The Other Web Accessibility 2.0

There is plenty of discussion happening on the upcoming version 2.0 of the WCAG. Fortunately, there has also been some good discussion regarding impact of the Web 2.0-volution on accessibility. The rush to ajaxify user interactions and the opening of the floodgates of user contributed floodgates has not necessarily been a good thing for accessibility.

Bruce Lawson noted his concerns back in 2005:

I also worry about accessibility. It strikes me that people are so busy adding extra Ajax loveliness that the separatestripped-down “html-only” versions they offer are unthinkingly accepted as a legitimate sop to people with disabilities. We reject separate “text-only sites” in Web 1.0 ; why should we accept them in “Web 2.0″?

Roger Johansson echoes those sentiments (with some good commentary from his readers):

There is some truth to Bruce’s observations, and it would be a sad step backwards if the perceived coolness of “Web 2.0” brings back the old days of non-graceful degradation.

Ian Lloyd comments with a post titled, AJAX, Accessibility & Screen Readers:

There’s something of an oxymoron going on there in the heading. Can you spot it? The words ‘accessibility’ and ‘AJAX’. They really are not the best of bed fellows, as many people have discovered.

Joe Clark provided notes from a presentation titled Build Half a Product: Is Ajax accessible? At all?, including the results of some usability tests on popular Web 2.0 application Basecamp.

There’s more where all of that came from:

• AJAX and Screenreaders: When Can it Work? by James Edwards,
• AJAX Accessibility Overview from Becky Gibson,
• AJAX and Accessibility from Peter Krantz,
• Is AJAX Accessibility a major issue? by Chris Cornutt (also note some of the other posts in their accessibility category),
• Web 2.0: A step backwards for accessibility? by Cath Everett, and
• Developers Working to Overcome AJAX Accessibility Issues by Darryl K. Taft.

Everyone seems to agree that there is a problem. Fortunately there are also some great resources to set you in the right direction if you are working to create an accessible Web 2.0 application:

• Accessibility of AJAX Applications from WebAIM,
• Web 2.0 & Accessibility for Disabled Users by Kath Moonan,
• Accessible Web 2.0 Applications with WAI‑ARIA by Martin Kliehm, and
• a great list of other resources from Max Kiesler (via findability).

In this outdated comment on Bruce Lawson’s above post, someone from Wild Apricot states:

Unfortunately, we could not afford to make the system backend support all the accessibility standards because it would mean two or three times more coding (not 10% or 25% – and I am NOT exaggerating). Creating interactive AND usable interfaces is very hard – and I do not know if many developers can manage to do it on their own. Development frameworks and browsers have to help too.

What is your experience in developing accessible Web 2.0 sites or applications? What AJAX/Javascript frameworks do you use that encourage accessible best practices? What are some good examples of accessible Web 2.0 experiences?

Where to Discuss Accessibility- Forums, Mailing Lists and Blogs

Let’s say that you have a burning accessibility question that you are dying to ask someone and your roommate/spouse/pet are no help at all- where do you go? Here are a few good places to start:

• Accessify Forums from the good folks at Accessify. The forum has been around since August of 2003 and has over 6000 members and more than 50,000 posts. If your question hasn’t already been asked and answered, chances are there is someone hanging out over there who can answer it. The topics range from beginner to expert and runs on a modified version of phpBB.
• Web Accessibility E-mail Discussion List from WebAIM. The list archives show that the first posts showed up in November of 2003 and there have been hundreds of posts since then, with over 1400 posts that include “pdf” alone! If you are not a listserv person, you can also use their WebAIM Accessibility Forums running on PunBB.
  (Update 9/13 The WebAIM List started in 1999)
• The Guild of Accessible Web Developers offers a few methods of communication, but they are primarily off-limits to anyone who is not a member. GAWDS has an IRC channel #gawds on irc.freenode.net as well as a forum and mailing list that are both for members only. I am not a member, so I don’t know how much any of these are used- anyone have more information on any of these resources?
• The UACCESS-L listserv from the Trace Center is perhaps more general as a “discussion of universal access to information systems” list with posts in the archive going back to December of 1998. They also have a separate Section 508 listserv.
• The Web Accessibility Initiative Interest Group (WAI IG) mailing list may not be for everyone, but the archives there go back to April of 1997 with thousands of posts. The WAI also has a number of other groups, including the WCAG Working Group.

If none of those suit your fancy, there are a few other options. Some of the largest web developer communities have forums specifically for accessibility issues, such as the accessibility and usability forum at the Webmaster World and the accessibility forum at Webdeveloper.com. Even if there isn’t a specific forum at your favorite web development form, people are likely still talking about accessibility (from Dev Shed).

Also, while you may not be able to initiate the discussion, there are always lots of great discussions happening at your favorite accessibility blog (thanks Jared) or web magazine.

If you are looking for a more specific category of accessibility, it may be out there somewhere as well. For examples, check out the fairly active Yahoo! Group on Captioning or the Java Access listserv from Sun Microsystems. Similarly, there are a number discussion lists and forums that are specific to a disability population, such as the Computer Use by and for the Blind list

Lastly, don’t miss out on any local groups. There are a number of university and government organizations that provide venues to discuss accessibility issues with people in your own backyard- anyone from the Phillipines?

Where do you go to ask that burning accessibility question?

10 Reasons People Care About Accessibility

I don’t know why you are reading this blog, but I there are a number of reasons that people become interested in accessibility issues. Do any of the below categories sound familiar to you or maybe someone you have worked with? Presented with no authority and in no particular order:

Why do you care about accessibility?

1. Following the Crowd. My favorite A-list blogger keeps talking about accessibility and I don’t want to be left behind.
2. Curiosity Killed the Cat. Enough about alt tags already, what’s the big deal with accessibility?
3. Working for a Living. My boss cares and therefore so do I.
4. The Plaintiff will now Approach the Bench. The lawyer guy keeps telling me that I need to care about accessibility.
5. Me, Myself and I. I have a disability- I create accessible sites so that I can use them.
6. We are Family. I have a family member/friend with a disability.
7. We are the World. You know, “It’s true we’ll make a better day. Just you and me”.
8. Powerful Market Forces. Why on earth would I make my site harder for customers to use?
9. Pride cometh Before the Fall Of course my site is accessible, it also validates as XHTML Strict, I have never used a table in my life and I read W3C meeting minutes for fun.
10. I don’t. Oh, okay- fine. (there- that makes 10).

Any others you would add to the list?

As long as a web developer is motivated to create an accessible site, does it matter what their motivation is?