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• The United States' Legislative Impact on eAccessibility: What the European Union Can Learn

  Robert Huffaker · 2014 · Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper compares accessibility legislation and enforcement mechanisms in the United States and European Union, examining how each region's legal framework impacts website accessibility for people with disabilities. The author traces the evolution of US accessibility law from…

  accessibility law · policy · Section 508 · ADA · European Union

• Evaluating the Accessibility of Crowdsourcing Tasks on Amazon's Mechanical Turk

  Rocío Calvo, Shaun K. Kane, Amy Hurst · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents a heuristic accessibility evaluation of Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), a crowdsourcing platform where workers complete short tasks (Human Intelligence Tasks, or HITs) for small payments. The authors argue that crowd work platforms offer a potentially…

  crowdsourcing · web accessibility · accessibility evaluation · employment · WCAG

• Web Accessibility Evaluation with the Crowd: Using Glance to Rapidly Code User Testing Video

  Mitchell Gordon · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper proposes using Glance, a crowd-powered video coding tool, to accelerate the analysis of user accessibility testing videos. User testing with people with disabilities is a recommended component of web accessibility evaluation (as outlined in the W3C Website…

  crowdsourcing · accessibility evaluation · usability testing · video coding · web accessibility

• Essential Components of Mobile Web Accessibility

  Shadi Abou-Zahra, Judy Brewer, Shawn Lawton Henry · 2013 · Proceedings of the 10th International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  Written by three leaders of the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, this paper examines how the shift from desktop to mobile and ubiquitous computing affects the interdependent components that together enable web accessibility. The authors outline eight essential components — web…

  mobile accessibility · web standards · WCAG · WAI-ARIA · W3C

• Uncovering the Role of Expectations on Perceived Web Accessibility

  Amaia Aizpurua, Myriam Arrue, Markel Vigo · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '13)

  This short paper investigates how user expectations shape the perception of web accessibility for blind users, arguing that guideline compliance alone does not guarantee a satisfying user experience. The authors note a key gap: prior research found that only 50.4% of problems…

  web accessibility · blind users · screen readers · user experience · perceived accessibility

• Is Accessibility Conformance an Elusive Property? A Study of Validity and Reliability of WCAG 2.0

  Giorgio Brajnik, Yeliz Yesilada, Simon Harper · 2012 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This landmark study investigates whether WCAG 2.0's definition of "Reliably Human Testable"—that at least 80% of knowledgeable evaluators would agree on an audit conclusion—is actually achievable in practice. The researchers recruited 25 experienced accessibility evaluators…

  WCAG · conformance testing · accessibility evaluation · evaluator effect · reliability

• Web Accessibility as a Side Effect

  John T. Richards, Kyle Montague, Vicki L. Hanson · 2012 · Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This paper investigates the conjecture that improvements in web accessibility have arisen partly as unintentional side effects of changes in web technology and design practices, rather than from deliberate accessibility efforts. Building on a prior 14-year longitudinal study…

  web accessibility · WCAG · CSS · semantic markup · search engine optimization

• Validity and Reliability of Web Accessibility Guidelines

  Giorgio Brajnik · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents an experiment measuring the validity and reliability of WCAG 1.0 and WCAG 2.0 checkpoints when applied by human evaluators. The study recruited 35 young web developers with some accessibility knowledge from a university course and asked them to evaluate two…

  accessibility evaluation · WCAG · conformance testing · inter-rater reliability · web accessibility

• How Much Does Expertise Matter? A Barrier Walkthrough Study with Experts and Non-Experts

  Yeliz Yesilada, Giorgio Brajnik, Simon Harper · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper investigates whether expertise matters in manual web accessibility evaluation by comparing results from 19 expert and 51 non-expert judges using the Barrier Walkthrough (BW) method. The BW method is an analytical technique based on heuristic walkthrough where…

  web accessibility · accessibility evaluation · barrier walkthrough · WCAG · evaluator effect

• One World, One Web ... But Great Diversity

  Brian Kelly, Liddy Nevile, EA Draffan, Sotiris Fanou · 2008 · Proceedings of the 2008 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This provocative paper challenges the dominant WAI/WCAG-centric model of web accessibility, arguing that its narrow focus on guideline conformance of individual digital resources fails to account for the diversity of user needs, contexts of use, and the realities of Web 2.0…

  WCAG · accessibility policy · social model of disability · learning disabilities · Web 2.0

• WCAG 2.0: A Web Accessibility Standard for the Evolving Web

  Loretta Guarino Reid, Andi Snow-Weaver · 2008 · Proceedings of the 2008 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  Written by two members of the WCAG working group (from Google and IBM respectively), this paper explains the major design challenges faced in developing WCAG 2.0 and the strategies adopted to address them. WCAG 1.0, finalized in 1999, was designed for a web of static HTML pages…

  WCAG · web standards · accessibility guidelines · WAI · ARIA

• Towards Bridging the Accessibility Needs of People with Disabilities and the Ageing Community

  Shadi Abou-Zahra, Judy Brewer, Andrew Arch · 2008 · Proceedings of the 2008 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This keynote paper introduces the WAI-AGE (Web Accessibility Initiative: Ageing Education and Harmonisation) project, a 36-month W3C/WAI initiative funded by the European Commission under its 6th Framework Programme. The project aimed to bridge the gap between the disability and…

  web accessibility · aging · accessibility policy · WCAG · standards harmonization

• A comparative test of web accessibility evaluation methods

  Giorgio Brajnik · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents a controlled laboratory experiment comparing two web accessibility evaluation methods: conformance review (CR) and barrier walkthrough (BW). Conformance review is the traditional approach where evaluators check whether a page satisfies a checklist of criteria…

  accessibility evaluation · conformance testing · barrier walkthrough · web accessibility · WCAG

• Accessibility 2.0: People, Policies and Processes

  Brian Kelly, David Sloan, Stephen Brown, Jane Seale, Helen Petrie, Patrick Lauke, Simon Ball · 2007 · Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This influential paper by a multi-institutional UK team argues that the WAI's predominantly technology-focused approach to web accessibility is counter-productive, and proposes "Accessibility 2.0" — a user-focused, contextual, pluralistic alternative that prioritizes people,…

  web accessibility · accessibility policy · WCAG · contextual accessibility · e-learning

• Techniques to Assist in Developing Accessibility Engineers

  Jim A. Carter, David W. Fourney · 2007 · Proceedings of the 9th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '07)

  This paper describes the design and outcomes of CMPT 480/840 "Accessible Computing," a computer science course at the University of Saskatchewan focused on producing Accessibility Engineers rather than merely raising awareness of accessibility issues. The course, taught in…

  accessibility education · accessibility engineering · curriculum design · universal access · computer science education

• Feedback-based evaluation tool for web accessibility

  Daisuke Asai, Masahiro Watanabe, Yoko Asano · 2007 · Proceedings of the 9th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '07)

  This short Assets '07 demonstration paper from NTT Cyber Solutions Laboratories proposes a feedback-driven approach to improving automated web-accessibility evaluation tools. The authors frame the familiar problem that automated checkers such as Bobby only catch a fraction of…

  web accessibility · automated testing · accessibility evaluation · crowdsourcing · WCAG

• Effects of sampling methods on web accessibility evaluations

  Giorgio Brajnik, Andrea Mulas, Claudia Pitton · 2007 · Proceedings of the 9th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '07)

  Brajnik, Mulas, and Pitton's Assets '07 paper is a large, careful empirical investigation of the sampling step in web-accessibility evaluation — the step at which an evaluator picks which pages of a site to actually test. For any site above a trivial size, full coverage is…

  web accessibility · accessibility evaluation · sampling methods · accessibility metrics · conformance testing

• Contextual Web Accessibility - Maximizing the Benefit of Accessibility Guidelines

  David Sloan, Andy Heath, Fraser Hamilton, Brian Kelly, Helen Petrie, Lawrie Phipps · 2006 · Proceedings of the 2006 International Cross-Disciplinary Workshop on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This influential paper challenges the prevailing approach to web accessibility that treats WCAG conformance as the sole measure of success. The authors argue that while guidelines like WCAG are valuable tools, the persistently low levels of web accessibility indicate that…

  accessibility policy · WCAG · contextual design · e-learning accessibility · inclusive design

• Functional Web Accessibility Techniques and Tools from the University of Illinois

  Jon Gunderson, Hadi Bargi Rangin, Nicholas Hoyt · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper presents two complementary tools developed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for helping web developers create functionally accessible websites: the CITES/DRES Functional Web Accessibility Best Practices and associated evaluation tools. The authors…

  web accessibility · automated testing · accessibility evaluation · WCAG · Section 508

• Interdependent Components of Web Accessibility

  Wendy A. Chisholm, Shawn Lawton Henry · 2005 · Proceedings of the 2005 International Cross-Disciplinary Workshop on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  Written by two key members of the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), this paper provides the definitive explanation of how web accessibility depends on multiple interdependent components working together — a systems view that was often overlooked in the field's heavy focus…

  web accessibility · WAI · WCAG · ATAG · UAAG

• Forcing Standardization or Accommodating Diversity? A Framework for Applying the WCAG in the Real World

  Brian Kelly, David Sloan, Lawrie Phipps, Helen Petrie, Fraser Hamilton · 2005 · Proceedings of the 2005 International Cross-Disciplinary Workshop on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper critically examines how the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 1.0) were being applied in practice six years after their publication, arguing that rigid, context-free application of WCAG was creating serious problems for web developers and policymakers…

  web accessibility · WCAG · accessibility policy · accessibility guidelines · holistic accessibility

• Programmer-Focused Website Accessibility Evaluations

  Chris Law, Julie Jacko, Paula Edwards · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper argues that accessibility evaluation and reporting processes have historically focused on the needs of end-users with disabilities while overlooking the actual audience for evaluation reports: the programmers who must implement the fixes. The authors observe that the…

  accessibility evaluation · web accessibility · accessibility reporting · developer tools · organizational accessibility

• Web Accessibility Highlights and Trends

  Judy Brewer · 2004 · Proceedings of the 2004 International Cross-Disciplinary Workshop on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  Written by Judy Brewer, Director of the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, this paper provides an authoritative overview of the state of web accessibility standards and their implementation as of 2004. Brewer describes the three complementary WAI guidelines — WCAG 1.0 (for web…

  WCAG · WAI · W3C · standards harmonization · accessibility policy

• Accessibility of Internet Websites through Time

  Stephanie Hackett, Bambang Parmanto, Xiaoming Zeng · 2004 · Proceedings of the 6th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets 04)

  This paper presents a longitudinal analysis of web accessibility from 1997 to 2002 using archived snapshots from the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. The researchers evaluated 240 archived instances of random websites (40 per year from the Alexa top 500) alongside 22…

  web accessibility · accessibility evaluation · longitudinal study · WCAG · Section 508

• Evaluating Web Resources for Disability Access

  Murray Rowan, Peter Gregor, David Sloan, Paul Booth · 2000 · Proceedings of the Fourth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '00)

  This paper from the University of Dundee's Digital Media Access Group argues that existing accessibility evaluation methods in 2000 were individually insufficient and proposes a comprehensive meta-methodology that combines multiple evaluation techniques into a structured…

  accessibility evaluation · accessibility audit · automated testing · manual testing · heuristic evaluation