1. Boosting New Media AccessibilityDr Scott HOLLIER Presentation for Web Directions South 2009

2. Who is Media Access Australia?

Not-for-profit organisation addressing access issues in:

• TV

• Cinema

• DVD

• Education

• New Media

Access issues include captioning, audio description, computer-related and Internet-related access issues

3. Who am I?

Professional:

• Project Manager New Media, Media Access Australia

• Advisory Committee member of the W3C

Academic: PhD thesis examined ways to make computers and the Internet more accessible to people with disabilities

Personal: Legally blind, first-hand knowledge of access issues

4. Introduction

Why should you care for the IT needs of people with disabilities?

Brief history of access: benefits and barriers

User perspective: how do people with disabilities use computers and the Internet?

Developer perspective: W3C, WCAG 2.0 and ATAG 2.0 (draft)

Online video: perception and the reality

How MAA can support your development projects

5. What is new media?

New Media used to be about the emergence of digital technologies: now its about convergence

MAA looks at new media in terms of usability and accessibility

Usability is generally associated with intuitiveness and ease of use.

Accessibility focuses on application and design issues specifically for people with disabilities.Usability is an important part of accessibility

6. Cases for accessibility

Moral/Social case: care for others in society, good thing to do

Educational case: accessible online resources leads to improved educational opportunities, then to a reductions in unemployment and poverty

Corporate case: inaccessibility may prevent customers from purchasing goods and services

Legal case: danger of being sued if accessibility not considered (SOCOG, Target USA, HSBC)

7. Brief history of access

For the mainstream population, Internet was viewed primarily as an information and communication resource

For people with disabilities, Internet was viewed as a gateway to independence

8. Where we are

Today, both mainstream and people with disabilities view the Internet as an essential service due to:

• Choice of media type: text, audio and video on demand

• Real-time information delivery: Internet TV and radio

• Real-time AV communication: Skype

• Collaboration: Cloud computing and social networking

9. Access issues

Although these products sound great, people with disabilities are 18% less likely to have any form of Internet access in the home.Issues include:

• Broadband access remains poor

• • 70% of the population

• • 30% of people with core disabilities

• Website accessibility issues (social networking)

10. Access issues

• Limited captioning and audio description availability

• Cloud computing:some good hardware options (netbooks) but still access issues with phones/PDAs/online applications and OS.

11. Why your work is important

Initial premise of PhD study: people with disabilities are not using the Internet as much as the able-bodied population because they try to access computers and the Internet, but give up after running into barriers.

Was this true?

12. Why your work is important

No!

People surveyed were aware of importance of IT and highly knowledgeable

Although there were barriers, they dont give up and continue to fight for access

How to resolve:

• Communication and engagement between developers and the end user is the key

• Improvements to policy and legislative frameworks

13. User experience

Today, people with disabilities generally use assistive technologies to help use a computer

Assistive Technology is the practical implementation of technology to support and help people

OS contains many tools, but additional products often required for full featured access

AT software costs about $1200-$2000

14. Windows XP/Vista features

Change the icon and text size

Adjust cursor width and blink rate

Toggle Keys

Mouse pointer size and movement

Mouse Lock and Toggle Keys

Change the colour scheme to high contrast

Show Sounds

On-screen keyboard

Magnifier

Narrator

15. Additional Windows products

Screen reader (JAWS, Window Eyes)

Screen magnifier (ZoomText, MAGic)

16. Mac features

Improvements over Windows XP/Vista:

Improved screen reader VoiceOver

Full-screen Zoom feature

Braille display support

However

VoiceOver doesnt work with the Office suite (only works with Cocoa apps)

Hit-and-miss with Safari, although improved with Snow Leopard

17. Whats changing?

Mainstream options reducing the need for expensive assistive technology products

Windows 7:

• Full screen magnifier

• Predictive text in on-screen keyboard

• Works well on netbooks

Free screen readers: WebAnywhere, NVDA

Netbooks becoming 3G and touch-capable

Reliance on collaboration and the cloud

iPhone 3GS with VoiceOver now an option

18. Web development

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) formed by Tim Berners-Leein 1992

Initially inaccessible as AT products couldnt read out graphics

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 published in 1999, became definitive standard for web accessibility

65 checkpoints across three Priority levels

19. WCAG 2.0

Original WCAG very HTML-specific, became rapidly outdated

In 2001, WCAG 2.0 working group formed

Shift in focus from developer code compliance to user task achievement

20. WCAG 2.0 controversy

Development process went for seven long years:

• To Hell With WCAG 2: a frustrated Joe Clark felt that 165 pages for the easy to understand manual was too obscure, vague, and a backwards step

• To Hell With Joe Clark by Martin Kliehm felt that WCAG 2.0 simplified the issues, provided achievable goals and better supported new web technologies

21. WCAG 2.0

Released in December 2008

Although WCAG 1.0 still used in Australia, 2.0 quickly adopted in US, EU

Based around four POUR design principles:

• Perceivable (adjustable)

• Operable (finding what you want)

• Understandable (content)

• Robust: (other technologies)

22. WCAG 2.0

Perceivable:

Provide text alternatives for non-text content.

Provide captions and alternatives for audio and video content.

Make content adaptable; and make it available to assistive technologies.

Use sufficient contrast to make things easy to see and hear.

23. WCAG 2.0

Operable:

Make all functionality keyboard accessible.

Give users enough time to read and use content.

Do not use content that causes seizures.

Help users navigate and find content.

24. WCAG 2.0

Understandable:

Make text readable and understandable.

Make content appear and operate in predictable ways.

Help users avoid and correct mistakes.

Robust:

Maximize compatibility with current and future technologies.

25. Application development

W3C also provides the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines

ATAG 2.0 supports WCAG 2.0, but still in draft

Two parts:

• PART A: Make the authoring tool user interface accessible

• PART B: Support the production of accessible content

26. ATAG 2.0 (draft)

PART A: Make the authoring tool user interface accessible

• Authoring tool user interfaces must follow applicable accessibility guidelines

• Editing views must be perceivable

• Editing views must be operable

• Editing views must be understandable

27. ATAG 2.0 (draft)

PART B: Support the production of accessible content

• Production of accessible content must be enabled

• Authors must be supported in the production of accessible content

• Accessibility solutions must be promoted and integrated

28. Online video

Most online video lacks accessibility features

Many arguments as to why its not possible

Perception and reality are different

29. Online video

The perception:

The technology cant support closed captions or audio description.

30. Online video

The reality:

Flash, Windows Media, Real, QuickTime and open standards all support closed captions.Internet Captioning Forum:http://ncam.wgbh.org/icf/tech.php

Only Windows Media doesnt support multiple audio tracks for AD, but Microsoft have released AMP to resolve this:http://www.codeplex.com/amp

31. Online video

The perception:

Its all too hard and time-consuming.

32. Online video

The reality:

CaptionTube: an easy way to caption YouTube clipshttp://captiontube.appspot.com

Captions can be saved back onto local machine, dont have to be put on YouTube

If uploaded to YouTube, captions can be translated in real-time to different languages

33. Online video

The perception:

Theres no point:hardly anyone is captioning online, and online audio description is like the Yeti: you hear about it but no one's ever seen it.

34. Online video

The reality:

BBC iPlayer now features both closed captions and audio description

In a nutshell: if TV shows are already captioned, it can be easily included online

HTML 5 info in Silvias presentation up next

35. AWARe

AWARe: Australian Web Access Review

5 websites per month for testing

Answer some simple questions

MAA will take data to government, industry to create change

Forum to discuss access issues

http://www.aware.org.au

36. Addressing the issues

AWARe home page:

37. Addressing the issues

AWARe Participate section

38. Further information

Large collection of web resources:www.mediaaccess.org.au/newmedia

Advice is free

E-mail:[email_address]

Phone: (02) 9212 6242