Access Denied?: Disabilities and the Internet

When people talk about "accessibility," there is a tendency to think in physical terms. For example, can a person using an assistive device enter a building easily? Is there a ramp or an elevator?

But what about "virtual accessibility" issues?

The Internet represents one of the most powerful resources at our disposal today. Through it, we can find information on virtually any topic, 24 hours a day, seven days a week - all with a couple of clicks of a mouse.

But for people with disabilities, there can be more to accessing the Internet than just having a computer and a good service provider. The electronic and interactive nature of the Internet creates some unique accessibility issues from a disability standpoint.

For example, Internet users who are blind use a type of software called a "screen reader." A screen reader scans the text on a website and reads it aloud. The problem, however, is that many web designers have a tendency to use a lot of graphics instead of text descriptions. In addition, text that is presented in columns or broken up in a non-traditional manner may make it difficult for screen readers to follow what's written.

On the other hand, people who are deaf or hard of hearing are more likely to prefer graphic-heavy presentations or detailed descriptions to convey information. However, longer descriptions can potentially pose a problem for those who have lesser coordination or difficulty moving since they may be required to move the mouse, scroll and click on more items.

A truly accessible website must keep all these factors and more in mind during the development stage. Unfortunately, a look at many existing sites shows there are few developers who currently

The good news, however, is that there is a growing movement toward making the Internet more accessible by people of all abilities.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) consists of over 350 member organizations from all over the world who are all dedicated to developing ways to help the Web live up to its fullest potential for use by everyone and anyone. As part of this vision, W3C has developed a set of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines that are widely regarded as the standard by which all sites should be measured. Even the well-known Bobby-accessibility tool tests in large part against these guidelines.

While the W3C guidelines themselves are very comprehensive, they are rooted in four key principles:
1. Content must be perceivable.
2. Interface elements in the content must be operable.
3. Content and controls must be understandable.
4. Content must be robust enough to work with current and future technologies.*

The soon-to-be unveiled SMD & Me family of websites is applying these same principles during development, going through the various levels of accessibility testing required to receive the Bobby stamp of approval.

Ensuring website accessibility becomes even more important given SMD's goal of providing a comprehensive, one-stop online information resource that provides timely, accurate and relevant information from all over the world. In gathering information from so many different sources, SMD is taking great care to convert and deliver all articles, studies and facts in a way that any visitor to the SMD sites will find accessible.

It's a big undertaking, but one that SMD feels is important. SMD believes that appropriate technologies can enhance independence and help create environments accessible to all. Having access to information in particular can enable people with disabilities - as well as their friends and families - make better health and life decisions. But having all the information in the world at your fingertips is useless if you can't read it or you're unable to find what you want.

For more information on W3C and its Web Content Guidelines, visit www.w3.org

* Principles were taken from the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 W3C Working Draft 30 July 2004 Document at www.w3.org/TR/2004/WD-WCAG20-20040730/