managing the process of providing an inclusive institutional web presence: workshop

Managing the Process of Providing an Inclusive Institutional Web Presence: Workshop

David Sloan@sloandr 19th June 2012

IWMW 2012Edinburgh

Image credit: Flickr user emmarhttp://goo.gl/Fmeyu

Aims and outcomes

• For you as workshop participants– To learn more about current practice in Web

Accessibility Policy across UK HEIs– To learn more about BS8878– To appreciate the opportunities that BS8878 might

offer in supporting improved institutional Web Accessibility Policy, and the barriers to effective adoption

David Sloan, 19 June 2012 2

Aims and outcomes

• For me as facilitator:– To share the perspective of an accessibility

researcher and accessibility advocate in a UK HEI.– To understand more about current practice in Web

Accessibility Policy across UK HEIs (data gathering)– To discuss the opportunities that BS8878 might

offer in supporting improved institutional Web Accessibility Policy, and the barriers that HEI representatives to effective adoption


Outline of the session

1. What is the current nature of web accessibility policy in HEIs? (15 minutes)

2. What is BS8878? (15 minutes)3. Applying BS8878 in practice (40 minutes)4. Discussing the applicability of BS8878 to

developing and implementing institutional web accessibility policy (20 minutes)


Workshop output

• (with your permission!) a public account of what we’ve found out and what we discussed


1. INSTITUTIONAL WEB ACCESSIBILITY POLICY – WHERE ARE WE?


Does your institution have a web accessibility policy?

• Yes 53% (8)• No, there is no institution-wide Web accessibility

policy 7% (1)• No, but web accessibility is included in a wider ICT

accessibility policy 13% (2)• No, web accessibility policy is devolved to

college/school/department level 0%• Don’t know 20% (3)


What’s in your web accessibility policy?• Accessibility levels that should be reached by published web content:

100% (10)• Process for evaluating accessibility of existing web resources: 40% (4)• Process for dealing with existing web resources that do not meet a

specified level of accessibility: 40% (4)• Training in accessibility for people who produce institutional web

content: 30% (3)• Training in accessibility for people who manage the production of

institutional web content: 20% (2)• Consideration of accessibility in procurement or commissioning of

web content publishing systems: 20% (2)• Consideration of accessibility in procurement or commissioning of

new web resources: 10% (1)


To what extent are you aware of BS8878?

• Never heard of it: 13% (2)• Heard of it but not sure what it covers: 27%

(4)• Have a reasonable idea of what it covers, but

haven’t read the standard itself: 33% (5)• Have read the standard: 20% (3)


To the best of your knowledge, which of the following best describes your

organisation’s use of BS8878?• BS8878 has been adopted as formal organisational web

accessibility policy: 7% (1)• BS8878 has been used for guidance when developing formal

organisational web accessibility policy: 7% (1)• BS8878 has been mentioned in discussions on implementing

or changing formal organisational web accessibility policy: 20% (3)

• BS8878 has never been discussed in relation to formal organisational web accessibility policy: 27% (4)

• Other: 40% (6)


2. AN OVERVIEW OF BS 8878


BS 8878:2010 – a brief history

• Published Dec 2010, replacing PAS 78• Available to purchase from BSI or from public

libraries• Intended to complement technical standards

for web accessibility– Focusing on process of creating accessible web

resources– And on effectively documenting this process


BS 8878:2010 – aims

• Aims to help organisations who create web products make informed decisions on accessibility:– Understand how to create and implement effective

organisational accessibility policy– Include the needs of disabled and older people throughout

the web production process

• Audience:– Senior management, managers responsible for equality &

inclusion (e.g. HR, CSR), procurement managers, web production teams, web content managers/authors, educators in web authoring/development,…


BS8878: 16 step process

1. Define the purpose of the web product– Including relationship to any existing non-web

means of accessing a similar service

2. Define the target audiences of the web product– e.g. students, staff, general public, researchers

with specific domain knowledge.

3. Analyse the needs of the target audiences– May be well known, or require research


BS8878: 16 step process4. Note any platform or technology preferences

and restrictions of the web product’s target audiences– e.g. restrictions of a standard desktop,

ability/aptitude to use up-to-date browsers, available assistive technology

5. Define the relationship the product will have with its target audiences– Use of personalisation approaches: user groups or

individuals?



6. Define the user goals and tasks the web product needs to provide– Including priorities and success criteria, and

variations between user groups

7. Consider the degree of user-experience the web product will aim to provide– Technically accessible? Usable? Or satisfying to

use?



8. Consider inclusive design and user-personalized approaches to accessibility– Inclusive design “requires products to be usable

by as many people as reasonable or possible” (pragmatic)

– User-personalising – adaptation or selection from alternatives based on profile information

9. Choose the delivery platforms to support– Desktop, mobile, IDTV,…


BS8878: 16 step process10.Choose the target browsers, operating systems

and assistive technologies to support– Choice will be influenced by factors such as

knowledge of target audience, control, availability

11.Choose whether to create or procure the web product in-house or contract out externally– Establishing whether the supplier can deliver the

demanded level of accessibility


BS8878: 16 step process12.Define the web technologies to be used in

the web product– …considering the accessibility support of the web

technology in question

13.Use web guidelines to direct accessible web production– Selection of appropriate guidelines (e.g. WCAG)

and conformance level


BS8878: 16 step process14.Assure the web product’s accessibility

through production– Defining and implementing an accessibility test

plan and how this relates to overall project plan and decision to launch

15.Communicate the web product’s accessibility decisions at launch– Accessibility statement documenting decision-

making process covered in previous steps


BS8878: 16 step process16.Plan to assure accessibility in all post-launch

updates to the product– Addressing outstanding known accessibility

issues – Collecting and dealing with feedback received

after launch– Ensuring maintenance and update process

address accessibility– On-going testing programme


BS8878 and assuring accessibility through a product’s lifecycle

• BS8878 provides advice on:– Involving older and disabled people in

requirements analysis and establishment– using accessibility guidelines to direct production– implementing an appropriate accessibility test

plan as part of procurement/production– Ensuring accessibility is integrated into

maintenance and update processes


BS8878 – supplementary information

• Disability and relevant legislation• Business case for accessibility• Examples of Web accessibility policies and published

accessibility statements• Allocation of responsibilities across an organisation• Accessibility challenges of different Web products• How people with accessibility needs use the Web• Examples of goals, tasks, “degrees of user experience”;

measuring success criteria• Personalisation and accessibility• Procurement


3. APPLYING BS8878 IN PRACTICE


Activity

• In pairs, take the scenario you have been given, and discuss how a BS8878 approach could help you decide on a set of actions to take to optimise accessibility of the web resource under discussion– 10 minutes to discuss your approach in pairs– 10 minutes plenary discussion per scenario


4. BS8878 AND YOUR INSTITUTION


• What are the opportunities that BS 8878 offers in addressing the challenges of implementing a workable institutional web accessibility policy?

• Are there any areas where it falls short? Is unnecessary? Inappropriate?


Another perspective

Strategic IT Accessibility: Enabling the OrganisationJeff KlineISBN-10: 1936909189


More resources

• Community of Practice: http://www.meetup.com/bs8878-web-accessibility/

• Jonathan Hassell’s BS8878 resources: http://www.hassellinclusion.com/category/bs8878/

• Web 4 All at Univ of Southampton: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/web4all/


http://www.meetup.com/bs8878-web-accessibility/

http://www.meetup.com/bs8878-web-accessibility/

http://www.hassellinclusion.com/category/bs8878/

http://www.hassellinclusion.com/category/bs8878/

http://www.southampton.ac.uk/web4all/

THANKYOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION!

eAccess+ European Accessibility Network: http://www.eaccessplus.eu

email: [email protected]: @sloandrblogs: www.58sound.com --- blog.dundee.ac.uk/eaccessibility

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managing the process of providing an inclusive institutional web presence: workshop

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