Web Accessibility Compliance Testing - The 'Human'
Touch
If you have not yet read page one of this article, ‘More
Accessible Web Design’, please click
here to view
it.
One facet of the whole accessibility debate which many
disability access experts seem to be ignoring completely
is the user.
In the continuing mission to stand out from the growing
throng of their fellow bandwagonites, it would appear
that an increasing number of experts now advocate automatic
means of web accessibility compliance testing, thus inadvertently
creating an entirely new throng of their own.
Be this as it may, as I briefly mentioned in page one
of this article, there is most definitely a need for disability
access testing by a ‘live’ audience instead
of just by machines, since automatic means of testing
are not currently able to verify compliance to even half
the guidelines set down by the various standards agencies
in Europe, the USA and, last but definitely not least,
by the World Wide Web Consortium itself.
But, whilst web accessibility compliance testing by a
live audience may be the way forward; just how can this
be achieved, given the current (and future) scale of the
world wide web?
On a corporate level, the problem of hiring disabled
testers is a relatively small one, given the comparatively
large budgets commonly allocated to web development in
this sector.
Similarly, it is at least within the realms of the feasible
for most medium-sized businesses to take advantage of
an experienced web accessibility consultant’s services
in order to address the issues in hand.
But what about the countless number of small operators
who currently make up such a large proportion of commercial
web sites?
Surely there is no economical or realistic way for these
companies and organisations to fully address their web
site’s accessibility issues?
Given the sheer numbers of small online businesses and
one-man bands operating on the web, this will potentially
present a huge problem at some stage in the future.
One answer, although there seems to be little support
for it at this stage, is for the various global disability
charities to start playing an active role in the web accessibility
compliance testing of smaller web sites.
In theory, organisations such as SENSE, the RNIB and
others could implement a testing service, staffed by the
very users most closely concerned with the whole issue,
in exchange for a realistic fee.
Not only would this act as a means of ensuring the accessibility
of smaller web sites, it could also act as a means raising
much-needed funds for these worthy organisations.
Whilst firm legislation on the whole issue of accessible
web sites may still be a distant prospect, would it not
be better to start tackling the issue now, rather than
at the last possible minute?
Web Accessibility compliance testing needs a 'live'
testing audience
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