Access and Accessibility

There’s been a lot of talk in recent years about accessibility and usability of new media. This phenomenon is of greatest concern to new media largely because traditional media is both widely available and easy to use. For instance, operating an on/off switch and maybe a remote control is the extent of the expertise needed to become a certified couch potato. Reading, despite alarming reports to the contrary, is still a skill mastered by the vast majority of U.S. citizens. That skill and 25 cents, or a trip to the local library, will generally grant you access to a wealth of printed information. But new media--and by that we usually mean media that arrives via a computer--is less accessible and a lot more difficult for the average media consumer to use. But before we focus on usability, let’s consider accessibility…because access has to come first.

No doubt you’ve heard about the Digital Divide--the chasm between those who have access to a computer and an ISP, and those who don’t. In recent years it has been redefined as the gap between those who have access to broadband internet services and those who don’t. Since access to the requisite hardware and services is principally an economic issue, let’s consider the second stage of access. Assume for a moment that a person has access to a computer and the internet. The next step is to ensure that the wealth of internet content is presented in such a way that the end user is able to experience it as intended. Section 508 of the U.S. Federal Rehabilitation Act makes it clear that new media designers must begin to implement designs that will allow the nearly 20% of the U.S. population that has a disability to access this electronic media content. If you’re surprised by that 20% figure, understand that it does include a wide range of impairments, including; visual, auditory, cognitive, and motor impairments.

One of the Outstanding Graduating Seniors from the Mass Communications program at CSU-Pueblo (class of 2002) is Kenny Maestas. Kenny has since completed an MA degree at UCCS and is pursuing a professional career. But something that makes Kenny unique, aside from his academic excellence, is that he accomplished his higher education goals as a C5-C6 quadriplegic. In addition to teaching me a lot about accessibility, Kenny taught a class about assistive technologies for UCCS. Assistive technology is defined as hardware and software that is used to, “increase or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.”(cite) Making interactive media content compatible with assistive technologies is the first step in making your content accessible to people with disabilities.

According to the current Web Content Accessibility Guidelines;

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 W3C provides some Quick Tips for making your site accessible:

1. Images & animations: Use the alt attribute to describe the function of each visual.
2. Image maps. Use the client-side map and text for hotspots.
3. Multimedia. Provide captioning and transcripts of audio, and descriptions of video.
4. Hypertext links. Use text that makes sense when read out of context. For example, avoid "click here."
5. Page organization. Use headings, lists, and consistent structure. Use CSS for layout and style where possible.
6. Graphs & charts. Summarize or use the longdesc attribute.
7. Scripts, applets, & plug-ins. Provide alternative content in case active features are inaccessible or unsupported.
8. Frames. Use the noframes element and meaningful titles.
9. Tables. Make line-by-line reading sensible. Summarize.
10. Check your work. Validate. Use tools, checklist, and guidelines at http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG