Web accessibility: is it just a merry-go-round?

W4A Cross-Disciplinary Workshop on Mobile Web Accessibility
WWW2006, Edinburgh, May 2006

Donna Smillie
Senior Web Accessibility Consultant
Royal National Institute of the Blind

Website: www.rnib.org.uk/WebAccessCentre
Email: webaccess@rnib.org.uk

This presentation: www.penguinsegg.com/presentations/w4a2006.html

Déja vu

• Mobile Web Best Practices 1.0
  W3C Working Draft, 12 April 2006
• • Presentation issues
  • Input
  • Bandwidth and cost
  • Device limitations
  • One Web

New focus on neglected issues

• Complex URIs.
• 'Front loading' pages, sections and links
• Number and location of links on the page
• Simplicity, clarity and consistency
• Minimise need for text entry by the user

One Web

• Original intent of the Web - almost got lost in mid 90s because of "browser wars".
• Potential for even worse fragmentation with range and diversity of mobile devices.
• Can learn from previous experience though, which reduces the risk of that happening.
• Vastly stronger support for standards now than then also reduces the risk.
• Much less likely to happen as a result.

Awareness

• Public and industry awareness of accessibility much more advanced - not a new message to get across.
• Everyday nature of mobile phones likely to spread that awareness even faster.
• Those who may have missed out on learning about accessibility before have another opportunity!

Building on existing knowledge

• Web designers who have already incorporated accessibility into their designs don't have to start from scratch for mobile devices.
• Other web designers can learn from existing techniques and knowledge of underlying principles of accessibility.

Web accessibility: a spiral staircase...