Background
Brian Kelly gave a talk on Web Accessibility: A Holistic Approach at the
The Digital Object:
UK Museums and the Web 2005 conference which was held at Leicester University on
on 21st April 2005.
The talk took place in the "Accessing the Digital Object" session from
11:45-12:30, chaired by Marcus Weissen.
Conference Materials
Slides
- Slides
- [HTML format] -
[MS Powerpoint format]
Outline
- 1. Comments on accessibility survey of museum Web sites
- This has many similarities to surveys of the UK University sector.
- 2. Are the poor compliance levels of concern?
- There has been much discussion about this. There is a feeling amongst the community,
especially fdrom those who are actively seeking to provide accessible Web sites,
that the WAI guidelines, although useful, do have their limitations.
- 3. If WAI has limitations, should we forget about it?
- No! We do need to address accesibility issues. However there can be alternative
approaches which complement the guidelines developed by WAI. These might include:
(a) use of accessible proprietary formats (Flash and PDF can be accessible);
(b) exploiting enhancements provided by operating systems and
(c) exploring the potential of accessible real-world alternatives to inaccessible
digital resources.
- 4. Can you give some practical examples of what museums should be doing?
- You should have an accessibility policy. But this can (should) be wider
than simply stating compliance with WAI guidelines.
- You should carry out accessibility audits - but include people and don't just
rely on automated tools such as Bobby.
- You should seek to make use of WAI WCAG guidelines, especially level 1 guidelines.
But have a pragmatic approach and don't necessarily treat them as gospel.
Useful URLs
- Developing A Holistic Approach For E-Learning Accessibility
- Developing A Holistic
Approach For E-Learning Accessibility, Kelly, B., Phipps, L. and Swift, E.
Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 2004, Vol. 30, Issue 3.
- Developing and Publicising a Workable Accessibility Strategy
- Developing and Publicising a Workable Accessibility Strategy,
Phipps, L., Harrison, S., Sloan, D. and Willder, B. Ariadne, Issue 38.
- How To Evaluate A Web Site's Accessibility Level
- Briefing 12
- Use of Automated Tools For Testing Web Site Accessibility
- Briefing 02
- Accessibility Testing In Web Browsers
- Briefing 57
- Compliance with HTML Standards
- Briefing 01
- Use Of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
- Briefing 34
- A URI Interface To Web Testing Tools
- Briefing 59
- Summary of the QA Focus Methodology
- Briefing 57
- Top 10 Quality Assurance Tips
- Briefing 37
- Implementing Your Own QA
- Briefing 58
Biographical Details
Brian Kelly is UK Web Focus - an advisory post funded by the MLA and the
JISC
(the Joint Information Systems Committee).
Brian advises the cultural heritage sector and the higher and further education
communities on standards and best practices for the provision of Web-based
services. One of Brian's particular areas of interests is in Web accessibility.
Brian has written papers on accessibility for e-learning and will be giving a paper
at the International Cross-Disciplinary Workshop on Web Accessibility (W4A)
in Japan in May 2005 on "Forcing Standardization or Accommodating Diversity?
A Framework for Applying the WCAG in the Real World".
Brian is based at UKOLN, a national centre of expertise in digital
information management, located at the University of Bath.
Museums And The Web 2005 Conference