Web Accessibility

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Aims of this Exercise

The aim of this group exercise is to allow participants to evaluate tools for checking the accessibility of their Web site.

1: Bobby

Using a Web browser go to the Web site at <http://bobby.watchfire.com/>. Enter the URL of the entry point of your Web site.

What approval rating do you get (A, AA, AAA or none)?

Make a note of the main problems in your Web page.

NOTE

Only a limited number of accesses to Bobby are permitted. If you receive a message from Bobby saying you have exceeded the maximum number of accesses you should move to the next exercise.

2: LIFT

Go to the Web site at <http://www.usablenet.com/>.

Enter the URL of the entry point of your Web site and your email address.

While waiting for the results to be provided go to the next exercise.

How does this tool compare with Bobby?

3: WAVE

Go to the Web site at <http://www.temple.edu/inst_disabilities/piat/wave/>.

Enter the URL of the entry point of your Web site.

Read the help information about this page.

How does this tool compare with Bobby?

4: WebSAT

Go to the Web site at <http://zing.ncsl.nist.gov/WebTools/WebSAT/operation.html>.

Follow the link to "Execute WebSAT using its set of heuristic usability rules" and then enter the URL of the entry point of your Web site

How does this tool compare with Bobby?

5 Interface To These Tools

Go to the UKOLN Web site at <http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/>. From any page on the UKOLN Web site append ,bobby to the URL.

Then append ,tools to the URL to get a complete list of tools which are available and a description of how this technique works.

Would this approach be useful in your organisation?

6: Other Tools

In your own time look at other accessibility tools including those linked in from:

<http://library.uwsp.edu/aschmetz/Accessible/pub_resources.htm>.

<http://aware.hwg.org/>.

<http://www.webaim.org/products/evalandrepair/>.