Universal Access to Web Information

Pamela Brown

INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY

In March 1999, the Illinois State Library awarded the Suburban Library System (SLS) a $52,740 grant in Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds to develop a continuing education program to ensure library Web pages are universally accessible.

"Universal Access to Web Information" has experimented with three approaches to delivering this message. First, a knowledge series was presented at the Suburban Library System during the fall 1999. Internationally known experts Dr. Norman Coombs and Richard Banks from EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information) presented three workshops:

• Is Your Web Site ADA Compliant? Why It Matters to People with Disabilities

• Small Type and Big Mistakes: Major WebDesign Problems and Simple Solutions

• Access Features of HTML, including Style Sheets: How to Validate for Accessibility

In addition, the software acquired for demonstrations in conjunction with the presentations is being used to create an accessibility lab in the SLS training room. This facility is being made available as a means both to experience the tools commonly used by people with disabilities and to test Web sites for accessibility.

Finally, the knowledge series was professionally videotaped and closed captioned and is being published to the Web along with all of the print materials developed through the grant project. This valuable information is being made available to anyone planning and creating Web sites, no matter where they are or what kinds of access challenges they may have.

BACKGROUND

Universal access to Web information is a concept that comes from the World Wide Web Consortium (popularly known as W3C) and its Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). W3C recognizes that while the Web and technology offer unprecedented opportunities for people to communicate, new barriers can arise in the place of old ones for persons with disabilities. WAI is a partnership with organizations around the world to ensure the Web is accessible to all.

In the United States, EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information), which is based at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York State, is engaged in similar work. EASI's mission is "to serve as a resource to the education community by providing information and guidance in the area of access-to-information technologies by individuals with disabilities." From both of these organizations have come a series of white papers and guidelines to promote and support their work.

Universal accessibility is closely associated with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which was passed into federal law in 1990 for the expressed purpose of bringing people with disabilities into the mainstream of American life. Approximately 49 million people in the United States have some form of disability. Of this group, an estimated 7.75 million people cannot use a computer without assistive technology (from the U.S. Access Board and the Alliance for Technology Access).

Universal accessibility means that Web information is available to the largest possible audience. Most hardware and software platforms, even those at the low end, are supported, and the needs of users with disabilities are considered. Although technology is being developed to assist these people, it generally lags behind the introduction of new features on the Web. The solution is to design Web sites that ensure all users have full access.

While one way to interpret universal access is ADA-compliance, the potential for universal access is far greater. Consider the following data gathered from various Web sites devoted to disability issues:

* Pamela Brown, Director of Information Technology Services, Suburban Library System, Burr Ridge, Illinois. The assistance of Jenny Levine, Internet Development Specialist at the Suburban Library System, with the project is gratefully acknowledged.

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• 9 million Americans have several vision impairments, while many more have minor vision problems.

• 90 million Americans have literacy skills that are deficient.

• Repetitive stress injuries represent 60 percent of all job-related illnesses and cost business $20 billion annually.

• The number of seniors 65 years or older will increase by 117 percent in the next 50 years, as compared with a general population increase of only 19.8 percent.

• There will be 68.5 million senior Americans by 2050, more than double the current figure of 31.6 million.

Other areas of concern are color blindness and dyslexia.

Imagine the difference that universally accessible Web information could make. Web sites that consider a wide range of user needs and preferences, that provide complete access in a text-only mode as well as audio format can make the vast, rich resources of the Web fully accessible to everyone.

Since 1997, Internet access has been a membership requirement of the Suburban Library System. In addition, members are encouraged to develop a Web site to market their services, communicate with their patrons, and extend their services, especially to people in their community that do not—or cannot come into the library. In support, SLS offers a series of hands-on training courses to help members develop the skills necessary to develop a Web site.

Based on the data from the SLS Membership Directory at the time this project was proposed, sixty-seven SLS member libraries had Web sites. Twenty two members had Web pages stored on the SLS server. Another eight libraries were members of the NorthStarNet community information project, with Web pages stored on the North Suburban Library System's server. All of these counts have increased during the project period. For example, twenty-one SLS libraries now participate in NorthStarNet and either have a Web presence or are leading their communities in developing one.

As a further indication of interest in Web publishing, SLS sponsors SWAC (the acronym for SLS Web Authors and Creators), an informal group that meets regularly with an average of fifteen participants to learn and discuss ways that will make their Web sites most effective.

While most SLS members are obligated to adhere to ADA guidelines, there is little case law to address the application of ADA compliance to the Internet. A blind man has filed a complaint against the Bay Area (CA) Metropolitan Transport Commission, claiming that due to his disability he is unable to access their bus and train schedules on the Web. In another California case, a lawsuit was settled with the City and County of San Francisco, which agreed to provide kiosks for the computers that are made available to people with disabilities.

In terms of legal opinion, Cynthia Waddell, the ADA Coordinator for the City of San Jose, (CA) and an attorney, sites two legal documents in her paper "Applying the ADA to the Internet: A Web Accessibility Standard" (http://www.rit.edu/easi/ law/weblaw.htm). The first is an U.S. Department of Justice policy ruling that states "ADA Title II and III require State and local governments and the business sector to provide effective communication whenever they communicate through the Internet." This ruling goes on to "point out that providing a text format rather than a graphical format assures accessibility to the Internet for individuals using screenreaders." Waddell's second citation is a settlement letter from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights. This document addresses the concept of "effective communication" and promotes three basic components: "timeliness of delivery, accuracy of the translation, and the provision in a manner and medium appropriate to the significance of the message and the abilities of the individual with the disability."

Given this background, "Universal Access to Web Information" was designed to address four needs that became apparent through the Suburban Library System's continuing education program:

• Training in Web page design and development.

SLS members are nearly insatiable in their demand for training on all aspects of Web page design and development. The audience for training is selective, since typically only one or two people in each library are charged with this task, yet every scheduled training session has been enthusiastically received on an ongoing basis, and more are requested continually.

• Providing information about how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to the Internet.

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It appears the timing is right for this, given the recent legal activity in California outlined above. As the Web matures and access becomes ubiquitous, it is inevitable that a body of case law will develop. It is an obligation of the Illinois regional library systems to keep members well informed.

• ADA-compliance testing.

As members have become sensitive to the issues of universal accessibility, they naturally want to test for it. The screenreader software included in this grant proposal will provide the means to test the accessibility of commercial databases and Web-based online access public catalogs as well as Web sites.

• Distance education.

Through informal discussion as well as two surveys over the course of the last three years, members have consistently asked that SLS identify alternative means of delivering continuing education. This grant project includes the acquisition of hardware and software that will make training materials available whenever and wherever members and others need them.

PROJECT PLAN

To meet the identified needs, this grant project had five goals:

1. Develop and deliver a series of workshops that explore the concept of universal access to Web information and how Web pages can be designed to eliminate access barriers.

2. Increase awareness of the challenges that Web publishing can present to those with hearing, sight, or motor-skill disabilities.

3. Develop an accessibility lab in the SLS training room, using the software acquired through the grant project to demonstrate how people with disabilities experience the Web and to guide Web site creators in developing resources that are universally accessible.

4. Publish the workshop presentations on the Suburban Library Systems' Web site, employing the principles of universal access, thereby making the grant project information widely available to others throughout the State of Illinois.

5. Experiment with a new model for continuing education at SLS through publishing the workshop presentations in audio, video, and print formats.

The heart of the grant project was a knowledge series of three workshops conducted by Dr. Norman Coombs and Richard Banks from EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information), which is based in New York State at the Rochester Institute of Technology. These are internationally known experts, who bring personal life experience to their subject as well as research. These are also people the SLS membership would not normally have a chance to hear. While the presentations addressed universal access for all, irrespective of personal challenges, the emphasis was on meeting the needs of the sight-impaired. Specific presentation content included:

• The legal aspects of applying the Americans with Disabilities Act to Web publishing

• How a sight-impaired person uses screenreader and magnification software to search the World Wide Web and the barriers that are encountered

• What PDF (Portable File Format) means to a sight-impaired person and the pros and cons of using it

• Internet resources for keeping informed about universal access issues

• Minimum requirements for universal Web accessibility and how to use them

• Interface design principles to ensure user-friendliness for people who are color-blind or visually impaired but not blind.

• How style sheets and HTML 4.0 can be used to increase universal access.

Because of the somewhat esoteric nature of this grant project, significant marketing materials were needed. Some of these marketing materials advertised the series of workshops. Others distribute the workshop materials in a format that can be used by a library as it works within its community. This latter objective was particularly significant for libraries that participate in the NorthStarNet community information network and provide leadership in their communities for Web publishing. Finally, marketing materials were needed to promote the Web site. As an additional benefit, the marketing component of this project is serving as a model for SLS libraries, in response to their priorities from the ILSDO (Illinois Library Systems Directors Organization) Search Conference.

As an integral component of the grant project, each of the presentations was professionally videotaped, edited, and closed-captioned for publishing on the Web, along with supporting print materials. This was made possible with the dedicated RealMedia server

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acquired through the grant. In this way the information is available to those unable to attend the series of workshops and provides an ongoing reference to those who did. SLS staff have used this opportunity to learn a new way of providing distance education and plan to build upon the experience in the future. SLS staff are also committed to post-grant follow-up and support. As libraries incorporate the principles they have learned into their Web sites, SLS staff will be available for consultation.

In addition, the adaptive software and Web tools purchased through the grant are being made available in the SLS training room to test the usability of Web pages and to experience firsthand how the adaptive software works.

Activities Accomplished

At the end of the grant period, the following activities have been accomplished:

• Dr. Norman Coombs and Richard Banks from EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information) presented three workshops:

1. Is Your Web Site ADA Compliant? Why It Matters to People with Disabilities

2. Small Type and Big Mistakes: Major Web Design Problems and Simple Solutions

3. Access Features of HTML, including Style Sheets: How to Validate for Accessibility

• Notebooks of materials that supplement the presentations were developed and distributed to workshop registrants, SLS member libraries, the other eleven regional library systems, and interested organizations, such as the Illinois State Library, American Library Association, etc.

• An electronic mailing list was developed by the workshop presenters to encourage post-presentation communication.

• The SLS training room was turned into an accessibility lab, using the software acquired through the grant project. This includes the use of JAWS for Windows screenreader software with speakers and headphones to test the accessibility of Web pages and experience the Web in the same way as a person with disabilities. It also includes the use of StyleMaker, TagGen, and Adobe Acrobat software to assist in creating Web pages that are universally accessible. Additional freeware was installed in order to provide a comprehensive testing environment.

• The three presentations were professionally videotaped, edited, and closed captioned.

• A RealMedia server was purchased, configured, and incorporated into the SLS network.

•A project Web site (http://www.sls.lib.il.us/accessibility) was created to provide access to the videotaped workshops and the accompanying materials and suggested procedures for Web authors.

• A project "brand" was created by a professional graphic artist to help identify all grant project materials and draw attention to the issue of universal accessibility.

• Marketing materials were developed to draw attention to the issue of Web accessibility, promote registration at the workshops, advocate use of the accessibility lab, and encourage use of the project Web site.

• Follow-up has already begun with SWAC (SLS Web Authors and Creators) group. Those who attended the workshops have a much better frame of reference for discussing how to move forward in addressing this issue.

Program Accomplishments Relative to the Goals & Objectives of the Project

GOAL

1. Develop and deliver a series of workshops that explore the concept of universal access to Web information and how Web pages can be designed to eliminate access barriers.

2. Increase awareness of the challenges that Web publishing can present to those with hearing, sight, or motor-skill disabilities.

3. Develop an accessibility lab in the SLS training room, using the software acquired through the grant project to demonstrate how people with disabilities experience the Web and to guide Web site creators in developing resources that are universally accessible.

4. Publish the workshop presentations on the Suburban Library Systems' Web site, employing the principles of universal access, thereby making the grant project information widely available to others throughout the State of Illinois.

5. Experiment with a new model for continuing education at SLS through publishing the workshop presentations in audio, video, and print formats.

ACCOMPLISHMENT

Dr. Norman Coombs and Richard Banks from EASI

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(Equal Access to Software and Information) presented three workshops:

1. Is Your Web Site ADA Compliant? Why It Matters to People with Disabilities

2. Small Type and Big Mistakes: Major Web Design Problems and Simple Solutions

3. Access Features of HTML, including Style Sheets: How to Validate for Accessibility

This was accomplished through the charisma and skill of the workshop presenters, who are themselves visually-impaired.

The project software (the JAWS for Windows screenreader along with speakers and headphones and the StyleMaker, TagGen, and Adobe Acrobat software to assist in the development of Web pages) was been installed, and SLS is in the process of marketing its availability.

Toward this end:

• RealMedia server and software were purchased, configured, and integrated into the SLS network

• The presentations were professionally videotaped, edited, and closed captioned

• A project Web site was developed, incorporating audio, video, and print resources from the presentations

• Marketing materials were developed to promote use of these valuable resources.

• A counter has been installed on the Web site to collect data about its use.

After a delay with the close-captioning process, the Web site is expected to go live within a few weeks.

The goal is being accomplished through #4 above. Members' response to this new format for continuing education will not be known for several months. However, SLS staff are actively planning other Web-based continuing education using the RealMedia server during the coming year.

Changes in the Program Direction

No matter how thoroughly a project is planned, revisions are inevitable. It was necessary to modify the program for "Universal Access to Web Information" in four major ways. Each resulted in a significantly improved grant project.

1. SLS was unable to hire a project director as originally planned. It is very difficult to hire a person short-term who has project management skills and also professional contacts with organizations that provide services to people with disabilities. Instead, SLS asked to have the grant modified to support contracting with a marketing firm. This proved to be an excellent change in plans. The firm took on many project management details, guided SLS staff in ways to market the grant project effectively, promoted the project to the local press, and even arranged for professional videotaping when the original plans fell through.

2. Although SLS had arranged with the staff at one of its member academic institutions to do the videotaping and editing for the project (at academic prices), when the time came, plans fell through. While it was very stressful, this proved to be a blessing in disguise. The marketing firm engaged for the project made all arrangements with a professional team to tape and edit the three presentations. Although the cost was approximately three times what had originally been budgeted, grant modifications that had been approved earlier made it possible to proceed. As a consequence, the Web presentations are of higher quality, and SLS staff have identified a team they can work with on similar projects in the future.

3. Closed-captioning was a surprise aspect of the project. Although the grant proposal makes note of the need to close-caption the videotape, this detail got lost in the project plan and budget. SLS staff have learned that the actual process of close-captioning is not particularly expense; however, the process requires a transcript, and acquiring a transcript tends to be both time-consuming and expensive. Here again, the marketing firm was helpful in identifying options. This expense ultimately fell outside the grant amount and is being paid though SLS operating budget.

4. Initially SLS hoped to buy a site license for screen-reader software and provide each participant (or at least those who are SLS members) with a copy. This proved impossible. The software producer's definition of "site license" was not sufficiently flexible. Beyond that, the producers charge 50% of the purchase price annually for updates and support, a practice that would have caused misunderstandings after the grant period. Since, it was not possible to proceed with the original plan, SLS staff used this

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opportunity to acquire additional software and turn the SLS training room into an accessibility lab. This lab is being made available to Web site developers so they can experience the Web through the software that is commonly used by people with disabilities and thereby test Web pages for universal accessibility. The lab also has software that facilitates the creation of universally accessible Web pages.

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Project

Any project plays out in ways that were not envisioned at its onset.

Strengths of "Universal Access to Web Information" have included:

1. The availability of information beyond physical attendance at the workshops

2. The direct impact on participants (as noted in evaluations)

3. Timeliness of the topic, especially given the current press coverage for electronic accessibility

4. Filling a void in the library world

5. Identification of a professional video team

6. Acquisition of a RealMedia server that will be used in subsequent projects to deliver continuing education to SLS members and others at their convenience.

7. Recognition of what is involved in closed-captioning and the level of funding required for future projects at SLS that involve broadcasting on the RealMedia server

Weaknesses of "Universal Access to Web Information" have included:

1. The topic could never be addressed fully in just three workshops because of the rapid evolution of HTML, style sheets, and technology.

2. Not being able to purchase screenreader software for workshop registrants.

Analysis of the How the Grant "Needs" were Altered or Changed by the Activities

Often the reality of a project changes the details of a project. This happened three times during "Universal Access to Web Information."

1. A marketing firm was engaged in lieu of a project director.

When it became possible to engage a project director, approval was sought to modify the grant program and budget, and a marketing firm was engaged instead. This proved to be a tremendous benefit. Not only was the firm able to advise and direct SLS staff about how to market this project; the firm also assisted with such tasks as engaging a professional videotaping team and editing the resulting tape.

2. A professional video team was engaged.

It was very stressful to discover the original video team (with their bargain rates) would not be part of this grant project. However, in the end, working with the professional alternative made for a much better product. The Web component is more attractive and usable, plus it will help "sell" the use of the RealMedia server for future continuing education projects at SLS.

3. The SLS training room was turned into an accessibility lab.

Although not originally envisioned as part of the grant proposal, the accessibility lab is proving to be beneficial to SLS member libraries and NorthStarNet participants. As more libraries plan to acquire accessibility software, they appreciate the opportunity to test a product that has the approval of the workshop presenters. In addition, the Web authoring tools available in the lab are beginning to be used to assure library Web pages are universally accessible. While it was disappointing not be able to provide workshop registrants with screenreader software, the development of the accessibility lab may have greater and broader long-term impact.

Analysis of How the Goals of the Illinois State Library's Long Range Plan were Met by the Project

This project was designed to address Goal 4 of the Illinois State Library's Long-Range Plan, namely, to "develop training methods and activities that will allow library personnel and Illinois citizens to become technologically literate and have full access to information available through libraries."

Toward that end, SLS has

• Presented three workshops in a knowledge series to registrants from more than 43 libraries.

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• Developed continuing education materials that sensitive users to the issues of universal access to Web information and also to the need for adaptive technology.

• Experimented with Web-based distance education that is accessible to Illinois citizens as well as library personnel.

To quote from a typical workshop evaluation:

" I think this was an excellent set of programs. Dick (Banks) and Norm (Coombs) brought a whole new perspective to [the] project, and I left with a different understanding of ADA compliance and the importance of it. We always say we have to be accessible to the disabled. Now we are getting the means to do it."

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