Can you read this? Accessibility and Public Library websites

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Can you read this? Accessibility and Public
Library websites

• Penny Garrod
• UKOLN
• University of Bath
• Bath, BA2 7AY

Email p.garrod_at_ukoln.ac.uk URL http//www.ukoln.ac
.uk/
UKOLN is supported by
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Contents

• brief introduction to UKOLN
• the Public library agenda
• - Lifelong Learning ICT skills social
  inclusion UKonline centres digitisation
  projects
• accessibility and usability why they matter
• compliance with standards
• - tools to gauge web site accessibility
• survey findings
• conclusions

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UKOLN

• national focus of expertise in digital
  information management
• based at the University of Bath
• funded by JISC (HE and FE sector) and Resource
  The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries,
  together with project funding (e.g. EU and JISC)
• around 27 staff
• carries out applied research (e.g. in metadata),
  software development and provides policy and
  advisory services

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Public Library Networking Focus

• My role
• to contribute to strategic, policy-making,
  awareness-raising and development activities in
  the area of public library networking and
  lifelong learning.

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Background - connecting up Public Libraries
CALL- Community Access to Lifelong Learning
Programme NOF funding - 230 million
Peoples Network Programme ICT infrastructure-
managed by Resource NOF funding - 100 million
NOF staff training Programme 20 million
NOF Digitise Programme 50 million
Bill Melissa Gates donation 4 million
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Why Public Libraries

• 2005 - Governments commitment to get all UK
  citizens online
• Peoples Network all public libraries to have
  Internet ICT learning facilities by end of 2002
  70 now online
• Social inclusion and learning agendas
• PLs now street corner universities UKonline
  and Learndirect centresaccess to national
  resources Community Grids for Learning
• e-Citizenship e-local government
• empower local populations (ICT skillsjobs)
• engagement in local/national politics
• www.peoplesnetwork.gov.uk

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Web accessibility a brief overview

• the Web was designed as a visual medium
• the Web is a democratising medium
• the web is about content and accessing that
  content using technology - therefore
• 1. the technology must be accessible
• e.g. hardware Operating Systems descriptive
  URIs Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs, aka
  URLs) browsers adaptive technologies
  connection speeds (uploading and downloading)
  etc.
• the content must be accessible
• e.g. easy to navigate well-structured concise
  easy to understand easy to locate using search
  engines Universal Design adhere to standards

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The case for Universal Design

• RNIB states that accessibility should be
  incorporated into design brief (as requirement)
  when tendering for website development
• Georgia State University, USA
• We are currently building a new economy, a new
  government, a new society that is based around
  the Internet. How ironic it would be if the
  foundation stones don't include accessibility,
  and then when we need it in our old age -- we
  can't access it? The access you ensure today may
  be your own, tomorrow!
• http//www.gsu.edu/wwwdls/show_case/Presentations
  /universal_design.html

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APLAWS initiative

• Accessible Personalised Local Authority
  Websites
• London-based consortium of councils
• To develop a content management system to
  standardise the way content is laid out and
  navigated on council web sites
• Pathfinder project working towards all services
  online by 2005
• http//www.aplaws.org.uk

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Accessibility standards and guidelines. Is
there a consensus?

• Use W3C WAI (Web Accessibility Initiative)
  Guidelines http//www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/
• Use HTML validation service http//validator.w3.o
  rg/
• Aim for Universal Design or design for all
• Aim for W3C Double A conformance aim to meet
  Priority One and Two guidelines for accessibility
• Use Bobby for automated checking of pages

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Best Practice manual www.nlbuk.org
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Web-based tools the WAVE

• Pennsylvanias Initiative on Assistive Technology
  from
• http//www.temple.edu/inst_disabilities/piat/wave
• cannot tell you if page is accessible - no tool
  can
• adds icons and text to help you judge if page is
  accessible provides information to help you
  exercise judgment
• downloadable tutorial
• Incorporates browser check e.g.
• I'm using a recent browser (Internet Explorer
  5, Navigator 6, Opera 4 or higher)
• Analyze No-Frame Version
• Downloadable Wave button (like Google)

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Web-based tools Bobby

• from http//www.cast.org/bobby/
• Offers choice of guidelines
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
• from the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
  World Wide Web Consortium ( W3C)
• Section 508 guidelines developed by the U.S.
  Federal Government.
• Select the WAI/W3C guidelines

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www.ukonline.gov.uk
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www.ukonline.gov.uk - normal view
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Easy access version of UKonline
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Results of recent UKOLN benchmarking survey

• Bobby (accessibility compliance)
• undertaken on 23 April 2002 by Brian Kelly, UKOLN
  Web Focus
• sample taken from SPIN SOCITM Website awards,
  2001
• 18 Local Authority entry level pages analysed for
  accessibility (5 x England 5 x Scotland 4 x
  Wales 4 x N. Ireland)
• Priority 1 (P1) errors one site had NONE two
  sites had 5 P1 errors one had 6 P1 errors
• Priority 2 (P2) errors ranged from 1 - 4 errors
  average P2 errors 2.4
• See http//www.ukoln.ac.auk/web-focus/events/conf
  erences/spin-2002/

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Guidelines and resources

• Techdis http//www.techdis.ac.uk/ for HE
  community but useful stuff e.g.
• How People with disabilities use the web
• http//www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-Use-Web/Overvi
  ew.html
• RNIB guidelines See it right campaign
• NLB website http//www.nlbuk.org/
• Best practice manual
• Jakob Nielsen (2000) Designing Web usability
  the practice of simplicity. Indianapolis, Ind.
  New Riders.
• Lynx view www.delorie.com/web/lynxview.html

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IDeA website viewed through Lynxviewer
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Any questions?
'image www.freeimages.co.uk'