The Internet and the Disabled

Today, I would like to make my point very early in this essay by suggesting that we try a little experiment. I want you to close your eyes and then read the rest of this page. I know this sounds really dumb, but go ahead and try anyway.

Hard to read, isn't it?

What you have just experienced is exactly how the vast majority of web sites appear to those with visual impairments. Now let's try another experiment.

This time, try to navigate around a web page using only the "Page UP," "Page Down" and "arrow' keys on your keyboard. If you think that's hard, try doing it by pressing the keys using only a pencil held between your teeth. By now, you should have an idea of how difficult it can be for the disabled to use the Internet.

"And what," you will ask, "does that have to do with those of us who are not disabled?"

Does your employer have a web site? Do you occasionally publish your work on someone else's web site? What about a personal web site? All those photos of you, your family and whoever else don't mean a thing if the site visitor happens to be blind. Do you provide alternate information in place of an image or a drawing?

According to Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA," 42 USC Ch 126) all federal government agency web sites, and the web sites of any state or local government agencies that are receiving federal funds, are required by law to meet a minimum set of Web Accessibility Guidelines. Each federal agency web site that I visited while preparing this essay met practically all the published guidelines and standards. The same cannot be said for the House of Representatives and US Senate web sites (the legislative branch of government saw fit to exempt themselves from having to follow the ADA)!

If you want an idea about web accessibility for the disabled and are using the Firefox web browser, go to the Firefox add-ons page and download the Fangs Screen Reader Emulator. This small add-on is designed to depict a web page as it would appear to a screen reader. All you need do is download and install it (it will be found under the "Tools" tab in Firefox's top menu bar). If you want to see how a web page will be presented to a screen reader, just click "Tools" | "Fangs." But I'll warn you warn you in advance, most web sites are essentially useless when it comes to accessibility issues.

Based on the results obtained during the 2000 US Census, it is believed that 4 to 5% of those browsing the Internet require some form of assistive technology. Not only is assistive technology necessary for those wanting access to web content, in many cases such technology is vital to those wanting to create web information. Again, I'll use another example to make my case.

For the past two years I've been using Dragon Naturally Speaking 9.5 voice recognition software to dictate my postings into Microsoft Word before posting them on this site. Like any other software package it's far from perfect but, to anyone with visual problems or a neuromuscular disorder that restricts coordinated movement, such programs can be invaluable. You will have to trust me on this one, but I can personally assure you that assistive technology such as screen readers and voice-to-text / text-to-voice applications are not cheap (as an example, the Windows Eyes screen reader has a list price of $875.00)!

There already exists a "digital divide" separating the disabled from the rest of those that access the Internet. All I ask is that, if you are a web designer or someone who creates web content, please remember that what may be adequate for the average user may not be of much use to the disabled.

Additional Information

You can read the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 at this link. Also, see the Americans with Disabilities Act Information and Technical Assistance pages at http://www.ada.gov/.