusetts, is trying to track down a piece of research on audiobooks and reading by audio. He says: "Some time ago I saw a study done in England which indicated that a relatively large percentage - around 18% of the UK population - strongly preferred to read by audio. Reasons beyond visual impairment included other disabilities but also an unwillingness to stare at screens, and so on. Unfortunately, I did not keep a copy and now would like to review it and talk to the authors. Do you know anything about this and, if so, can you let me know where to find the study?"

+12: JAWS Bafflement:

Mark Pimm, a reader from the UK, writes in with a query about using the popular JAWS screen-reader. "I wonder if I could ask a favour: would you be able to suggest a manual (free or even one which you pay for) which explains to blind JAWS users how to access the World Wide Web. I am looking for something very, very simple (I saw some pages on [one] website which left me totally baffled). I wonder if you could suggest something which is easy."

[Responses please to inbox@headstar.com].

[Section Two ends].

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Contents.

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++Section Three: Web Research- Adaptability Versus Accessibility.

Contents.

+13: Time To Be Flexibleby Brian Kelly.

To achieve universal accessibility for their web resources, surely all that organisations need do is implement the international Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) guidelines (in particular the WCAG guidelines for web content)?

Sadly the evidence, such as the recent Better Connected 2009 survey from the local government Society of IT Management ( http://fastlink.headstar.com/so6 ), demonstrates that public sector organisations are failing to implement these guidelines. But rather than calling for a renewed effort to implement the WAI model, perhaps an alternative approach is needed: a move from web accessibility to web adaptability.

This would begin by adopting the UN Convention's view that disability results from the interaction between persons with impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others (see http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=260 ). Disability is therefore a social construct and not an attribute of an individual. In particular, resource accessibility is the matching of a resource to an individual's needs and preferences - and is not an attribute of a resource.

This is a different philosophy from that which underpins the WAI approach, which argues that universal accessibility can be provided by focusing solely on the individual web resource, the tools used to create the resource and the browsers used to access the resource.

The WAI approach does have its merits in a number of areas, such as the simple provision of informational resources. But the approach fails in other areas, such as the development of e-learning services in which the purpose if the service - learning - is not a function of the resource itself, but of the way in which it may be used and experienced. The key aim in this instance would be to ensure that the learning objectives are made accessible and not necessarily the e-learning resources themselves.

This approach leads to the notion of 'blended learning', in which both real world, web-based and other IT solutions may be used to provide an appropriate solution to the end user. And this appropriate solution can reflect the end user's personal preferences and learning styles - an approach which treats the user with disabilities on an equal basis with others, as advocated by the UN Convention's view on disability.

The web adaptability approach builds on our initial work at UKOLN - the national digital library research body based at the University of Bath - in addressing the accessibility of e-learning resources. Our 2004 paper, 'Developing a holistic approach for e-learning accessibility' ( http://fastlink.headstar.com/ukoln1 ), described how it can be applied in other contexts based on four case studies. These cover support for users with learning disabilities, with an approach taken to engage the end users in the design and development of the system; adaptability for the deaf, which illustrates the inappropriateness of the medical model of disabilities which underpins the WAI approach; adaptability in a government context, which examines the challenges of applying best practices when faced with limited resources and timescales; and adaptability and institutional repositories, which recommends an approach based on advocacy and education on ways of enhancing the accessibility of research publications, together with research into innovative ways of enhancing the accessibility of the resources themselves.

It is important to note that the web adaptability approach overall does not reject the valuable guidelines which have been developed by WAI. Rather, the approach feels they should be regarded as guidelines which can be helpful in many but not all circumstances. It is essential that the WAI guidelines are used in a pragmatic fashion, and not as a series of inflexible rules.

The paper concludes by making a case "for the adoption of a web adaptability approach which incorporates previous approaches and, perhaps more importantly, embraces the future, including technical innovations, differing perceptions of what is meant by accessibility and real world deployment challenges."

Isn't this an approach which public sector organisations should be adopting? And in the light of cutbacks in funding for the public sector, isn't it essential that we recognise such real-world deployment challenges rather than continuing to mandate use of guidelines independent of their context of use, the technical complexities of today's web environment, the rich diversity of uses made of the web and the differing individual users' needs and requirements?

NOTE: Brian Kelly is UK Web Focus and Team Leader at UKOLN. He is the lead author of the paper 'From web accessibility to web adaptability' ( http://fastlink.headstar.com/ukoln2 ), published recently in the journal 'Disability and rehability: assistive technology' and summarised on the UK Web Focus blog, where readers can participate in open discussion: http://fastlink.headstar.com/ukoln3 . And for further details of the adaptability approach, related papers can be found at: http://fastlink.headstar.com/ukoln4 .

And you can comment on this story now, on EAB Live: http://www.headstar.com/eablive/?p=327

[Section Three ends].

++Special Notice: Fortune Cookie- Web Sites That Really Work.

Contents.

Fortune Cookie's dedicated web accessibility team makes sure that everyone finds the web sites we design easy to use. As well as being accessible, Fortune Cookie sites are beautiful and deliver stunning return-on-investment. They're award-winning too. In 2007, our work was nominated for major web design awards 11 times.

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Every business can benefit from making its web site more accessible. If you'd like to know what accessibility can do for your business, talk to Fortune Cookie.

Visit our web site at: http://www.fortunecookie.co.uk

Julie Howell is our Director of Accessibility. Email Julie at: Julie.Howell@fortunecookie.co.uk .

[Special notice ends].

++End Notes.

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