Online Access: Assessing Usability & Advocating for Voters. March 30, :30pm-4:00pm EST

Transcription

1 Online Access: Assessing Usability & Advocating for Voters March 30, :30pm-4:00pm EST

2 Agenda Susan Mizner, ACLU Access Denied and online barriers Kristen Henry, Disability Rights Ohio Case study: online access advocacy in Ohio Q&A following presentations Use the chat window for questions during the presentation

3 ACCESS DENIED BARRIERS TO WEBSITES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES Susan Mizner Because Freedom Can t Protect Itself

4 4 Presentation Overview Website Accessibility Why is it Important? What is it? What are Common Barriers? Screen Reader Access the biggest basket Low-vision Access Access for People who are Deaf or hard of hearing Access for people with mobility disabilities Recommendations

5 5 Why Worry About Accessibility? It s a good idea: One in five Americans has a disability 8.1 million Americans have difficulty seeing. 6.7 million Americans have difficulty grasping objects 10.6 million Americans have some type of cognitive or learning disability

6 Why Worry About Accessibility? 6 It s the law: Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires equal access to government services and programs as well as effective communication. Government websites are government services that communicate important information and must be equally available to people with disabilities.

7 What IS website accessibility? Website accessibility is the measure of a webpage s usability by people with one or more disabilities. There are myriad disabilities, and just as many ways that people adapt or use adaptive technology to use the web. Let s review some of the most common approaches: 7

8 For people with low or limited vision Screen magnifier software makes the screen visible for people but the screen can show only a portion of the webpage at a time. 8

9 For people with low vision Enlarging text is a standard accommodation for people with low vision. If the website is poorly designed, the enlarged text will overlap like this: 9

10 For people with no vision screen reader software creates access to a computer and to the web. Screen readers convert text and code to a synthesized voice. 10

11 For people with upper body mobility disabilities, they may use a mouth stick to control the computer, OR voice recognition software to direct the computer s keystrokes. 11

12 For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing Open or Closed Captioning can provide communication access. 12

13 WCAG 2.0 AA Standards 1.Perceivable Text Alternatives 1.1.1Non-text Content 1.2Time-based Media 1.2.1Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded) 1.2.2Captions (Prerecorded) 1.2.3Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded) 1.2.4Captions (Live) 1.2.5Audio Description (Prerecorded) 1.2.6Sign Language (Prerecorded) 1.2.7Extended Audio Description (Prerecorded) 1.2.8Media Alternative (Prerecorded) 1.2.9Audio-only (Live) 2.Operable 2.1Keyboard Accessible 2.1.1Keyboard 2.1.2No Keyboard Trap 2.1.3Keyboard (No Exception) 2.2Enough Time 2.2.1Timing Adjustable 2.2.2Pause, Stop, Hide 2.2.3No Timing 2.2.4Interruptions 2.2.5Re-authenticating 2.3Seizures 2.3.1Three Flashes or Below Threshold 2.3.2Three Flashes 2.4Navigable 2.4.1Bypass Blocks 2.4.2Page Titled

14 WCAG 2.0 AA It s a set of standards it is not a set of rules. This is good, but Don t try this at home. You need experts to meet these standards. Here s the skinny: 14

15 To Ensure Accessible Websites Hire web access professionals to review and evaluate the website. Even better get web access professionals to help set up the website in the first place. Really I mean it. 15

16 What problems are red flags? Screen reader accessibility Forms Images Page Design Videos Security 16

17 Screen Reader Access What is it? Who uses it? How does it work? 17

18 Forms Can a blind or low vision user interact with the form? Will the user know what information to type in the text entry area? Do buttons and drop down menus have labels that the screen reader can identify? 18

19 Forms Form in horizontal Table First Name Middle Initial Last Name W2 Gross Dividends Taxpayer Spouse 19

20 Images Screen Readers cannot read images, such as: Photographs Charts Graphs Dumb PDF s They should have alt tags describing the image or the information should be in the text elsewhere on the page. 20

21 Page Design - Contrast If you have light text on a light background, everyone will have difficult reading it. Similarly, dark text on a dark background is hard to read. Or any text on a busy background. 21

22 22 Page Design - Visual Noise

23 Video Must have captioning. Ideally should also have audio description. 23

24 Security Usual approach is to use CAPTCHA s 24

25 Accessible CAPTCHA s Audio CAPTCHA s - Some are easy to hear; Others are impossible. Drop down menu CAPTCHA: Leaves fall off the trees in the summer spring fall 25

26 Website Access for Idiots Go to the website Hit the tab button Do you see skip navigation come up? Is a selection highlighted each time you tab? If you hit return do you go to that selection? If you hover over an image, does alternative text come up? How big is the print? How well does it contrast with the background? 26

27 To Ensure Accessible Websites Hire web access professionals to review and evaluate the website. Even better get web access professionals to help set up the website in the first place. Really I mean it. 27

28 Web Accessibility Consultants Ai Squared sales@aisquared.com Deque Systems, Inc sales@deque.com Tech For All, Inc. info@tfaconsulting.com WebAIM Center for Persons with Disabilities, Utah State University Accessible Systems Inc info@accessible-systems.com NetCentric Technologies, Inc sales@commonlook.com 28

29 29 Thank you!

30 For more information, contact: Susan Mizner at or The HTML and Accessible PDF versions of Access Denied are available at: Web accessibility for the blind: 30

31 Online Access: Assessing Usability & Advocating for Voters Kristen Henry Attorney at Law

32 Case Study: Hindel v. Husted Assessing the problem Preparing for litigation Negotiation Litigation Resolution Monitoring

33 Assessing the Problem Complaints Clients Partners Public reports Expert review Standards Functions Information Forms Registration

34 Preparing for Litigation Plaintiffs Individuals Organizations Consider range of disabilities Expert Goals Funding Timeline Election cycles

35 Negotiation Show the (potential) defendant ADA/504 apply Non-compliance Effect on voters What are you trying to get? Standard Timeline Accessibility, plus: Staff, training, policies, etc.

36 Litigation Complaint Show the unequal access, impact on clients Especially critical functions TRO/Preliminary/Permanent Injunction Irreparable harm Timeline Scope of proposed order

37 Resolution Negotiation? See DOJ consent decrees, e.g. H&R Block Court decision? Appeal considerations

38 Monitoring Initial compliance Expert review When to speak up Ongoing compliance Expert review? Timeline Staff, training, policies

39 Thank you! Kristen Henry, Attorney at Law , ext. 112

40 Online Access: Assessing Usability & Advocating for Voters Thank you! Questions?