‘Web accessibility is easy’

Approaches to creating accessible web pages

Problem 1: Which level?

• Reaching a basic level of A compliance

• Aiming higher?

Problem 2: web authors don’t understand what they’re doing

• Provide good web authoring tools• Provide validation tools• Provide training• Provide templates or develop/test them with web

authors• Prioritise key areas• Inform HoDs about legal liability issues and make

them aware it is a priority• Any improvement is better than none

Usability vs Accessibility

• No guarantees that an accessible page will be easy to use.

• However, forcing designers/developers to think about their audience’s needs can never be a bad thing surely?

Garbage in, garbage out?

• If we rely on the goodwill of part time web authors with varying skills and time, is it any surprise that the standard is inconsistent?

• Long term issues: professionalisation of web authors, higher status for web-based information

• But in the meantime, we have to make the best of what we have…

• In the real world, we will always have to make some compromises.