There are features of the World Wide Web (WWW) which are not currently accessible to people with disABILITIES   However, it is possible today to make very creative, artistic and interesting Web documents that are completely accessible. When discussing the accessibility of the WWW , the following four basic components need to be addressed:

            the server
             the source material
             the pipeline
             the viewer

In this section, the focus is on what can be done when creating HTML pages which would fall under source material. You can of course, create an accessible document by creating one that only has text and hypertext links (no images, sounds, tables, frames, JavaScript, etc.). However, you do not need to avoid using images, sounds or advanced features if you design your pages right and provide text alternatives.

As you read this section you will see that much of the content is directed to addressing the problems that people who are blind and using screen readers encounter in using the Web. That is because the primary problems in Web access are encountered by this population. People with physical disABILITIES do not have much problem with the design of Web pages. If they encounter problems, it is usually with the design of the browser. People with hearing problems only have difficulty if there is important information being presented aurally. As long as all audio information is also provided visually there usually is no problem in accessing the Web site. Finally, people with cognitive disABILITIES  usually benefit from clearly laid out pages which use plain language and are obvious in their operation. This section deals with some of the important issues in the design of Web pages and solution strategies.

Text Anchors
    Make text anchors descriptive enough so that they make sense when read out of context
    Place spaces or horizontal lines between links which occur consecutively

Text Layout
        Avoid arranging text documents in columns
        If it is unavoidable, make a text-only version of the page containing the table

Bitmap Text
        If use of bit-mapped text is unavoidable, make sure the content is available elsewhere         as text

Text Size
        Use proportional font markups such as H1, H2, H3 rather than specifying font sizes        so that text stays proportional when adjusted

Text Color
     Make the text and background colors contrast
     Make sure that you test the colors you use. Is the text readable on a monochrome monitor?

Punctuation and Symbols
     Avoid uncommon typographic characters or constructions such as emoticons, arrows
     consisting of dashes and greater than signs, etc. Rather, spell out any abbreviations

Text that Changes or Moves
     Avoid using the BLINK and MARQUEE tags. Use another method to draw attention to text       such as text size, color, or capital letters, etc.
 
 

               Page Layout

General Layout
      Keep layouts simple and straightforward
     Avoid tabular presentation of text
     If using graphics, attach ALT-TEXT to images
Where following the above guidelines would interfere with the presentation of the    information for some reason, a text-only page should be one of the first encountered on the graphics page Buttons that perform the same function on different pages ( for example, "return to home page" ) should be located in a consistent location on the page

Tables
     For text in columns ( newspaper format ) or numbers in columns ( calender or spreadsheet
     format ) provide a text only version with text laid out in a single column Or, provide a
     contact number or e-mail that someone could call to obtain help with the table

Lists
      Use a bullet or Number for each item in a list
      State how many items are in an upcoming list

Frames
     Create a text-only page linked to complex frames

JavaScript
    ISSUE : JavaScript is a scripting language, that, in a very restricted way, helps make
     Web pages more dynamic. It is mainly used to enhance forms and as a subset of HTML
     has a similar set of problems. Research is underway to address these problems

In-Line Graphics

Provide an alternate text description (ALT-TEXT) which would be displayed instead of the image Keep the wording simple Sometimes it is easier to describe what the function of the graphic is rather than what it is or looks like using the height and width tags for images may cause the ALT-TEXT to wrap Include punctuation or spaces at the end of ALT-TEXT of images used as links If the graphic gives the visual user an indication that there is a change in context, this should be modeled in the ALT-TEXT as well. If you are going to use a horizontal rule for a visual layout of change of context, a graphical line is recommended rather then the HR tag. For critical bullets, use numbers or letters as the ALT-TEXT so that they are pronounced For longer descriptions, use a separate page, or as footnotes

Separate Viewer-Based Graphics

Often in viewing HTML pages, users will encounter images or anchor phrases which will fetch and display a large graphic image. A suggestion for this would be to place an anchor to a separate page which has a text description of the picture right next to the anchor that pulls up the picture

Image Maps

Image maps allow users to click on "hot spots" of a picture which reference WWW pages. For this, create a client-side image map using ALT-TEXT for each of the links.  Instead of using a single graphic as an image map, use a series of several images that can each have their own ALT-TEXT

Color

Background patterns and color should contrast well with the lettering to maintain readability. Select colors that will make your pages easy to read by people with color blindness. One good test is to see if your pages are readable on a monochrome monitor

Audio Clips

Place an anchor to a page with a text transcript or description of the sound right next to the anchor for the sound If the user has requested a text-only page, replace all URL references to sound with URL references to the text transcript or description

Movies

One way to make movies accessible to people with disabilities is to embed the accessibility information in the data stream so that it is time-synched with the other information AUDIO: Captions or other visual representations of all important information in the sound track should be provided. (Some data structures such as QuickTime movies already have a mechanism for adding captions to the data structures.)   VIDEO: For people who are visually challenged or who have low vision, a technique called Descriptive Video is used which provides an additional narrator describing what is happening during the regular dialogue of the movie

Forms

For those browsers and/or screen readers that can not identify empty edit boxes, it is recommended to use place-holding characters such as a space, short description or a textual cue One can also provide a form which can be downloaded and then mailed or e-mailed, or a phone number someone can call for assistance

Java

For browsers that allow the user to block downloading of applets, include alt-text For browsers that do not support Java, you can include images or a text description or a link to another page

 Custom Data Structures and Viewers

The only way for these custom data and views to be accessible is if the access is built directly into the viewer. Standard access tools may not be generally working with special viewers at this time.