Visually Impaired
Section 508 & SEO, Good For Each Other
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the quality and volume of traffic to a web site from search engines via natural algorithms. Because effective SEO may require changes to HTML source code of a site, SEO tactics may be incorporated into web site development and design. The term “search engine friendly” may be used to describe web site design, menus, content and forms that are easy to optimize. ”Spamdexing” or the use of “link farms” to draw traffic to a web site from search engines degrade the relevence of search results and the user experience.
In many ways designing a web site for SEO improves the user experience as well as makes the web site more readable for visually impaired users who use screen readers. Think about what search engines do to index a page and what a screen reader for the visually impaired do to read a screen. Both the search engine and screen reader depend upon text to do their jobs.
- Google and Jaws use alt tags and HTML tags to read pages for SEO and speech to text for the visually impaired respectively.
- The same elements that a screen reader does not pick up are also ignored by search engine spiders, namely graphical images.
- Clear and well written text is easiest for a user of a screen reader to understand and it also makes for better natural language rankings in a search engine. Search engines use tools to analyze the language in a paragraph of text for ranking purposes. Better written text will naturally rank better in a search and will be more understandable to a visually impaired listener.
Want to improve your SEO? Make your sie Section 508 compliant.
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.
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.
Paper Money Discriminates Against the Blind?
Originally posted May 15, 2008
MY OPINION – The U. S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled 2 – 1 that paper money discriminates against the blind. The court agrees with a lower court 2006 ruling that the federal government has to provide a workable solution. The court does not dictate the remedy. Some of the solutions, such as different sized money, may be worse for the blind. Smaller bills may be easily lost. Raising print or a seal on the bill may be the best solution. Bills may not last as long in circulation though. The cost may be higher than the value of the fix. Not all advocates for the blind agree that the U. S. currency discriminates against the blind. This case raises other questions
- Do merchants have to supply braille receipts?
- Should manufacturers provide braille instructions with their products?
- Do blind people need multiple retail clerks to verify purchase integrity?
- How about restaurants, how do blind people know if they are given the appropriate portions?
- Do towns and cities discriminate against blind people because they do not implement GPS audio maps?
- Do movie theaters discriminate because they do not provide alternative text/braille devices describing the action in the movie?
- Should all sporting events provide audio narratives for the visually impaired?
Not all situations in life discriminate against the blind. Blind people are not all victims. Life presents challenges to all people. Blind people have different challenges. It is society’s responsibility to do its best to accommodate all people allowing them to participate. This should not be legislated by the courts. I believe
1. The blind community needs to help establish accessibility guidelines and standards.
2. Responsible people will adapt the standards because it is the right thing to do.
Many accessibility standards are good for the population at large. Activism needs to come from individuals, not government mandates. Grant and contract providers can specify guidelines. Courts should not impose standards in all cases.