Visually Impaired
Magnifiers Need More Focus
Originally posted August 27, 2008
Both Mac OS/X and Windows Vista have magnifiers for their low vision users. Microsoft has added features that help the user place the magnified content into context. With limited resources, both Apple and Microsoft have moved the magnifier to the bottom of their list of upgraded feature requirements. They get their “ticky marks” for having a magnifier, however some focus is required. I would add this list of requirements to their development plans.
- Provide Text smoothing. – Apple provides image smoothing but not text smoothing. When text is magnified beyond 4x, the user can see “digital jag”. The text has raged edges where the magnifier shows individual pixels. This could be resolved. Performance issues will have to be overcome. Commercial magnifiers have this feature.
- Enable the magnifier to follow cursor movement. – OS/X has this. This should be provided by all magnifiers. The user should be able to turn this feature on/off quickly.
- Provide a magnification spotlight. – This will allow the user to only magnify a small area of the screen. This helps with context. Windows allows the user to determine the size of the magnification rectangle. All magnifiers need this feature. The user should be able to toggle between full screen and spotlight quickly.
- Do not use an on-screen preferences window. – Some commercial magnifiers have an on-screen magnifier preference window. This is annoying and requires the user to have to find it or worse, move it out of the way. Mac OS/X uses the System Preferences menu option to set magnifier options. Shortcut keys could remove the need for an on-screen window.
- Provide keyboard shortcuts. – Shortcuts should be one-handed. Shortcuts are needed for; toggling magnification on/off, moving the magnification focus up/down/left/right, switching from full screen/spotlight and increasing/decreasing magnification. This would help with keeping magnified information in context. Sighted users who are working with visually impaired users would GREATLY APPRECIATE this support!
- Provide navigation assistance. Shortcut keys are needed to move the magnification focus to vertical/horizontal areas of the screen as well as the next data entry control or default button. Scrolling shortcuts are needed as well. IBM OS/2 had this feature with their magnifier. IBM used the numeric keypad to move magnification and the mouse pointer to one of nine areas of the screen. What a help!
- Provide individual window magnification. – Magnifying individual windows on the desktop allows the desktop context to be maintained. The user does not have to turn magnification off/on or navigate long distances to find another application icon on the desktop. This is especially helpful to sighted users who are working with visually impaired users on their machine.
Assistive technology needs to keep up with the OS. Investment in assistive technology should be continuous. Apple and Microsoft have magnifiers. They need to be encouraged to do more.
Section 508 Needs Magnification Standards
Originally posted August 25, 2008
Section 508 – There is a need to update the 508 standard with consideration for low vision users who uses magnification to access web pages. The 508 standard contains detail about html tags to help screen readers, but contains very little for screen magnifier users.
Assistive technology magnifiers could use some additional features as well. For this post, I will focus on the web page design requirements to help low vision users with magnification.
- Use clean design and consistency in page layout. This helps all users find information and navigate quicker.
- Maintain context by grouping related information. This will help the magnifier user to find all of the related information quickly.
- Do not use roll-over pop-ups. Some popular news sites use mouse roll-over pop-ups to display additional information. Magnifier users use the mouse to navigate the magnified text.
Rolling over these pop-ups is not an optional event. Sighted users do not use the mouse to navigate a column of text and may never triger the pop-ups. Closing the pop-ups slows down consumption of information and causes difficulty in finding the place within the text to continue reading. In many cases, these pop-ups are not even relevant to the story. In some cases they are advertisements and are nothing more than web page spam.- Provide intra-page links to help with navigation. Remember, navigating a magnified page takes longer than a non-magnified page. Links for top, bottom, key items in list or FAQ items help the magnification user get somewhere useful quickly.
- Limit horizontal navigation time. By keeping a column of text within the view of a 4x magnified area, the user will not have to move the mouse to continue reading.
Try using a screen magnifier. Both Windows Vista and Mac OS/X have them as part of the OS. There are commercial products on the market you can get a trial version of also. Magnification is a tool that low vision users become dependent upon and you can design web pages to help them be more
Good Form for Forms
Originally posted August 23, 2008
Section 508 – Forms can be easy to make accessible to the visually impaired. Jim Thatcher’s blog post does an exceptional job of describing the necessary html tags to help screen readers and talking browsers deliver page content to the blind. Jim also points out how important it is to place labels close to entry fields and controls. This helps low vision users who rely on magnifiers to keep information in context.
There are additional things you can do to make your forms more accessible.
- Provide text at the beginning of the page describing the purpose of the form and the information requested.
- Provide a single purpose for the page. Keep other information for other pages.
- Keep clutter to an absolute minimum. Do not use additional advertisement or provide more information to confuse the user.
- Keep navigation simple. Do not have links for additional information as this may confuse the reader and make it difficult to navigate back to where the user needs to be to complete the form.
- Keep the form page static; that is, do not change the input controls based on user input. Do not use mash-ups or web 2.0 techniques for input on the form. Use large buttons that are easy to find for low vision page users.
- Be predictable. Do not change the style of entry from one page to another. If you are using rows for labels and entry fields on the first page, do it on all input pages. Buttons should be in the same place on all pages. If you are using buttons, don’t change to using links for submission of pages.
Accessibility does not start and end with screen readers. There are more low vision users who have to overcome magnification oriented contextual issues. Keep your form design simple and everyone wins.
Contrasting Color Is the Issue!
Originally posted August 21, 2008
SECTION 508 – There are obvious issues with color being used to obtain a user response or depicting information within a specific context. Section 508 calls for alternative graphic or textual information to obtain a user response or depict information. I am not color blind, so I am not personally affected by web pages that instruct the user to “click the green button” or “fill in the fields with the red labels”. But for color blind individuals, this is a significant issue. Fortunately, Section 508 has easy remedies for color blind accessibility. Jim Thatcher’s blog post does an outstanding job of discussing color accessibility requirements and resolutions.
For me, contrast is the real problem. Apple has popularized the “Aqua” look and feel and Microsoft Vista has emulated it to perfection. The Mac OS/X development team did such an outstanding job of making the innovative OS accessible and then they fell short on their selection of colors. To me, the Apple web site is another example of problems with contrasting colors. Combinations of pastel colors on a white background make it difficult for visually impaired web page visitors to find and consume information.
Section 508 calls for the presentation of text, (and images of text), in electronic documents to have a default contrast ratio of at least 5:1, except if the text is pure decoration. Large-scale text, (or images of large-scale text), must have a default contrast ratio of at least 3:1. Tools are available to analyze color contrast.
I have some questions about these requirements
- Is a contrast ratio of 5:1 adequate? If Apple and Microsoft are using a 5:1 ratio, it is not usable to me and many other visually impaired people I talk to.
- Is decorative text insignificant to the visually impaired? Decorative text has content, or why show it? Why isn’t there a functional equivalent?
- Why are foreground/background colors the only concern for contrast specifications? What about window border contrast to help distinguish one window from another? What about contrast ratios between buttons or links and background color?
- Should there be contrast specifications for rollover graphics? Graphic-to-graphic contrast is an issue, especially when the rollover implies an optional action that can be taken.
- Can size alternatives overcome contrast issues? People are always offering me magnification as a work around when what I am having is contrast issues. I believe I could drive a car if I could drive at night because of the fact that I can see lights better than shapes, (ridiculous example I know, but I can dream can’t I?).
- Why aren’t spacing requirements specified? Like contrasted items placed too close together can be very confusing to the visually impaired. I have significant problems with low contrast links placed too close together.
- Should color contrast requirements be specified for lists? I find it very helpful to have the beginning of list items differentiated.
For the totally blind, the 508 standards are adequate. For the low vision web user, the standards do not go far enough. Perhaps this will be resolved in the future.
Web 2.0 and Navigation Difficulties for the Blind
Originally posted August 15, 2008
SECTION 508 – Web page navigation can be an issue for the visually impaired. Clutter nad repetitive navigation links can keep the visually impaired from finding the main content of a web page. Section 508 calls for the web page designer to use a skip navigation link to help the blind reader find the page main content. Jim Thatcher’s blog post provides samples of how to design a web page for screen reader navigation. By placing a link at the top of a page, the blind reader can find the navigation link quickly and bypass listening to clutter, advertising and repetitive navigation information.
<a href=”#Main”>
<img alt=”Skip to main content” src=”1.gif” width=”1″>
</a>
… Search form, select menus, left navigation
… Right navigation content
<a name=”Main”></a>
… Main content
This works great for static, text oriented web pages. But what about?
- dynamic web pages that have content that is generated based on user triggered events? Can the “skip to main content link” access the dynamic content? The web page programmer should provide skip links based on the content generated.
- dynamic Web 2.0 pages that have ajax, dynamic HTML or java scripts? Alternative text information can help, but the screen reader cannot consume some of this information. The 508 and WCAG 2.0 standards call for the web page designer to provide an equivalent experience for the disabled. If possible, the web page designer could provide an alternative web page for the screen reader to consume. This would be at great expense to the web page provider and would most likely not be acceptable to the accessibility standards purest.
- web pages with multiple “main content areas”? When possible, web pages should be designed with a single purpose. The web designer should provide multiple links to the multiple task areas on the page.
- web pages with mashups or content from other web sites? As with dynamically generated content, the web page designer can provide skip navigation links to mashup content. The web page designer should try not to include non-accessible content from other sites.
Providing alternative content paths to offer an equivalent experience may not satisfy the purest, but I would swallow my pride and accept it if I could use the web site. More research is needed to see what others are doing to improve navigation within a page. Any comments or ideas?
508 Standards: Text Alternatives For Images
Originally posted August 1, 2008
508 STANDARD – The single most important thing you can do to make a web page accessible is to include alternative text for images. When you use alternative text, you allow people who use talking browsers and screen readers to access the images.
- Use the alt attribute on every img element of your HTML code. Describe the function of the image, not the image itself.
- If the image is inside an anchor element, then the alternative text should convey the purpose of the link.
- If the image is not active, then the alternative text should convey the same information as the image.
- If the image conveys no new information, then specify that with a null alternative, (alt=”").
Remember, the person with a vision impairment must receive the same content as a sighted person. If you have an authoring system for instructors for example, you should allow the instructor to add alternative text for the content being created.
Mice Should Die!
Originally posted July 23, 2008
ZDNet published a blog post by Adrian Kingsley-Houghes questioning the death of the computer mouse over the next few years. ZDNet referenced a sensationalist article in the BBC News, that the computer mouse will be extinct in the next few years and replaced by touch-screens and facial recognition technologies. A Gartner analyst predicts the demise of the mouse in the next 3 to 5 years.
I think the mouse will be replaced by touch-screen technologies. Let’s hope facial recognition technologies do not become the norm. Anyone who owns an iPhone knows the productivity of the finger gestures to zoom and navigate. I wonder:
- How productive are large touch-screens? Are they durable or affordable?
- Can the touch-screen interface be extended to include gestures for the visually impaired? This could include gestures for task automation.
- Can the intelligent keyboards on iPhone or Blakberry be used with the large touch-screen? This could provide task specific keyboard layouts.
- Could gestures be added to the interface to provide alternative summary views of a web page? Alternative views could include text only or sectional views.
- Could gestures be added to the interface to read just a paragraph or section of a web page?
- Could navigation gestures be added to the touch-screen interface? Gestures could include go to the next link, go to the submit button or go to the top of the page or menu bar.
What do you think? I would like to see the day where we only need our fingers to input information or navigate on a web page.
7 Cs of Accessibility
Originally posted July 20, 2008
The WCAG standard is certainly a very good standard to follow. There are simple things a web page designer can do to make a page more accessible.
- Contrast – select color schemes that have high contrast. Apple has made aqua and pastel color schemes popular, but for people with low vision, these color schemes are very difficult to read and navigate. This is especially important when you want a content object to be used for taking action. Provide multiple schemes that can be selected by the user. This will allow an option for all users with different accessibility needs.
- Context – group related content. People that use tools to zoom in to read content lose context when zoomed in. Don’t send them somewhere else on the page to do something. Keep content grouped together to keep the reader from having to go look for the next action to take. The content should have complete context when used. Use simple graphics that don’t require a degree in art to understand what their meaning is.
- Clutter-free – use less, more is not better. Keep the content purpose simple. Don’t provide information overload to users who want to use the page for a single purpose. This can reduce screen reader confusion and keep the context focused. Don’t duplicate content unless you believe it helps with navigation.
- Customary – be predictive. Follow typical and usual patterns. Don’t be so creative and clever that your web page navigation becomes a guessing game. There should be no question as to what options are available to the page user. Be obvious with navigation.
- Course simple – keep the path simple. Most web sites do not need more than ten pages to inform the user, gather information or provide services. Some large corporate sites never clean up their “out of date” content. That makes the site less usable and less useful. Avoid circular paths that imply a purpose that is never fulfilled, (I know that sounds obvious, but you would be surprised how many sites take users in circles.).
- Common sense – use good judgement. Common sense is not always used by web page designers when developing a web site. If simple design is good for accessibility then it is good for all users. Many web page designers think proving their personal creativity is more important than making the site usable.
- Current – keep the site current. Keeping the site current can reduce clutter, improve context and keep the course simple. It also makes the site more interesting to the reader.
Follow these simple rules and help make your web site accessible.
IBM Research Introduces Breakthrough for Visually Impaired
Originally posted July 8, 2008
IBM announced software to help the visually impaired report web site pages that are missing alternative text information to a database. Web site developers can then add the missing information making the web site pages accessible. The missing information is stored in a central database managed by IBM. IBM Research in Tokyo hopes this will help the Web site owner maintain the site. I don’t know if the software notifies the site owner or if the alternative information is checked for appropriate information. Malicious contributors could add invalid or obscene atlernative text. I like the idea behind this software if the original Web site is protected from malicious contributors.
WCAG 2.0 Standards: A Challenge for Software – A Needed Standard for the Visually Impaired
Originally posted May 28, 2008
AJAX, dynamic HTML, other client browser side technologies and Web 2.0 data integration have greatly enhanced the end users’ experience on the Web. With these technologies, persons with visual impairment have been given a challenge in being able to access the Web. Alternative information can be used to describe Flash animations and graphics, but screen readers alone cannot overcome synchronous presentation of parallel multimedia information.
Persons with visual impairments encounter a unique challenge when attempting to interact with current generation multimedia content developed online. Multimedia content including video, audio and animations are often presented to the user in a synchronous manner with other visual and text elements. Video displayed on a page at the same time with text transcripts, still images and presentation slides work to generate a rich, pleasing experience for sighted users. The introduction of a time element creates a burden for the visually impaired person who must consume the material in a serial (audio and tactile) fashion.
If the visually impaired person is to have a rich and equivalent experience, the system needs to present the material in a non-linear and asynchronous manner. This presents a technical challenge to software developers presenting multimedia in parallel streams of information. The visually impaired user must be queued to consume alternative information. The software must provide a way for the user to pause streams of information, consume alternative information and resume the stream. DigitalChalk is looking at ways to meet these challenges with its course authoring and delivery system.