One year older, but not necessarily wiser: an evaluation of homepage accessibility problems over time

Authors:
Jonathan Lazar;Kisha-Dawn Greenidge
Affiliations:
Department of Computer & Information Sciences & Center for Applied Information Technology, Universal Usability Laboratory, Towson University, 8000 York Road, Towson, Maryland, USA;Center for Applied Information Technology, Towson University, 8000 York Road, 21252, Towson, Maryland, USA
Venue:
Universal Access in the Information Society
Year:
2006

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Abstract

A large number of users with disabilities use assistive technology devices to browse the web. However, the use of assistive technologies can only be successful when the web sites are developed in such a way that they are compatible with such devices. Guidelines exist for creating accessible web sites. However, they are seldom followed, and current levels of web accessibility are low. Therefore, the question arises as to which is the major cause of inaccessibility, and how accessibility features of web sites evolve over time. A set of 50 web sites has been studied over time to determine if accessibility improves or declines. This research-in-progress paper presents a comparison of the results obtained in 2002 and 2003. Such a comparison leads to the conclusion that, in the time period of 1 year, the 50 web sites have actually become more inaccessible. Implications for developers, webmasters, and educators are also discussed in the paper.