Task completion times of sighted and blind users were measured with two kinds of Web sites: sites marked up appropriately with heading elements and sites with the same visual appearance but with no heading elements marked up. The experiment was carried out with user agents that could navigate through heading elements. The results showed that 1) task completion time was reduced by as much as one half with marked up heading elements, 2) the benefits of markup on task completion time were greater for blind users, and 3) the overall difference in response time between sighted and blind users diminished with sites that were appropriately marked up.
author = {Takayuki Watanabe},
title = {Experimental evaluation of usability and accessibility of heading elements},
booktitle = {W4A '07: Proceedings of the 2007 international cross-disciplinary conference on Web accessibility (W4A)},
year = {2007},
isbn = {1-59593-590-X},
pages = {157--164},
location = {Banff, Canada},
doi = {http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1243441.1243473},
publisher = {ACM Press},
address = {New York, NY, USA}}
Numerical information is often presented in graphs to take advantage of the human ability to quickly find visual patterns. Unfortunately, this medium is problematic for people who are blind or otherwise visually-impaired. To provide accessibility to graphs published in The Daily (Statistics Canada's main dissemination venue), we have developed iGraph, a system that provides short verbal descriptions of the information depicted in graphs and a way of also interacting with graphical information.
This paper describes HearSay, a non-visual Web browser, featuring context-directed browsing, a unique and innovative Web accessibility feature, and an extensible VoiceXML dialog interface. The browser provides most of the standard browsing functionalities, including flexible navigation and form-filling. The paper also outlines future work aiming to make the Web more accessible for individuals with visual impairments.
This paper examines the degree of overlap between good design for physical ease of access on the Web in general, and design for physical ease of use on the mobile Web. There are marked differences in the basic interaction techniques used and usability issues experienced. As a group, people with physical impairments tend to have a broader range of needs. These differences impact Web page design in various ways. Problems can be addressed in a unified way by designing for device independence. At least for physical ease of access, a unified set of mobile/accessibility best practice guidelines would be mutually beneficial. This approach may be helpful in preventing fragmentation of the Web.
author = {Shari Trewin},
title = {Physical usability and the mobile web},
booktitle = {W4A: Proceedings of the 2006 international cross-disciplinary workshop on Web accessibility (W4A)},
year = {2006},
isbn = {1-59593-281-X},
pages = {109--112},
location = {Edinburgh, U.K.},
doi = {http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1133219.1133239},
publisher = {ACM Press},
address = {New York, NY, USA}}
The goal of this project is to make the Web more accessible by providing some of the features naturally available to sighted users to users with visual impairments. These features are direct access and gestalt understanding, which can emerge from simplification and summarization. Simplification is achieved by retaining sections of the web page that are considered important while removing the clutter. The purpose of summarization is to provide the users with a preview of the web page. Simplification and summarization are implemented as a "guide dog" that helps users navigate the entire web site.
author = {Bambang Parmanto and Reza Ferrydiansyah and Andi Saptono and Lijing Song and I Wayan Sugiantara and Stephanie Hackett},
title = {AcceSS: accessibility through simplification and summarization},
booktitle = {W4A '05: Proceedings of the 2005 International Cross-Disciplinary Workshop on Web Accessibility (W4A)},
year = {2005},
isbn = {1-59593-036-1},
pages = {18--25},
location = {Chiba, Japan},
doi = {http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1061811.1061815},
publisher = {ACM Press},
address = {New York, NY, USA}}
