Web Accessibility Compliance Testing needs the Human Touch
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 computers, since automatic means of are not currently able to verify compliance to even half
the guidelines set down by the various standards agencies
in Europe, the USA and
by the itself.
But, while web accessibility compliance testing by a
live audience may look like 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? And, 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 , the 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 subject 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?
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