Could Stevie Wonder Read Your Web Page?

by Marshall Smith

Spring 2000, Vol. 7, No. 2

ELECTRONIC CONNECTION

Could Stevie Wonder Read Your Web Page?

by Marshall L. Smith, Ph.D., MSW, CSW, ACSW, and Elizabeth Coombs

Note: A table of links to resources mentioned in this article and related

Web pages is on page 2 of this article.

Accessibility: A Value of Social Work

Technology has opened doors for people who previously were denied access. It

is now possible to bank, pay one' mortgage, and shop without leaving home.

Computers have made it possible for a person to pursue an education without

being physically on campus. Some say that technological advances could

negatively affect our society by causing it to become more impersonal. However,

others believe that technology can provide unprecedented freedom. Historically,

persons with disabilities have often been forced to rely on family, neighbors,

friends, and paid helpers to perform services such as banking and shopping or to

equalize communication. The Internet offers independence to persons with

disabilities. Independence promotes dignity and self-worth.

Independence, dignity, and self-worth, as well as the championing of these

causes, are integral to the foundation of social work. Knowledge of new

technology can enable social workers to be in contact with numerous populations

and to provide informed guidance to their clients.

With so much criticism of the Internet, it is refreshing to learn about

developments that provide services that enhance people' lives. However,

problems can arise for people with disabilities (such as the blind, deaf, and

people of limited mobility) when Web pages are developed without careful

attention to standards of accessibility.

The ethical principle of “Social Workers Challenge Social Injustice” in the

NASW Code of Ethics, states:

Social workers pursue social change, particularly with and on behalf of

vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people. Social workers’

social change efforts are focused primarily on issues of poverty, unemployment,

discrimination, and other forms of social injustice. These activities seek to

promote sensitivity to and knowledge about oppression and cultural and ethnic

diversity. Social workers strive to ensure access to needed information,

services, and resources; equality of opportunity; and meaningful participation

in decision making for all people.

Social workers need to become more vigilant in relation to equal access to

information on the Internet. With increasing information being provided via the

World Wide Web, clients are turning to this source for self-advocacy purposes.

As social workers, we must concern ourselves with the information we and our

agencies provide, to insure that it is accessible to all people.

Quick Course in Internet Accessibility

While technology has opened doors, it can also close them. This is the

dilemma currently experienced by many persons with disabilities when it comes to

navigating the World Wide Web. There are numerous ways to make information

technology accessible to all, and navigating the Internet doesn’t have to leave

a person feeling like a fly caught in the spider' web. All that is needed is

the ability to adequately access the computer' input and output. With the

proper tools, a person can produce just about anything with a computer. For

example, speech or screen readers, such as href="http://www.hj.com/JFW/JFW35DemoOp.htm">Jaws®, allow the blind to

navigate Web pages. Low vision persons can use screen magnification software

such as ZoomText®. Persons with learning

disabilities can be provided with the ability to change background colors, or

the ability to simplify the display by enlarging it. Persons with mobility

impairments can use voice recognition software, an onscreen keyboard, various

alternatives to the mouse, or use keystrokes instead of the mouse. These various

technological aids have been instrumental in providing persons with disabilities

the power to transcend the barriers previously considered major stumbling blocks

for them.

There are tricks that good Web designers use to reach a wider audience of

people. For example, all information presented auditorially should also be

available in a text transcript file. All video information should be described

and available in an auditory form, as well as a text transcript file. If frames

are used, there should also be a NOFRAME option. A phone number, e-mail address,

postal mail address, or fax number should be provided for submitting

information, even if an online form is also provided. These and other tricks are

easy to learn and very important in order to facilitate access by all

people.

Providing Internet-accessible information is becoming increasingly easier.

For example, a common problem is the browsing software version used by people.

Some Web page content looks great in the latest version of Netscape® or Internet

Explorer®, but not in an earlier version. It is possible to test the viewability

of your Web page by using the href="http://www.delorie.com/web/wpbcv.html">Web Page Backward Compatability

Viewer. This site on the Internet allows you to look at your own site

“through the eyes” of various versions of browser software to insure that it is

accessible to as wide an audience as possible.

Not all Internet users have graphical user interface browsers like Netscape®

or Internet Explorer®. Some users use an early browser, which can only view text

and not graphics. This browser is called LYNX®, and there is a href="http://www.delorie.com/web/lynxview.html">Lynx Viewer on the Internet

that permits you to test your site for accessibility by Lynx®.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web

Accessibility Initiative (WAI) works to “lead the Web to its full potential

including promoting a high degree of usability for people with disabilities.”

They pursue “accessibility of the Web through five primary areas of work:

technology, guidelines, tools, education & outreach, and research &

development.” Understanding the technical jargon might be difficult, so the W3C

has printed Quick Tips* for the beginning

Web page designer:

Images & animations: Use the alt attribute to describe the function of

each visual.

Image maps: Use client-side MAP and text for hotspots.

Multimedia: Provide captioning and transcripts of audio, and descriptions of

video.

Hypertext links: Use text that makes sense when read out of context. For

example, avoid “click here.”

Page organization: Use headings, lists, and consistent structure. Use CSS

for layout and style where possible.

Graphs & charts: Summarize or use the longdesc attribute.

Scripts, applets, & plug-ins: Provide alternative content in case active

features are inaccessible or unsupported.

Frames: Use NOFRAMES and meaningful titles.

Tables: Make line-by-line reading sensible. Summarize.

Check your work: Validate. Use tools, checklist, and guidelines located at

href="http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/">http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/

Organizations like W3C support the goal of economic and social justice by

aspiring to equal access to all information on the Internet. (See the href="http://www.socialworker.com/accesslinks.htm">Accessibility Links Table

at the end of this article for “Quick Tips” URL.)

Another important resource is href="http://www.cast.org/bobby/">Bobby®, after the British name for a law

officer. Bobby® will scan an entire Web site, review the presentation of

information, and evaluate the site against principles of approved access. The

user will receive a complete report on how the Web site is or is not able to be

viewed by people with various disabilities. Bobby® provides links to tips for

correcting errors and problems. Check out Bobby® at the location in the table on

the next page.

In summary, the Internet can contribute to the isolation and division of

people, or it can serve to bring people together with a greater sense of

community. We, as social workers, need to understand the Web in order to provide

access to those who might not otherwise be included.

Marshall L. Smith is a newly appointed member of the Council on Social

Work Education Commission on Disability and Persons with Disabilities. Elizabeth

Coombs is a non-traditional BSW student at Rochester Institute of Technology and

works part-time for Equal Access to Software and Information, helping to

disseminate information to persons with disabilities.

Technology, Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique,

Accessibility Links

This table appears in the Spring 2000 issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER, as

part of the article, "Electronic Connection: Could Stevie Wonder Read Your Web

Page?" by Marshall L. Smith and Elizabeth Coombs. It is posted here to

article.

LINK

DESCRIPTION

URL

AccessAbility, Inc.

Firm specializing in products for people with visual

impairments

size=1>http://www.4access.com/main_no_frames.htm

Accessible Web Design

Guidelines

Microsoft guidelines

href="http://www.microsoft.com/enable/dev/web/default.htm"> size=1>http://www.microsoft.com/enable/dev/web/default.htm

Accessible Web Page Design

Resources for creating accessible pages

href="http://www.eskimo.com/~jlubin/disabled/web-desi.htm"> size=1>http://www.eskimo.com/~jlubin/disabled/web-desi.htm

All Things Web: Could Helen Keller Read

Your Pages?

Inclusive approach to Web design

size=1>http://www.pantos.org/atw/35412.html

Authoring Accessible Web Pages

Help for designing universal Web pages

href="http://www.psc-cfp.gc.ca/eepmp-pmpee/access/welcome1.htm"> size=1>http://www.psc-cfp.gc.ca/eepmp-pmpee/access/welcome1.htm

Bobby

Tool for analyzing the accessibility of Web

pages

size=1>http://www.cast.org/bobby/

Brain Actuated Technologies, Inc.: The

Cyberlink

Enables hands-free control of computers and

electrical devices

size=1>http://www.brainfingers.com/cyberlink.htm

Center for Applied Special

Technology

Organization for the advancement of universal design

for learning

size=1>http://dev.cast.org/

Designing More Usable Web

Sites

Cooperative effort toward building a more usable Web

for all

size=1>http://trace.wisc.edu:80/world/web/

Disability Access Symbols

Graphics Arts Guild Foundation

size=1>http://gag.org/resources-das/index.html

DisAbility Related Graphics

Images for use on Web pages

size=1>http://www.eskimo.com/~jlubin/disabled/graphics/

EASI: Equal Access to Software and

Information

Online & onsite workshops and webcasts on

accessibility

size=1>http://www.rit.edu/~easi/

Exhibitors List for "Technologies and

Persons with Disabilities" Conference, March 20-25, 2000

Complete list of URLs for exhibitors

size=1>http://www.csun.edu/cod/conf2000/exhibitors.html

Henter-Joyce, Inc. (Free downloads to try

out)

Screen reader software and screen magnification

software

size=1>http://www.hj.com/

HTML Writers Guild

Online workshops on accessibility

size=1>http://www.hwg.org/

IBM Home Page Reader: Special Needs Systems

Voice translation for blind and visually impaired

users

size=1>http://www.austin.ibm.com/sns/hpr.htm

IBM Works to Improve PC Access for the

Disabled

EETimes.com

size=1>http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20000121S0027

Jaws®

A screen reader

size=1>http://www.hj.com/JFW/JFW35DemoOp.htm

LYNX Viewer

Tool to view your Web page in text-only

mode

size=1>http://www.delorie.com/web/lynxview.html

NASW Code of Ethics

Ethical guidelines for social workers

size=1>http://www.naswdc.org/CODE.HTM

National Center for Accessible Media: Web

Access Project

Project to advance Web access

size=1>http://www.wgbh.org/wgbh/pages/ncam/webaccess/

Page Author Check List

Unified Web site accessibility

guidelines

href="http://trace.wisc.edu/archive/html_guidelines/authorcl.htm"> size=1>http://trace.wisc.edu/archive/html_guidelines/authorcl.htm

Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)

(Includes "Quick Tips" and Reference List)

Web page authoring guidelines and

techniques

size=1>http://www.w3.org/WAI

Web Authoring

Steps for building an accessible Web

site

size=1>http://www.builder.com/Authoring/Accessibility/

Web Page Accessibility

Resources

Tools to make your Web pages accessible

size=1>http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov/cita/wpa.htm

Web Page Backward Compatibility

Viewer

Tool to view your Web page in various versions of

browsers

size=1>http://www.delorie.com/web/wpbcv.html

Viewable With Any Browser

Campaign for a non-browser specific WWW

size=1>http://www.anybrowser.org/campaign/

ZoomText®

Screen magnification software

size=1>http://www.aisquared.com

THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER, Spring 2000, Vol. 7, No. 2. For reprints of this

or other articles from THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER (or for permission to

reprint), contact Linda Grobman, publisher/editor, at P.O. Box 5390, Harrisburg,

PA 17110-0390, or at href="mailto:linda.grobman@paonline.com">linda.grobman@paonline.com.