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Laurie Harrison
Jan Richards
Jutta Treviranus
Adaptive Technology Resource Centre, University of Toronto
http://www.utoronto.ca/atrc
While in recent years the issue of the accessibility of HTML to users with visual disabilities and other constraints has become a topic of great concern, it was not always this way. HTML began as a simple and predominantly text based subset of the more complicated SGML. It opened up a world of information for users with visual disabilities who could access the textual content quickly using text browsers such as Lynx in combination with their alternative screen access system. However, graphical browsers such as Mosaic and Netscape revolutionized the Web by introducing a graphical point and click interface along with a variety of new official and unofficial HTML additions. Innovative designers have misused the structured assumptions of HTML for their own aesthetic purposes and introduced new dynamic elements such as Java applets and active-X controls. The result has been an erosion of the accessibility that users with disabilities, slower connections and text based operating systems previously enjoyed.
There appear to be two key factors in the current prolific production of inaccessible Web pages. The first is ignorance, or more specifically, the possibility of authoring Web pages with little or no understanding of HTML. The extent of HTML illiteracy on the Web is underscored by the general move towards WYSIWYG authoring tools that advertise themselves as usable without knowledge of HTML. In addition, even those who are skilled in HTML are often ignorant of Web accessibility guidelines.
A second problem is laziness, or, in any case, the lack of motivation to do repetitive, complicated or time consuming activities that may be viewed as unimportant. Reworking HTML code or adding redundancies to accommodate computer users with disabilities is often pushed aside in the rush to get information out on the Web as quickly as possible. The extra step of ensuring accessibility is generally not an attractive undertaking for the web designer.
The key to increasing the accessibility of the Web is to take advantage of the power of computers to do the boring, repetitive and guideline intensive work instead of asking people to scrutinize and change their own authoring habits. With the proliferation of GUI word processor style HTML editors, a unique opportunity for including accessibility automation presents itself.
The first commercial, access-aware HTML authoring tool was HoTMetaL 4.0 from SoftQuad, created in consultation with the Adaptive Technology Resource Centre (ATRC), University of Toronto. The released product is still a work in progress as far as accessibility is concerned, but the first steps have been taken. For the purposes of this paper, the specific features of this product are not as important as the design priorities that emerged as the most essential characteristics that a successful access-aware HTML authoring tool must possess. These characteristics are the 3 "tions": information, automation and integration.
The second characteristic of an accessibility-aware HTML authoring tool is a high degree of automation; needed to overcome author laziness. Just as FrontPage 98 includes a wide array of utilities including ones that maintain button bars and modifies links, the access-aware HTML authoring tool should include tools that make repetitive and stylistic tasks into one-time, well-guided occurrences. Other automation ideas include:
By automating the repetitive and tiresome aspects of authoring accessibly, an author’s attention can be focused on description writing, where the human ability to understand the content of an image, sound or animation is imperative.
Finally, any accessibility tools that are added to an HTML authoring product must be integrated seamlessly into the look, feel and function of the product. If this requirement is not met, then the tools may assume the appearance of tacked on, second class features. This in turn will lead users to the belief that the authoring support tools have been added for reasons besides their necessity to page design. In addition, if the authoring support tools make use of user interaction styles that differ from the host product, some users may be hesitant to learn how to use them. The end result of inconsistent look, feel or function may be an unwillingness or inability of authors to make use of the accessibility features even when they are present.
In order to introduce this threefold approach to accessibility to the software developers who are producing HTML authoring tools, a new Authoring Tools Guidelines Working Group has been established by the WAI. While attention is being given to the need for accessible interfaces to accommodate Web page authors with disabilities, the current focus of the group is the creation of guidelines, documents and prototype utilities for authoring tools which provide author support for creating accessible documents. Their tasks include:
Ongoing work will involve provision of information and guidance to the WAI Education group related to educating, negotiating with and lobbying authoring tool developers to adopt recommendations.
To demonstrate the strengths and deficiencies of current page authoring tools, the ATRC is undertaking a review of popular authoring tools currently available on the market. A measurement tool is being developed, using the WAI guidelines as a benchmark criteria for accessible page authoring. In addition, the principles of information, automation, and integration will also be considered. The scoring system be weighted according to the priority levels assigned to each of the accessiblity criteria in the WAI guidelines, with consideration being given to the three principles outlined above, as applicable.
During Phase 1 of this research project, between five and ten HTML authoring tools will be reviewed and scored using the measurement tool. It is hoped that this product review, conducted by an established centre of excellence in the field of accessibility, will highlight the need for incorporation of tools, utilities and help file resources into HTML authoring software. Phase 2 of the project will include adaptation of the measurement tool to allow evaluation of HTML conversion utilities, and also evaluation of courseware development tools used for creating Web-based distance education programs. It is anticipated that results of Phase 1 and preliminary results for Phase 2 will be available at the time of presentation of this paper.
The ATRC, in collaboration with the Trace Centre, University of Wisconsin, is currently developing a software module that can be integrated into HTML authoring tools to support authors of Web pages in creating HTML documents which are accessible. Building on the lessons learned in the SoftQuad project, the goal is to develop a modular tool that supports accessible Web page authoring.
The software module will be in the form of a Windows DLL (Dynamic Linked Library), called the Acccessibility Validation DLL (AVDLL), which can easily be integrated into exisitng HTML authoring tools. The AVDLL will also be ported to an Accessibility Validation Java Bean (AVJB).
The module will have four components:
The Windows DLL and Java Bean will be created for developers of HTML editors for all popular platforms, and created in such a way that it can be easily integrated into HTML authoring tools applications with minimal effort or change to code.
In closing, it seems clear that published guidelines and pleas for cooperation have been ineffective in increasing the actual use of accessible HTML authoring practices on the Web. In order to change this state of affairs, the accessible HTML community must win the cooperation of the most popular Web authoring product makers to ensure that their products include informative, easy-to-use and effective authoring support.
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