BENEFITING FROM ACCESSIBLE WHAT’S INSIDE What is Accessibility All About?...... 1 E-BUSINESS PRACTICES Regulatory Context...... 1 Making your website and other e-business tools accessible to The Business Case...... 2 people with disabilities and the aging population provides the Key Concepts ...... 2 potential to increase your customer base. This booklet provides Challenges for Customers and Prospects With Disabilities...... 2 compelling business reasons for reaching these under-served How to Make Communication and growing market segments. It focuses on why e-business Formats Accessible...... 3 and accessibility complement each other and how you can Benefits of Investing in begin to integrate accessibility into online activities. Accessible Business Practices...... 4 Getting Started...... 5 Where Should You Incorporate What is Accessibility All About? Accessibility Practices?...... 5 Assessing Your Existing One in seven people in Ontario has a disability and that number continues to Web Content...... 5 grow as our population ages. Despite assistive technologies to help them, Should You Do It In-House people with disabilities, including vision and hearing impairment, cognitive or Outsource?...... 5 and learning limitations or physical disabilities often face many obstacles, including accessing information. There are ways to make websites and Implementing Accessibility in other forms of e-business more accessible to them. This does not have to E-Business: Nuts & Bolts...... 6 cost much more and the benefits far outweigh the investment. How to Select a Web Developer With Accessibility Expertise...... 6 E-Business Accessibility Regulatory Context Practices...... 8 Ontario has a goal to be an accessible province by 2025 and passed the Test, Test, Test...... 13 Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) in 2005 to set out a Keep the Momentum Going ...... 13 roadmap. It is a broad initiative to make Ontario accessible to people with Cost Considerations...... 14 disabilities in key areas of daily living by 2025. All public, private and not-for- profit employers have to meet requirements under the AODA—including Resources...... 17 meeting Ontario’s accessibility standard for customer service, information Glossary of Terms...... 18 and communications, employment, transportation and design of public spaces.

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Disclaimer: This booklet is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, technical, business or other advice and should not be relied on as such. Please consult a lawyer or other professional advisor if you have any questions related to the topics discussed in the booklet. The Ontario Government does not endorse any commercial product, process or service referenced in this booklet, or its producer or provider. The Ontario Government also does not make any express or implied warranties, or assumes any legal liability for the accuracy, completeness, timeliness or usefulness of any information contained in this booklet, including web-links to other servers. All URLs mentioned in this document will link to an external website. If there is any conflict between this booklet and the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation or the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA), the regulation and the AODA are the final authorities. 2

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In terms of information and communications, the goal is to other limitations—as well as those such as the elderly have websites and communication vehicles with content who may suffer loss of vision, hearing and dexterity often that is accessible to all users, regardless of their physical face many obstacles in accessing online information. or cognitive abilities and their technological requirements. Insight into the challenges that such customers Requirements for website accessibility already exist for and prospects with disabilities face is illuminating companies with over 50 employees. Gradual implementation in understanding how your website and other will extend obligations to these larger firms and eventually communication platforms may actually be a barrier, to small employers through to 2021.To find out timelines driving away sales in the process. Consider these and what you need to do, visit Ontario.ca/AccessON. scenarios to give you an idea of how users with a disability interact with websites:

The Business Case • Jesse is a visually impaired employee who, among his Beyond complying with the law, there are very real duties, is charged with ordering concert and sporting benefits from investing in accessible e-business event tickets for his company’s hospitality initiatives. practices. Among these are: Ticketing sites typically require him to enter a password that appears as funny text (called a CAPTCHA), which is • Access to a wider pool of customers with significant impossible to decipher with the speech software that purchasing power; the visually impaired use. Consequently, Jesse is unable • Better placement in search engine results; to order tickets online. His frustration is enhanced if a weak, difficult-to-hear audio version of the password • Ease of converting your site to mobile devices, such as is provided or if the only option is to phone in his order, smartphones; and only to be subjected to long waits. • Improved customer service for everyone. • The use of multimedia on a site can be very problematic Of course, improving accessibility is the right thing to do for the visually impaired. As Mary says, “When I visit a in terms of social business ethics. Moreover, there’s no website that starts with music, it is next to impossible to question that better serving persons with disabilities and navigate because I can’t hear what my speech software a large aging demographic with spending power—think is saying and therefore can’t access any information about the retiring baby boomer generation—can also behind the music. This happens more often than you increase your sales and boost your bottom line. It simply would think. I just exit a site like that and don’t use makes good business sense. Getting in on the ground it at all.” floor…starting now and doing it well… can give you a competitive advantage. • As a sales assistant, Joanne is responsible for researching new products and services that her company’s sales team may require. Because she has epilepsy, she immediately disqualifies surfing Key Concepts any sites that contain Flash since flashing or blinking Web accessibility benefits people with and without content can cause her to have a seizure. disabilities, such as those with diminished abilities Here are some additional challenges encountered by and those using mobile devices. persons with disabilities who use the Internet: Challenges for Customers and • Blind people use browsers with speech or Braille Prospects With Disabilities output, which are text-based systems. Your site should therefore be navigable independent of its graphics The advent of the web has enabled more people with content. Those with low vision need the ability to vary disabilities to lead independent lives, but the way a website the text size on their browser. Many websites use is designed will determine how accessible it is to them. graphics that are not meaningful when accessed by a Despite assistive technologies to help them, those with a text-based browser—in other words, images are not disability—including vision and hearing impairment or labelled with text alternatives (ALT Tags). 3

• People with hearing impairments need visual How to Make Communication representation of any auditory information on websites, Formats Accessible such as podcasts and videos. They often rely on captions, audio-text descriptions or transcripts to Making your e-business practices barrier-free is not as interpret audio content. complicated or onerous as it might seem at first sight. Creating online communication that is accessible to all • Holding and using a mouse can be a problem for those users, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities, with a physical disability. They tend to struggle with their technological requirements or their cultural standard computer equipment and find it easier to background, education and experience involves four use assistive technology, such as a specialized mouse, basic principles: keyboard, or pointing devices, speech recognition software or an eye-gaze system. Websites should 1. Perceivable: Make it easy to see and hear content. allow keyboard navigation and skipping. • Provide text alternatives for non-text content. • Complex page layouts, tables or navigation • Provide captions and other alternatives for multimedia. structures can confuse people with cognitive or • Select a strong contrast so the background and text learning impairments. Moving and blinking text are distinct. can be challenging and impede understanding. Complex, distracting, or poorly organized sites are • Create content that can be presented in different typically avoided by those with developmental and ways, including by assistive technologies, without learning disabilities. losing meaning. Operable: • Even though they might not consider themselves to have 2. Help users navigate and find content. disabilities, elderly and other people can experience • Make all functionality available from a keyboard. difficulties in accessing online information due to • Give users enough time to read and use content. changes in vision, hearing, dexterity, and memory. Yet the provisions that make web pages accessible • Provide ability for users to select font size. also benefit older people with diminishing abilities. • Do not use features that may cause seizures For example, many people with age-related visual (e.g. flashing multimedia). impairments may benefit from being able to alter text size. 3. Understandable: Help users understand where they are on the site, what they can do there and what comes next. • Make text easy to read and understand. • Make content appear and operate in predictable ways. • Help users avoid and correct mistakes by spelling out requirements ahead of time and providing clear error messages.

4. Robust: Maximize compatibility with current (including outmoded platforms which many users may still rely on) and future user tools. • Website content should be accessible through all browsers, and with all tools that users may be using (assistive technology, mobile, tablets, etc.).

For more specific techniques and tips on how to integrate these principles in order to achieve e-business accessibility, see the chart on Integrating Accessibility into E-Business on page 8. 4

Benefits of Investing in Accessible • Better placement in search engine results. Accessible Business Practices websites may have a distinct advantage in terms of being more clearly identifiable by search engines like Why is improving accessibility to your website and other Google. An accessibly marked up website exposes e-business communications good for business? Consider information such as titles, headings, alternate text these benefits: descriptions of images, transcripts of audio content and descriptions of video content. This exposure of Expanded customer base. • With almost two million more relevant content to search engines can all else individuals in Ontario and four million in Canada being equal improve Search Engine Optimization (SEO)— having a disability, providing accessible information that is, increase the possibility of higher rankings for and communications, particularly an accessible your site in customer searches. website, opens the door to a much wider market. While accessibility focuses on people with disabilities, • Excellent customer service. Accessible websites are it also benefits older users with diminishing abilities easier for everyone to use. The easier people find the and mobile device users because following accessible experience of visiting a website, the more likely they are practices tends to make websites clear, concise, easy to become both customers and repeat visitors. Since to navigate and easy to see. As the population ages, providing an accessible website not only improves access the number of people who have a disability or require for people with disabilities but also for aging people with specialized access in some aspect of their lives will diminishing abilities, those with a temporary injury, or in increase. Based on the current rate of growth, it is a noisy environment, it enhances the visitor experience estimated that the number of seniors aged 65 and for everyone and helps increase customer loyalty. over will double by 2036. (Source: AccessAbility: A Practical • Greater compatibility with other devices. Accessible Handbook on Accessible Graphic Design, The Association of websites built with responsive design automatically Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario (RGD Ontario), 2010) resize to adapt to whatever device they are viewed on, • Increased potential for online sales. Based on these including tablets and smart phones as well as telephone statistics, why wouldn’t you want to tap into the potential or voice-based systems. of wider sales with this growing customer base? As • Demonstrated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). consumers and shoppers, people with disabilities and Improving accessibility for people with disabilities to the elderly have spending power…and this can only make their lives easier is the right thing to do in terms escalate as the percentage of older users and those with of showing a commitment to social business ethics. a disability increases significantly. It is estimated that Moreover, as consumers increasingly turn to social by 2031 the income controlled by people with disabilities media to comment on companies and organizations and those at risk of disability (above the age of 55) that don’t meet their needs, providing accessible will reach a staggering $536 billion. (Source: Releasing communications can not only ward off bad publicity Constraints: Projecting the Economic Impacts of Increased but will encourage referral business from a market Accessibility in Ontario, Martin Prosperity Institute, 2010) segment that wants to support companies with good practices. • Meeting legal requirements. Complying with the new law and ensuring that your website meets the Ontario standards for accessibility will ensure that you avoid penalties.

In summary, understanding the requirements of online accessibility and integrating accessibility techniques into your e-business practices can give you a jump start over your competitors as you will meet the needs of a growing and previously underserved part of the market.

Check out this link for more information on how an accessible website can directly benefit your organization. 5

Assessing Your Existing Web Content TOP 3 WEB ACCESSIBILITY MYTHS When revamping a website, you may be surprised to find Myth 1: People with disabilities don’t use the web. that it is more accessible to people with disabilities than you realized. Before embarking on any build, take the Reality: There is a large population of people with time to evaluate your existing website. disabilities who rely on the Internet and the level playing field it can offer. For example, people who There are three types of assessment you should do: cannot see or travel easily have the option to automatic (using online evaluation tools), manual shop online. (a person reviews the site to identify issues that an automatic assessment cannot), and user testing Myth 2: Accessible websites look unattractive (use assistive technology to discover any barriers and boring. that you might not see). See Test, Test, Test on page 13 for details on assessment. Reality: Accessibility places few restrictions on site design. In fact, since accessible sites make full use of structural HTML elements, a designer has a bigger pool of options for attractive styling. “Keep in mind that the best time to make a website Ensuring accessibility is not about providing text accessible is during the build. Like baking a cookie, only web pages. The use of labelled images and it’s better to bake chocolate chips into a cookie than good contrasting colours actually improve add them afterwards.” accessibility for a great many users. Richard Gauder Myth 3: Creating an accessible website is expensive. CMS Web Solutions Inc. Reality: Building accessibility into the design and build of a new or revamped site often adds only a small margin to the overall cost. Ultimately, the Should You Do It In-House or Outsource? investment pays for itself in terms of tapping into the profitability of a broader customer reach, an Although it takes little programming knowledge to improved visitor experience and reduced maintenance develop a simple website, building sites that feature the costs once the site is up and running. newest technologies and advanced capabilities requires expert knowledge. Developing sites that meet the AODA’s website accessibility standards also requires specific expertise. A good place to start in deciding if you should Getting Started outsource is by running your website through a system like AChecker or WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool. Where Should You Incorporate If it comes back with many things you don’t know how to Accessibility Practices? fix in-house, you should consider talking to an expert. While this booklet and the guidelines focus on public Bear in mind that many web developers are still in the websites, you should consider accessibility in all your learning stage of how to make sites accessible. See below e-business activities. Your blogs should use the same for some guidelines on how to choose a developer with techniques that are used for your website, and if you the right expertise. launch a mobile site, produce an app and make digital documents public—all of these should be accessible too. 6

Implementing Accessibility in E-Business: Nuts & Bolts If you are considering embarking on the journey of building a new website, significantly refreshing your existing one, or want to learn a bit more about the specifics of how to reap the benefits inherent in making it accessible, then this section is for you. While by no means comprehensive, this section will help guide you through what meeting the accessible website requirements of the Communications and Information Standards in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) will entail, and how to get there.

Here are some strategies that can help secure a web The website standards are based on the Web Content developer with expertise in accessible websites and Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. WCAG 2.0 web content. is an internationally accepted standard for web accessibility developed by the World Wide Web Questions to Ask a Potential Developer Consortium (W3C). WCAG 2.0 sets out guidelines for organizations to follow to make their websites • Have you built accessible websites? Can you provide more accessible for people with disabilities. Think links or references for these sites? about WCAG the way you think about International • Can you create responsive web sites? Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards in • Are you familiar with WCAG 2.0, Level A and AA? other areas of your business (WCAG 2.0 is, in fact, Have you built sites to this standard? approved as an ISO standard). You know you will be getting a website built to a certain standard when it • Have you developed/refreshed an accessible website (WCAG 2.0, Level A or higher)? complies with WCAG 2.0. • Do you code manually or do you use a content management system—if so, does the program Go to this website to review the complete set of support accessibility? WCAG 2.0 guidelines. • Do you develop in-house or do you outsource? • How do you test the website for accessibility? Do you How to Select a Web Developer With use automated and manual assessments and Accessibility Expertise assistive technology? While you may want to build or revamp your website and Red Flags other e-business communications in-house, most firms choose to outsource to companies that have expertise in • If a developer says he/she builds accessible websites the area. The path is not complex, but there are many because they work in browsers, or if he/she assumes elements to achieving accessibility that many designers you are asking for a mobile site, the developer is likely may not yet know. Further, web developers who claim not competent in accessible design. this expertise may not always have it; identifying a • If a developer claims to have examples of websites suitable developer for an accessible website project built to standards, but doesn’t mention those standards requires careful research and screening. as being WCAG, he/she may not understand accessible design. 7

• A good developer who knows how to build an accessible What You Need to Provide a Web Developer website will be highly knowledgeable about WCAG. If a The most knowledgeable and conscientious of web developer does not know what WCAG is, then accessible developers cannot create the optimal e-business solution website skills are lacking. for you in a vacuum. After all, it’s not just about making • If a developer’s own website is not accessible, then it is your website accessible, it’s about reaping the benefits clearly not an area of expertise or interest. of having a robust website to promote your business and sell your products and services. Building or revamping Check References your site is a collaborative effort. Here is what a developer will need from you: Satisfied customers are a powerful way for you to assess your potential developer. Here are some questions you • A clear understanding of your organization and how it could consider asking a reference: conducts business, including the key products and/or services that you provide • Did the developer understand your company’s accessibility requirements? • A clear description of the purpose of your website (including whether you want to integrate with • Did they clearly communicate what they needed from social media) you to complete the assignment? • A clear profile of your clients and prospects, and how • Did the developer stick to a reasonable schedule, and they access your products and/or services was the project delivered on time? • Valuable website content written in plain language, • Was the project completed on budget? that is easy for your customers to understand • Are you aware of clients with disabilities using • A logical organizational structure for the information your website? (A good web developer will be able to help you • If yes, has feedback from those clients with disabilities construct a site map that is consistent and meaningful been positive? and includes headings and numbering systems that • Did issues arise following the launch of the website are both accessible and make it easy for all your that should have been caught previously? customers to find the information that they need.) • Photos, either stock or custom How to Assess Sample Web Sites • Alternate text descriptions for all diagrams and images Checking whether or not the sites a potential developer has built adhere to standards can be done in virtually the If outsourcing to a web developer, you may want a same way you can assess your own existing website (see maintenance contract that includes testing and repairing page 5). Here are three methods: accessibility roadblocks going forward to ensure your website remains accessible. • Use On-line testing tools such as AChecker or WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool. • Identify clients with disabilities and ask them to use the sites. • Hire an accessibility expert to review the sites. 8

E-Business Accessibility Practices The following table is not intended to be a comprehensive list of accessibility practices to integrate into your online and e-business activities. It simply highlights examples of areas to be aware of and provides some guidance on what to do and where to find resources with more details.

Accessibility Technique Example Tip(s) Who Benefits Need/Barrier Clear and Avoid chunks of www.xinyiglass.ca Provide alternate People with understandable italicized text, www.ilcwr.org simple version of visual disabilities, content similarly-coloured complex text. cognitive disabilities background and text, and those with and write in plain and learning disabilities. simple language. ESL learners (e.g. newcomers). Assistive technology a) Provide a) Image/picture If image is too People with visual needs to make sense meaningful text of butterfly: difficult to explain disabilities who of site content alternatives (ALT- Don’t write: “image” in words, consider use screen reader tags) for images or or “DSC1234.jpg”, presenting software. online display ads. write: “Butterfly”. information in b) Choose link text so b) “Click here” different way (e.g. that it clearly holds no meaning. link to a page with explains the purpose Instead: “click here a full description). of the link. for product details,” or just “product details”. Background and text Choose colours Regardless of colour, To check site for People with colour on site need to be that provide good use enough contrast colour reliance, vision deficiency distinct contrast between so background and change the browser’s (CVD) – i.e. colour text and background. text are distinct, and colour settings so it blindness. Don’t use colour to there should be other displays black and convey meaning (e.g. means of conveying white only, and “Locations open on information besides ensure that the same Saturdays are in colour. information from the red text). Webpage is viewable as it is in colour.

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Accessibility Technique Example Tip(s) Who Benefits Need/Barrier Web users need to Maintain consistent a) Provide page titles When designing, People with visual keep track of where page design: Keep a on each unique page consider best disabilities who they are within a site standard header and that indicate the practices (e.g. logo use screen reader footer that includes page’s content. in top left corner, software and those navigation information e.g. navigation across with cognitive or to decrease confusion Not: “PAGE TITLE” the top or left). learning disabilities. from page to page. Better: “Rates & Reservations” Better yet: “ABC Hotel, Sudbury, ONT – Rates & Reservations” b) Make headings relevant and provided in logical order so screen reader users are able to jump from heading to heading. Access to forms Provide form input A site that requests Make sure all fields People with visual assistance. Include: users to fill out a have a corresponding disabilities who use clear instructions at form and then rejects label so that screen screen reader top of the form; text it without providing reader users know software and those labels; required any explanation is a what content is with cognitive or fields; dropdown very frustrating being requested. learning disabilities. selection lists with experience. If a form Don’t use colour manual “Go” buttons; was rejected because alone to prompt a a logical tab order the user did not fill response – e.g. between different out a mandatory don’t ask survey parts of the form. field, provide a notice respondents to ‘fill in that an error was fields marked in red’. identified and explain This is impossible to the user how to for someone who correct this error. doesn’t see colour or uses a device that only displays black and white.

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Accessibility Technique Example Tip(s) Who Benefits Need/Barrier Purchasing products/ Avoid CAPTCHAs CAPTCHAs typically Ask a simple People with visual services online (Completely require users to type question instead like disabilities who Automated Public letters or digits from whether fire is hot or use screen reader Turing test to tell a distorted image to cold or provide an software and those Computers and ensure they are audio option. If with cognitive or Humans Apart) for human (and not providing an audio learning disabilities. verification purposes spam). For individuals option, ensure it is in online ordering. with vision loss, clearly recorded. the test could be impossible. Access to charts/ Give data tables row See price Avoid using tables Individuals using tables and column headings charts at http:// for site layout—use screen readers. where necessary that lakedalrympleresort.ca/ them only for are not only visually presenting data. different from the Simplify your data data cells, but coded tables as much as so that screen possible. Consider readers will be able presenting the to identify them. information in a different format if possible. Access digital Provide users with PDFs and Microsoft Use Adobe Acrobat’s Individuals using documents accessible Office documents built-in accessibility screen readers. (website and email documents. can be created in check to help find attachments, source accessible formats, accessibility errors documents) with just like your in PDF documents. assistive technology website. Assistive technology Allow keyboard Allow users who Avoid specifying Individuals who that uses keyboard navigation and are familiar with tabbing order. use assistive navigation skipping. menus and other Instead, make sure technologies and/or navigational your page uses have fine motor, elements to skip proper structure e.g. vision, or cognitive content, including headings, lists, etc. disabilities. links, to quickly Test your site by move through site. using your TAB key on the keyboard to navigate your site without using a mouse.

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Accessibility Technique Example Tip(s) Who Benefits Need/Barrier Access to audio Caption audio and Provide transcripts If audio and video are Individuals with and video video so assistive for podcasts, videos, produced in-house, no or limited vision, technology (e.g. and any other use a service to no or limited hearing, screen readers that multimedia formats. caption the audio and cognitive or will read captions and provide timing neurological aloud) and those durations in a limitations. with hearing compatible file impairments can (i.e., xml), then use read the description. this file to embed the captions. Access audio, video, Program such items Program multimedia Use a mouse and Individuals with motion and timing to allow users to items and background keyboard to test each dyslexia or other elements at a control – i.e. pause, content with control element. reading or preferred pace stop or hide – moving on-demand options cognitive disabilities. information. so that a user can ESL learners control variants of (e.g. newcomers) sounds, visuals, and time limits.

TIP: If you are creating an audio or video file, plan accessibility into it right from the start. 12

Best Practices Here are some practices to consider that will help you reap the most from your efforts today and into the future.

Technique Explanation Plan from the start. Accessibility is best achieved when integrated from beginning as part of the development process, not as a separate segregated function. Assess your current site. Your current website may be more accessible than you realize. Assess it using an online testing tool such as AChecker or WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool. Testing tools are helpful throughout the build process. Involving people with disabilities to test the website is perhaps one of the best ways to ensure your website is accessible. Ensure accessibility going forward. Train staff who have web access on accessibility techniques you have adopted. If using a Content Management System (CMS), select one that outputs correctly structured and valid HTML pages. Also ensure the CMS interface itself is accessible to content authors with disabilities. Software is available that constantly monitors websites for accessibility (e.g. HiSoftware Compliance Sheriff) or adds speech and reading support tools to online content to extend the reach of websites (e.g. BrowseAloud). Shift old and obsolete web pages Removing old material will reduce the number of pages to be fixed later on. into an archive. Focus on most important and The home page should be welcoming to all visitors. And the pages directly frequently visited pages first. linked to the home page should be accessible as these second level pages are often as far as visitors go to find the service or information they need. Meet upcoming accessibility Make your web content accessible at Level AA now. This will reduce the requirements. number of changes you’ll have to make to your website down the road. It may also reduce the number of requests you receive for accessible formats or communications supports. Create a responsive web site. A responsive website helps people using older browsers and new technologies such as mobile devices and different platforms. Following accessibility guidelines will allow sites to remain readable as accessible technology changes, and will increase compatibility across different browsers, platforms and devices, e.g. mobile, tablets, and phablets (a class of mobile device that combines the functions of a smartphone and tablet). Incorporate accessibility in all your Everything you produce—e-mail marketing, blogs, electronic documents— online activities. can be created in accessible formats. Creating with accessibility in mind will allow you to repurpose content, saving time and money when you want to post to your website. If writing an app, do so with accessibility in mind too. If you develop your code without considering assistive technology, then your app will be inaccessible. 13

Bad Practices to Avoid User testing: The best way to ensure your website is accessible is to ask an expert to test it. And naturally, • Blinking and flashing content (like FLASH on website or the true accessibility experts are people with disabilities. in display ads) that could trigger seizures in some users Consider convening a focus group of customers with • Chunks of italicized text and similarly-coloured disabilities or reaching out to local organizations that background and text represent persons with disabilities. • CAPTCHAs (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) on your Accessibility Evaluation Tools e-commerce site • WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool – A free service • Complex navigation structures in menus to evaluate the accessibility of web pages. • Links that take you to another site without warning • WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool Firefox Plugin – • Long blocks of content without heading divisions Provides a menu and options that allow you to reveal the underlying accessibility information. • Images that present important data, e.g. charts and diagrams, without an equivalent text description • Firefox Accessibility Extension – Supports web developers in testing their web resources for functional accessibility Test, Test, Test features based on best practices. • Colour Contrast Checker – Developed and made Review and test your website for accessibility using an available as a free community service by WebAIM, automatic evaluator, manual assessment and assistive allows you to check if selected RGB colours are technology at the start and end of the project, and at accessible and to modify if necessary. milestone points during the process. And note that, if in doubt, you can test an individual element at any time. • AChecker – A free tool to check single HTML pages for conformance with accessibility standards to All three methods should be utilized. Here’s why: ensure the content can be accessed by everyone.

Automatic assessments: Online evaluation tools, some of which are free of charge, scan websites Keep the Momentum Going and their content and produce a documented report Once you’ve created a robust, responsive website—one on accessibility issues for you to address. While such that improves your SEO, will expand your customer base, tools do a reasonable job of evaluating those aspects and can be viewed across any device (smart phones, of accessible design that can be verified by software, tablets, etc.)—you don’t want to lose the advantages there are limitations to this automated process. you’ve gained. For this reason, it’s important to ensure your website remains accessible. • Evaluating a large site with many of the free tools may prove tedious because they limit the number of Any staff with access to the site will need to know what pages that can be checked at one time. is necessary to create and publish accessible web • The results of automated evaluations need to be content. While it may be the responsibility of a lone expertly interpreted in order to implement the in-house webmaster to ensure accessibility, in all necessary changes. likelihood, others in your company will need to provide content to that webmaster that meets the standards • An automated process is not subjective. Humans are. (e.g. alt text for images, audio and video scripts). In Real-world testing is needed to determine if a website addition, many companies use a content management is actually accessible and usable in practice. system for their websites which allow non-technical Manual assessments: This is necessary to identify issues people to populate a site. that an automatic assessment cannot—for example, only a human can determine whether the alternate text provided for images is meaningful. A good practice is to use assistive technology, such as a screen reader, to better understand and find accessibility barriers. 14

Here are some suggestions to keep your site accessible: on web accessibility available. If interested in hands-on training, it is recommended that you select a firm that • If you currently have procedures in place for general web can provide references from its other clients. Such firms publishing, add a requirement for accessibility checking can be found through an Internet search. to the process. Give an employee with knowledge in the area the final say before any content is published. Cost Advantages • Always put accessibility considerations front and centre at the start of any new project. If you are There are cost advantages to having an accessible website: creating video or audio files, for example, add • An accessible website can reduce requests for accessibility to the planning stage. information from people with disabilities that • Provide guidance on accessibility standards to may be time-consuming. employees who have access to your website. This • Accessibility helps take advantage of advanced guidance need not be exhaustive. A basic level of web technologies, reducing the need for future awareness will help them create accessible content, technology upgrades. or know when to get assistance if necessary. In addition, if you are interested in providing staff with hands-on • Clear and simple text, a cornerstone of an accessible training, it is recommended that you select a firm that website, costs less to translate into another language. can provide references. Such firms can be found through an Internet search. Further Considerations • Schedule periodic testing of your site to find and fix Mobile seems to be the wave of the future, but since the any issues. Consider using software that automatically technology options that your customers use are changing and continuously checks your site for accessibility. and evolving at the speed of light, you might get left behind if you don’t build a responsive site that will adapt Cost Considerations to the next greatest device. Here are ways to keep costs of implementing accessibility Consider the changes to smartphone technology that manageable: have taken place over the past couple of years. While the introduction of tablets took the world by storm, phablet • Incorporate accessibility from the beginning of a (a phone/tablet hybrid) sales are now predicted to website launch or revamp. The planning stage is overtake tablet sales. the time to start so that you avoid costs of making improvements later on. Site designers who understand the overlap between • Use authoring tools that support accessibility. mobile site users and users with disabilities can design Selecting a content management system that supports for both together by creating a responsive site that accessibility, for instance, can decrease the time and provides an optimal viewing experience across all effort needed at both the time of the build and later on. devices. This is more expensive upfront but will likely save you money in the long run. • Use multimedia content sparingly. Remember, the cost to create multimedia content is high, and it can As technology becomes more and more sophisticated and be an impediment to people with disabilities. new products are introduced to the market at a rapid pace, and as your competitors look to every means possible to Do-It-Yourself Solution increase their customer base, it makes good business Depending on the complexity of your website, the most sense to represent your company with an accessible, cost-effective means of meeting the standards might be to responsive website, one that resizes to adapt to whatever consider learning how to do it in-house. Such knowledge device is being used. will also help you ensure that your website remains accessible. There are numerous resources and training 15

SUCCESS STORY

Firm Designs with Accessibility like screen readers, and all its technical support staff are people with disabilities. In 2011, Dolphin at Forefront clinched a Canadian innovator of the year award in Company: Dolphin Digital Technologies recognition of this service. Location: Kitchener, ON Web: www.dolphin.ca According to Burton, there is a whole global market to tap into, with the market size of individuals with For Dolphin Digital Technologies, accessibility is disabilities around the world approaching the built into the fabric of the business—from employing market size of China. “Only 6% of businesses in people with disabilities through to providing an North America have strategic product placement or accessible website. It’s a core value of this award- business acumen speaking to this market space,” winning virtual IT firm specializing in computer she says. “Opportunity abounds when you can be network consulting. “I think we have to consciously first out the gate.” change how we think and operate as business leaders and innovators at all levels,” says Jamie Burton, VP, Corporate Development, who co-founded Dolphin TOP 3 BARRIER-FREE DESIGN TIPS with her husband in 2006. “We require a culture Dan Lajoie, Web Developer for Dolphin, shares these shift away from the focus of disability, challenge insights for creating an accessible website: and difference, and a move towards focus on ability and potential of all, for the greater equation of 1. Start fresh. It is typically preferable to design improving all of our social and economic factors.” sites using barrier-free principles from the ground up because adding accessibility to an Burton believes that great business results from existing site can be just as much work and everyone achieving their full potential, whether they more cumbersome. are clients, consumers or employees. This philosophy 2. Accessibility doesn’t mean vanilla. It’s not about led to the creation of an accessible website two years boring black text on a white background or vice ago. “We could not function as an inclusive employer, versa. Although complex navigation should be create a barrier-free employment strategy, and not be avoided, a site can look really sharp and still be able to treat potential clients with the same respect completely accessible by keyboards and and consideration,” she explains. “We also knew that screen readers. we wanted to be an example for other businesses.” 3. Audit your site. Even an accessible designer And there is an even stronger business case from can overlook things. There are free auditing tools her perspective. As Dolphin grows and develops a available, but Lajoie says they often just skim the full range of technology solutions, it can no longer surface. In addition to a manual audit to check rely on attracting clients solely by word of mouth for elements like the use of plain language and and is stepping up its marketing. “By creating a fully coherent page layout, he uses a full site auditing tool accessible website, we start with 100% potential of called Accessibility Management Platform to ensure market share,” Burton emphasizes. “Obviously, comprehensive accessibility. He cautions that the there are many factors surrounding how someone results from such tools need to be interpreted and visits a website, but it is imperative that if someone remediated by a web development professional. does land on our site, they don’t leave because they There are many benefits to having an accessible site, can’t access the information.” notes Lajoie. “Dolphin understands that building an The company has also incorporated accessibility into inclusive website opens up its products and services its other e-business activities, such as customer to a significant and growing market share, provides service. It provides a remote technical support an unencumbered site experience to all visitors, and service that is compatible with adaptive software enhances its search engine optimization.” 16

SUCCESS STORY

Accessibility Makes Sense for HRdownloads’ information is accessible. “Our business is driven by client requests so we are constantly e-Based Business growing and adding new services,” Boyle emphasizes. Company: HR Downloads Inc. (HRdownloads) “We just launched our newest website early in Location: London, ON February and wanted to ensure it would be Web: www.hrdownloads.com compliant with the upcoming AODA standards. The fact that we continue to grow year over year “Our business is almost entirely e-based via our website, tells me that having information fully accessible so obviously we want to ensure our services are fully helps expand our business.” accessible to all of our members,” says Anthony Boyle, President and CEO of HRdownloads, a provider of HR solutions to companies across Canada. The company FIVE TIPS ON ACCESSIBILITY INTEGRATION also provides advisory guidance and support on Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Boyle and Bunce share these tips, based on legislation, “so when you are advising clients on HRdownloads’ experience: compliance matters and why it’s important outside • Examine where you are today and where you need of the legislation, you have to lead the way—not just to go. Look at what is on your website for clients, say it, but mean it.” how they use it, and how it impacts your business. This process will help you focus on the next steps Walking the talk has been good for HRdownloads. to take. The London-based company has grown from five employees stationed in Boyle’s basement when it • Try not to get overwhelmed by the volume of opened its doors in 2005 to 81 employees today. Its possible alterations that will make your content extraordinary rate of growth has averaged 66% each accessible. Focus instead on the important, year, and it boasts a current client membership of manageable pieces of your website that you need 7,000 businesses. Depending on the membership to address first. “If your clients and prospects are level selected, services include unlimited access downloading brochures, make those accessible to thousands of HR documents, monthly webinars, first if you can’t do the whole site all at once,” compliance management solutions, news and Bunce recommends. legislative updates, one-on-one telephone access • Be flexible. Focus on the most important elements with veteran HR professionals, online surveys, and first, but be adaptable and flexible in order to tailored unlimited online training. address situations as they arise. “You may not be able to make changes today, but have a plan for “Our online training videos all contain full audio reducing or eliminating those barriers,” recordings, include notes, and can be continuously advises Boyle. played without requiring the user to self-navigate,” explains HR Manager Sharon Bunce. “All documents • Remember that a “disability” does not fall into a are downloadable into Word, Excel or PDF, and when single category. Some disabilities may not be I go onsite to deliver training, I always bring presenter obvious from your perspective. Raised awareness notes. Some of our members have told us about of barriers faced will help you figure out how to barriers they face or that they use screen reader augment the products or services that you provide software, and how excited they are when they use our and make your website more accessible. website and don’t experience those barriers. That’s a • Ask individuals with disabilities to review your great thing to hear from our perspective.” site. “You will get unbiased feedback and discover issues you may not have been aware of before,” The company conducts client satisfaction surveys says Boyle. on a regular basis, which includes whether or not 17

• Accessible Digital Office Documents Project: How to’s Resources for creating accessible digital documents in numerous If you need more information, there is a lot available on applications (Microsoft, OpenOffice, iWork, Corel, the subject. Be sure to check out these websites. GoogleDocs, etc.). • A Guide to the Integrated Accessibility Standards • Microsoft Accessibility: Microsoft accessibility centre Regulation – Policy Guidelines: A guide explaining and resources. the formal meaning of the regulation with some • IBM Accessibility Centre: Contains information on how examples to help describe its interpretation. to make websites accessible as well as how to build • AccessON: Information about the Accessibility for Ontarians accessible software. with Disabilities Act plus free tools, templates and guides • AccessAbility: A Practical Handbook on Accessible like an Information and Communications Standard guide Graphic Design: Published by The Association of on making your website more accessible. Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario (RGD Ontario), • Web Accessibility Initiative: Part of the World Wide Web this guide includes information on print, web and Consortium (W3C), WAI is devoted to promoting environmental accessible design. accessibility on the web, and offers a wealth of • How people with disabilities use the web: A WCAG information, guidance, advice, tools and resources introduction to how people with disabilities, including on how to meet Web Content Accessibility people with age-related impairments, use the web. Guidelines (WCAG). • Global Alliance on Accessible Technologies and Environments (GAATES): The leading international organization dedicated to the promotion of making both built and virtual environments accessible provides resources and guides, including a web developer’s guide and a guide for hiring contractors to develop accessible websites. 18

Digital document: Information recorded in a manner that Glossary of Terms requires a computer or other electronic device to display, Abbreviation: Shortened form of a word, phrase, or interpret and process it. name where the abbreviation has not become part of the language. Eye-Gaze System: Designed for users with mobility impairments, an assistive technology interface where Accessible formats: Formats that are an alternative to eye gaze is the control method. standard print and are accessible to people with disabilities. Accessible formats may include large print, Braille, Flash: An authoring software used to create animation recorded audio and electronic formats such as DVDs, programs with full-screen navigation interfaces, graphic CD and screen readers. illustrations, and simple interactivity.

Accessible website: A website that enables equal HTML (HyperText Markup Language): The authoring access to online content and services for all people, language used to build web pages. including those with visual, hearing, mobility and Keyboard interface: Interface used by software to obtain cognitive impairment. keystroke input (example: a touchscreen PDA). Alternative for time-based media: A document that Large print document: A document that is formatted includes correctly sequenced text descriptions of with text that is larger than what is typically used. time-based visual and auditory information and provides a means for achieving the outcomes of Non-text content: Any content that is not a sequence of any time-based interaction. characters that can be programmatically determined or where the sequence is not expressing something in Alternative text/alt text/ALT-tags: Text that is human language. programmatically associated with non-text content (e.g. images). Page title: The descriptive text that appears in the browser’s title bar. The web page title defaults as the AODA: Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. name when creating a bookmark. Assistive technology: Hardware and/or software that PDF (Portable Document File): A file format that is provides functionality to meet the requirements of users highly portable across computer platforms. with disabilities. Examples: screen magnifiers, screen readers, text-to-speech software, speech recognition Phablet: A class of mobile device that combines a software, alternative keyboards, and alternative smartphone and tablet (a phone/ tablet hybrid). pointing devices. Plain language: Language that is simple, clear, direct Blocks of text: More than one sentence of text. and only uses as many words as necessary. It avoids complicated sentence structures and inflated words and Braille: A tactile writing system that uses arrangements allows the reader to easily understand and focus on of raised dots to represent letters and numerals. the message. CAPTCHA: Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Responsive web site: One that resizes to adapt to Tell Computers and Humans Apart, which is used on whatever device is being used. e-commerce sites to verify the user is human and not spam. Screen reader: A software application that attempts to interpret what is being displayed on-screen and translate Captioning: Simultaneous transcripts of audio information. it to a medium such as speech, Braille or sound icons Content Management System (CMS): A web application that are more accessible to the user. designed to make it easy for non-technical users to add, to edit and to manage website content. 19

SEO (Search Engine Optimization): The methods used Video description: The description of key visual elements to attempt to boost the ranking or frequency of a website in a scene for people who are blind or have low vision. in results returned by a search engine, in an effort to maximize user traffic to the site. Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI): An initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium to promote the accessibility Sign language: A language used primarily by persons of the Web for persons with disabilities. who are deaf that utilizes hand positions, gestures, facial expressions and body movements. Web content: Information provided on a website including, but not limited to, text, documents, videos, Skipping: The act of choosing particular website content audio files, records, and archived materials. with assistive technology while “skipping” content not of interest to the user. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0): The second version of the WAI’s accessibility initiatives. Structure: The way the parts of a web page are organized in relation to each other; and the way a collection of web World Wide Web Consortium (W3C): An international pages is organized. consortium focused on ensuring the long-term growth of the web. This committee develops standards and Transcript: A print or electronic record of all words core principles to promote compatibility. spoken during an event (e.g. a meeting, a conference session, a seminar, etc.). Transcripts can be done live or transcribed later from a recording of the event. For more information contact:

Telephone: (416) 314-2526 Facsimile: (416) 325-6538 E-mail: [email protected]

This publication is part of an E-Business Toolkit which includes a series of booklets on advanced e-business topics and an introductory handbook How You Can Profit from E-Business. The entire Toolkit is available at ontario.ca/ebusiness.

© Queen’s Printer for Ontario, 2014