3B Accessibility and Library Resources
Posted by digitalodyssey on June 6, 2008
Rm 218 3:00 PM 3 Speakers
Michele Chittenden- Library Services for Students with Disabilities- Queens University
Envision Universal Access and Equitable use
Libraries offer online resources. Individuals with a print disability no longer have to wait for alternate versions to be available.
Unfortunately many web pages and web page resources contain access barriers
Libraries play an important role in ensuring equitable access to online resources.
How accessible is your library (homepage, catalogue, databases?)
Q How many design webpages.? A a few.
Definition of Disability
No universally accepted definition. In Ontario it is defined by human rights act.
What limits Accessibility
A library user may not be able to
• See graphics because of visual impairment
• Distinguish colours
• Hear audio because of hearing impairment
• Use a keyboard or mouse
(Use descriptive videos?)
Other library users
• Difficulty reading or comprehending text
• Have difficulty with unorganized sites (Users with ADD have issues with disorganized websites)
• Use assistive technologies
• Use Older Equipment and slower equipment. (backwards compatibility?)
Accessibility Standards
• W3C
• CLFI 2.0- Common Look and Feel Standards Internet
• Web accessibility Initiative (WAI)
www.w3.org/WAI
Web accessibility and the law.
American Law
Section 508 addresses web based internet and intranet information and applications
Canadian
AODA
• Achieving accessible design
• Employ universal Design Principles
• Equitable use
• Flexible use
• Simple and intuitive use
• Low physical effort
• Follow W3C technologies and guidelines
• Design for device-independence
Structure of electronic resource is crucial for accessibility. Tagging and following the guidelines is very important.
Some of the designs make sense for users with disabilities, and those who use small hand held devices.
Since 2002 studies done on web based interface accessibility
Studies involved screen readers and ADA standards
Databases are functionally acceptable but not user friendly for persons with disabilities.
Illogical placement of buttons boxes et cetera.
5./12 companies surveyed for library databases conducted usability tests with people who have disabilities.
Canadian studies. Show not usable
Web Validation tools are used to correct code errors. All types of disabilities should be considered.
OPAC accessibility barriers
Common barriers use of repeated links, use of acronyms such as mark or ill. Security time outs.
To mitigate this, online catalogues should be intuitive and use terminology that is meaningful and apply web accessibility standards.
How accessible is your library homepage
Are the portals in your resources accessible and usable?
JSTOR is a full text database. They have accessible policies. A PDF file is hardly accessible.
Now it has changed to PDF format but it depends on structure of documents and tags.
Consult with users who have a disability to learn how they use the library resources
Ensure that your library’s full text catalogue can be accessed with a variety of devices. Include in collection development policy a statement about product accessibility. Evaluate new products for accessibility test previously acquired products for accessibility and inform vendors of barriers. Acquire knowledge of the AODA
Train library staff to assist users who cannot access electronic resources
Philip Springall
Print disabled access library resources
- a screen magnifier (zoomtext) or screen reader (jaws) and Patience
Video shown- Doctoral student at U of Illinois , trying to use a Screenreader and Jaws.
Library vendors and Accessibility
The climate is changing
EBSCO Accessibility interest group shows videos of people not using their software effectively and then fixes the problems
http://Cita.disability.uiuc.edu/collaborative/libraryebsco
When Compliance isn’t enough (Section 508) which si the accessibility legislation in the US. You have to go beyond the minimum standards.
The venders are filling out VPAT voluntary product accessibility templates to give to vendors in order to assess product. Proquest VPAT form is displayed as an example.
Eg www.proquest.com/techsupport.docs.adainfo.shtml
Accessibility is not equal to usability. Accessibility Audit Accessibility Testing
Accessibility audit where an expert reviews your site. or test where real users try the software. It’s not about the criteria but whether a human can use it. A user would want the tests complete and you want the expert to tell you how best to fix the problems.
CNIB accessible Design Services
Consultations on accessible website design
Education and training on development of accessible websites
Annual certification check and sight check seal
http://Cnib.ca/en/services//accessibility/design
Steve Cutway- Information access specialist @ Queens.
Research investigation and consultation
Visually a sighted user can skim content in a screen. A screen reader doesn’t give a visually challenged person that capability. If it is webpages that they don’t visit very often it’s a big challenge. This is particularly true for students that have to research. For university systems, what course tool is chosen for collaboration or putting materials online. The common ones are webct and blackboard and they are both owned by the same company. They are inherently inaccessible unless you are willing to spend a lot of time and patience becoming familiar with the software. But it’s not just the disabled community that has issues with the design of this software.
The whole notion of accessibility shouldn’t be an ad on or an afterthought. It helps everyone else.
CNIB Digital Library webpage is read by zoomtext as an example of site that was developed from the ground up with accessibility in mind. The site was unveiled in 2003.
Patrons of the CNIB library have access to other services.
If it’s a site that you’re familiar with the ‘shutup’ key (control key) can be used.
Certain links on the site can be accessed with access keys (alt +7) There is a lot of debate whether access keys should be used. At one time it was like running parallel sites. Access keys run in that category.
5 Keys Tab to move from link to link. Up and down arrows line by line, left and right arrow go character by character left and write.
How much can you accomplish with those 5 keys? That will give you an idea of how accessible an application is.
Testing websites. Given the cost of Jaws (1395$) in the last few years there is an open source low cost to free screen reader community. In the windows world there is NVDA (non visual desk top access) Thunder, and System access to go. System access to go is free, and released in January 08. Take any browser, go to www. Satogo.com. to download. This way you can use the JAWS keystrokes to test. JAWS keystrokes have become a standard. It can access facebook, and twitter and other web 2.0 sites, and googledocs. All of the adaptive software can now be run from a USB key.
