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eNation Special Report on web accessibility - Disabled Football Fans on losing side, whatever England's fate.

12/06/2006

Technology and disability charity, AbilityNet, has discovered that crucial World Cup websites are inaccessible to many thousands of disabled fans – a lapse which is not only disappointing to many, but leaves both organisations in danger of falling foul of the law.

In a special ‘State of the eNation’ report looking at the two main World Cup websites, neither were found to meet even the minimum level of accessibility required by fans with a disability who wish to follow the action online.

The two sites reviewed were the English version of FIFA’s World Cup site (http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/) and the FA’s World Cup site (http://www.TheFA.com/WorldCup2006).

The survey looked at both usability and accessibility with a programme of automated tools, as well as a wide range of manual checks. Only sites which meet the basic needs of visitors with a vision impairment, dyslexia or physical problem making mouse use difficult, attain three stars and above. FIFA’s World Cup site was awarded only one star (out of a possible five), and the FA’s World Cup site obtained only two. Neither therefore gained the minimum level required to ensure basic accessibility to most disabled visitors.

AbilityNet also asked a number of disabled fans to try using the two websites. Terry, who is blind and relies on speech output software, said:

“Listening to unintelligible links time after time is extremely frustrating as you can imagine and totally unhelpful. Many areas of FIFA’s site were difficult or impossible to use and, despite my best efforts, I was unable to buy a ticket. As with so many sites I want to use I'm in the dark! I think I'll follow the Cup on the radio...”

Darren, who is paralysed and controls the mouse using an infra-red headset, was happier:

“The FA site includes games that I was actually able to play with my head operated mouse - many online games need the keyboard.”

Typical problems encountered by Christopherson and his team included:

Online games should offer both keyboard and mouse controls as some users, like Darren, cannot easily use a keyboard while others cannot use a mouse. Unfortunately the same games were not able to be used by our keyboard tester.

The report’s author Robin Christopherson, AbilityNet’s Head of Accessibility Services and himself blind, says:

“As well as a moral obligation to make websites more inclusive there is also a legal one. The first successful case was against the official Sydney Olympics website back in 2000 when a blind supporter was unable to access information on the different sporting events online. Here we have two websites in an almost identical situation, and we don’t seem to have made any real progress in the intervening six years. It’s been law in the UK since 1999 to ensure that your website is designed to accessibility standards and it’s only a matter of time before we see successful cases being fought here in the UK.”

A range of recent reports has mirrored AbilityNet’s disappointing findings – confirming that between 80% and 96% of sites reviewed didn’t even meet a minimum accessibility threshold. It would appear that there has been no discernable movement towards accessibility since the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) investigation¥ in 2004 which was designed to both raise awareness of the issue and offer guidance to site developers.

AbilityNet was also on the panel that helped produce the recently launch ‘PAS 78 - Guide to Good Practice in Commissioning Accessible Websites’, published by the DRC in collaboration with the RNIB and British Standards Institute (BSI). As Christopherson emphasises: “There is really no longer any valid excuse for producing or operating an inaccessible website which excludes thousands of visitors. The PAS guide offers a clear, easy to follow and cost effective path to accessibility”

The business case is nonetheless compelling. A commercial website that was recently re-launched in a more accessible format (www.legalandgeneralgroup.com) has seen a 66% saving in maintenance costs, a 30% increase in natural search engine traffic, a 75% reduction in time to load a page and an additional 13,000 visitors each month from improved browser compatibility alone. Legal and General anticipate recouping their outlay in only 5-6 months. This clearly illustrates the potential commercial edge an accessible site offers.

Typical problems encountered by AbilityNet’s team and the disabled testers included:

Text size on some sites, particularly for headings and links is ‘hard-coded’ so that it cannot be easily enlarged – so vital for many visitors who have a vision impairment or dyslexia. With some sites offering small text and others carrying a watermark, effective access for this group is made very difficult.

The text labels attached to images upon which blind visitors and text browser users rely for an explanation are often uninformative or completely absent. Without these spoken labels on graphical links, navigation for a blind visitor is pure guesswork. “Imagine trying to drive to your destination where exits at each junction are left blank,” explains Christopherson.

Pictures of text are often used instead of actual text. This not only means that the user cannot modify the text size or colour contrast – essential for those with a vision impairment or dyslexia – it also prevents screen reader users from reading the content when – as so frequently happens - these images are left unlabelled.

Some sites contain adverts and features made up of moving images that will be distracting for visitors with a cognitive impairment, or interactive presentations known as ‘Flash Movies’ which can present access problems for visitors who cannot use a mouse, are vision impaired or who use speech output or voice recognition software.

Some of the sites are reliant on mini programs embedded in the page called JavaScript. People using older browsers, those with vision impairments using some special browsers and users whose organisations disable JavaScript for security reasons, will not be able to access crucial features such as the online shop.

In the UK an estimated 2 million people have a vision impairment, some1.5 million have cognitive difficulties, a further 3.4 million have a disability which prevents them using the standard keyboard, screen and mouse set-up with ease, around 6 million are dyslexic and many millions experience literacy difficulties, not to mention the increasing number of elderly ‘silver surfers’ with failing eyesight or arthritis. These potential internet users also represent a spending power in excess of £120 billion. The arguments are incontrovertible, whether from a moral, legislative or commercial perspective, suppliers of goods, services and information on the internet are ignoring a highly significant market sector.

State of the eNation reports

AbilityNet is at the forefront of a number of initiatives both at home and abroad to improve website accessibility for disabled people and provide both private and public sector organisations with the expertise they need to ensure that their websites are meeting guideline levels of compliance (such as those recommended by the W3C/WAI).

AbilityNet’s ‘State of the eNation’ reports are designed to draw attention to the issue of accessibility and usability and to help disabled people find the best websites for their needs.

In their first ‘State of the eNation’ report (published in June 2004) AbilityNet reviewed the websites of the top five supermarkets. Two years on these same five sites will be revisited in their next report (due to be published in July) - what has been the progress in accessibility and usability for disabled people in this time?

For more information on website accessibility, usability and design, contact AbilityNet on 0800 269545 or on accessibility@abilitynet.org.uk

Issued by the AbilityNet Press Office - 01926 429595

Editor’s notes

¥ The Web: Access and Inclusion for Disabled People – DRC Press Office or http://www.drc-gb.org/publicationsandreports/report.asp

Methodology

AbilityNet’s eNation report on the Favourite Websites of Disabled People was based on the preferences of over 100 disabled people who comprise the Charity’s established web testing panel. This pan-disability group regularly carry out accessibility testing checks on websites seeking advice from AbilityNet’s web accessibility consultancy services.

Government strategy

The Government’s recently published Digital Strategy acknowledges the evidence of a ‘digital divide’. This tendency to exclude is exemplified in the ‘barriers to accessibility’ exhibited by some websites preventing disabled people from benefiting from the ‘potential to improve quality of life’ offered by ICT and the internet.

The Strategy points out that websites, just like other suppliers of services or information, are required to take ‘reasonable steps’ to ensure accessibility under the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act. Despite the legislation, however, cyberspace, it seems, can contain just as many obstacles as the physical world. A recent Disability Rights Commission investigation ¥ reveals that over 80% of sites fail to satisfy a base level of accessibility.

The Government also promises to ensure that all its websites and on-line services present no barriers to use for those with disabilities and in addition pledges to take a lead in promoting action and has endeavoured to raise awareness of this issue within the EU during its period of Presidency.

W3C/WAI

These guidelines, first published in May 1999, provide a framework for accessibility. There are over 65 individual W3C checkpoints arranged in three levels of compliance to test for and only about a third can be assessed for conformity by an automated tool such as Watchfire’s WebXact. A comprehensive series of manual and automated tools, including Bobby is employed by AbilityNet in carrying out its surveys.

About AbilityNet

AbilityNet is a charity that brings the benefits of computer technology to adults and children with all types of disabilities. Through its network of eleven centres, it offers a comprehensive range of services to disabled people, professionals, employers and statutory bodies. It provides free information and advice on any aspect of computer use by disabled people including individual assessment of technology needs, adapted computer equipment with full training and technical support, a programme of awareness education, and consultancy for employers on system and workstation adaptations, as well as website accessibility.

In 2004 AbilityNet supplied free advice and information to some 280,000 enquiries through its national freephone and web-based services. In addition, the charity's consultants saw nearly 3,000 disabled children and adults face-to-face for individual assessments, equipment, training sessions and home support visits.

In the same year, AbilityNet's professional education courses and seminars attracted around 5,000 staff from public, private and voluntary sector organisations, seeking to develop their awareness of adaptive technology for those with disabling conditions and learn practical solutions to apply in the workplace, at home or in education.

AbilityNet is dependent both nationally and locally on grants and donations from charitable trusts and companies, to carry out its work on behalf of disabled people and those who support them.

For further details check www.abilitynet.org.uk or call AbilityNet’s freephone helpline on: 0800 269545 Issued by: Caroline Saint Freedman, AbilityNet Press Office - Tel: 01926 429595 Fax: 01926 407425 E: AbilityNet Press Office

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