PC Training & Consulting Weblog

Web Accessibility Problems

May 11, 2004

Disabled web access being ignored

100 of the [1000] sites tested were subjected to additional manual tests by a disabled user group comprising individuals with dexterity impairments, dyslexia, hearing impairments, blindness or partial sight.

Other than a failure to describe images, the disabled user group found other common problems:

* cluttered and complex page structures;
* confusing and disorienting navigation mechanisms;
* failure to describe images;
* inappropriate use of colours and poor contrast between content and background. ...

Researchers canvassed the views of nearly 400 web site developers. The investigation found that levels of accessibility expertise amongst web developers was low with only 9% claiming any accessibility expertise. Only 9% of developers had used disabled people to test their sites.

The full article (link above) links to the full report, which is from Great Britain. mjh

See also Ten basic tests to check your web site's accessibility

1. Check informational images for alternative text
2. Check decorative images for alternative text
3. 'Listen' to any video or audio content with the volume turned off
4. Check that forms are accessible
5. Check that text can be resized
6. Check your web site in the Lynx browser [mjh: Opera has lots of text functions under User Stylesheets]
7. Check that you can access all areas of your web site without the use of a mouse
8. Check that there is a site map
9. Check your web pages with an automated program
10. Teach yourself... or hire an expert