Scenario 11 - Access to the Web for those with disabilities

Although the Web can be a powerful resource for teachers and pupils alike, it can also present accessibility difficulties for those with disabilities. The publication ‘The Internet – An Inclusive Magnet for Teaching All Pupils’ describes some of the advantages of using the Web but also considers issues surrounding the accessibility of Web sites for users with disabilities. It can be downloaded free of charge from www.wid.org/tech/handbook

It is possible to type in the URL for every site you wish to visit but this is time consuming and mistakes can easily be made. The usual method of accessing different sites on the Web is to start with one Web site and then click on hyperlinks to navigate, making selections with a mouse. Both methods can present barriers for those who cannot use a keyboard or mouse easily.

For some pupils with physical difficulties, substituting a rollerball for the mouse will be enough.
Access through a touch screen is simple and easy for browsing using links. You just touch the links you want to follow.

Taking advantage of the accessibility options in the computer’s operating system may also remove barriers. See Unit B – Organizing your Resources for more information.

There are also keyboard alternatives for some of the mouse actions, such as using the arrow keys to scroll up and down pages, or the Tab and Enter keys to navigate and select within choice boxes.

Opera is a fast, multi-platform browser which allows comprehensive keyboard access to the internet. Even sites using tables and frames can be navigated successfully via the keyboard. Further information is available from http://opera.nta.no.

For those pupils who use switches for their input to the computer, software applications such as ClickIt! can be used to add hotspots to the most important parts of the Web page.

You will find examples of classroom and pupil use in other units within this programme, but a few examples are given here for information.

Example 11a

A teacher in a school for pupils with physical disabilities has made adaptations so that the pupils can all have access to the Web. The pupils have a variety of needs that necessitate a variety of access solutions.

One pupil uses a rollerball rather than a mouse. The mouse speed is slowed down by altering the settings in the Control Panel and the locking mechanism of the rollerball is switched on to overcome drag-and-click problems. The cursor is enlarged to make it easier to locate.

Another pupil cannot use a mouse or rollerball but is able to access a keyboard with a guard. He uses keyboard alternatives for the mouse actions such as using the arrow keys to scroll up and down pages, or the Tab and Enter keys to navigate and select within choice boxes.

A third pupil has considerable learning difficulties and uses a touch screen because it is a more direct form of access. The mouse movements are transferred to the action of a finger on the screen.

Another pupil not uses neither a keyboard nor a mouse. She uses switches and has very limited access to the Internet. Sometimes she works with a facilitator who uses the mouse to navigate for her so that she can select with a switch. In order to improve independent access to her favourite Web sites, her teacher has used the ClickIt! utility to make scanning hotspots for important navigational areas of each page.

Another switch user has not learned to scan but his teacher has prepared ClickIt! hotspots for his favourite Web page placing two on each page. One of two switches corresponds to each hotspot so that he can select the one he wants by direct access.

Key skills and equipment

The key skills for the above example are:

• being aware of accessibility issues
• making software adaptations to improve accessibility
• making hardware adaptations to improve accessibility

The key equipment is:

• a computer linked to the Internet
• browser software
• accessibility options built into the computer’s operating system
• touch screen, rollerball, keyguard, switches

Example 11b

Pupils with low vision often encounter difficulties accessing the Web. Both the computer’s operating system and the browser software will have options for altering font sizes and colours to improve visibility. Screen magnification is another possibility but unless the reader has a concept of the whole screen it can be confusing. Screen-reader utilities convert text into synthesized speech but are impeded by pages heavily loaded with graphics. Alternative text descriptions must be attached to each image when writing Web pages so that the screen reader can read them out. If the images are not required at all the browser can be set so that only their descriptions are downloaded, making the speed of information transfer much quicker. Web sites written with information displayed in frames also create problems if the screen reader does not know which frame to read out.

A teacher working with pupils who have low vision has made adaptations so that the pupils can all have access to the Web.

For one pupil the browser software has been set up with large font sizes and high contrast colours to improve visibility.

Another pupil uses screen magnification to make areas of the screen more visible.

A third pupil needs a screen reader to read out the text on screen. The browser is set up to give the Alternative text description for graphics. When the option is available, she chooses the frame-free version of a Web site.

Another pupil also uses a screen reader but cannot see images at all; so the browser is set to stop images being downloaded. This speeds up the downloading of pages. If Web sites offer a text-only version he chooses it.

Key skills and equipment

The key skills for the above example are:

• being aware of accessibility issues
• making software adaptations to improve accessibility
• selection of Web sites that are accessible

The key equipment is:

• a computer linked to the Internet
• browser software
• Accessibility Options built into the computer’s operating system

The increasing use of sound files in Web sites will not be accessible to many pupils with hearing difficulties, so it is important that text captions are added to describe what is being played.
Many of the problems encountered by Web users with disabilities would be alleviated if Web page designers considered all potential users! Clear, uncluttered pages benefit everyone and offering a text-only, frames-free version of a site will help those who use screen readers.

More guidance about accessible Web design can be found at:

Trace Research and Development Centre: www.trace.wisc.edu/world/web/

Microsoft Accessibility Pages: www.microsoft.com/enable/dev/web/guidelines.htm

The World Wide Web Consortium: www.w3.org

Web designers who want to know how accessible their own site is can submit it to Bobby, a Web-based tool found at: www.cast.org/bobby

Bobby is a free public service provided by the Centre for Applied Technology (CAST) in the USA. It will examine your Web site and send you a report indicating any accessibility problems found in it. If the site is considered accessible, CAST issues a ‘Bobby-Approved’ certificate that you can display on your site.

This ICTS website is maintained by Inclusive Technology.