Edith Cowan University Research Online Theses: Doctorates and Masters Theses 2015 Accessibility of Thai university websites: Awareness, barriers and drivers for accessible practice Rattanavalee Maisak Edith Cowan University Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses Part of the Accessibility Commons, Computer Sciences Commons, and the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Maisak, R. (2015). Accessibility of Thai university websites: Awareness, barriers and drivers for accessible practice. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1715 This Thesis is posted at Research Online. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1715 Edith Cowan University Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorize you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. 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Edith Cowan University Accessibility of Thai University Websites: Awareness, Barriers and Drivers for Accessible Practice This thesis is presented for the Doctor of Information Technology (DIT) By Rattanavalee Maisak Principal Supervisor: Dr. Justin Brown School of Computer and Security Science Faculty of Computing, Health and Science Edith Cowan University, Western Australia COPYRIGHT AND ACCESS DECLARATION This copy is the property of Edith Cowan University. However the literary rights of the author must also be respected. If any passage from this thesis is quoted or closely paraphrased in a paper or written work prepared by the user, the source of the passage must be acknowledged in the work. If the user desires to publish a paper or written work containing passages copied or closely paraphrased from this thesis, which passages would in total constitute an infringing copy for the purpose of the Copyright Act, he or she must first obtain the written permission of the author to do so. ii Abstract Governments and organizations have to respond to a range of legislative and policy initiatives intended to promote equal opportunity for all. The Thai government has passed a number of laws which aim to protect its citizens from discrimination and from breaches of their human rights by government departments and agencies. The Persons with Disabilities Education Act B.E. 2551 (2008) and the Thailand Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy Framework (2011-2020) required government agencies to delivery equal education and access to online information for all Thais. Most Thai universities receive government subsidies, and therefore have an obligation to contribute to national prosperity so that all Thais can benefit from their activities, or as the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology and The National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre (2011, p. 23) states “The creation of content, database, online content which promotes lifelong learning, the development of school websites and other digital content should follow the web accessibility standard”. Given the Thai government’s commitment to lifelong learning and the creation of accessible materials, this thesis sought to investigate to what level Thai universities were implementing web accessibility in their websites and e-learning materials. A mixed method approach was employed in order to explore the level of accessibility awareness, barriers to web accessibility implementation and possible drivers for accessibility uptake which might exist within Thai universities. Quantitative data derived from automated and manual web evaluations was gathered based on WCAG 2.0 guideline in order to determine the actual levels of accessible design apparent in Thai university websites. Fifty representative universities were selected from the top ranked Thai universities and a number webpages were tested from within each of the university websites. In addition, online surveys were conducted with three stakeholder groups within the Thai university sector, namely lecturers, web staff and senior managers. These surveys were design to set the context for quantitative website assessment findings and provide evidence as to these stakeholders understanding of web accessibility as a concept. Finally, follow-up interviews were conducted iii after the web assessments and surveys were analysed so as to reduce ambiguity and increase understanding, creating a very clear picture of the standing of web accessibility in Thailand’s universities. The findings of the data analysis indicate that Thai universities have low levels of web accessibility implementation in their websites and e-learning materials, even though web accessibility requirements had been embedded in Thai laws and policies for over a decade. In terms of web evaluation, the university webpages had accessibility problems across all aspects of WCAG 2.0’s POUR principles, with not a single tested webpage passing even the lowest level of WCAG 2.0 compliance. The survey and interview data revealed very low levels of awareness of web accessibility amongst Thai university staff members as well as lack of knowledge regarding students with disabilities and their specialised technology needs. Whilst Thai university staff were generally supportive of the concept of web accessibility and supporting students with special needs, this was accompanied by some less supportive views, including students with disabilities being taught only in specialised educational facilities or only where there were sufficient numbers of such students to make the investment in accessibility worthwhile. A number of universities in this study featured university admission requirements which could be classed as a discriminatory and not aligned with the requirements of the Thai government. In fact, this thesis revealed an almost total lack of awareness within the Thai university sector of Thai government policy regarding web accessibility and equality in education. This thesis proposed a Smart Thailand : Accessible Learning model and an associated implementation framework which together might lead to an environment in which Thai universities would be more willing and able to implement the tenets of web accessibility and provide an equitable learning experience for all Thai citizens, especially those with disabilities. iv The declaration page is not included in this version of the thesis ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would not have been accomplished without funds supported from Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon (RMUTP) that enabled me to undertake a DIT program at Edith Cowan University in Australia. From the depths of my heart, I would like to express my gratitude to my principal supervisor, Dr. Justin Brown. He transformed me from one who completely did not know what exactly web accessibility is to one who can say something about developing an accessible website for all. Without his support, intellectual advice, and patience, it may have been impossible for me to complete this thesis. I would also like to express special thanks to Dr. Teresa Lawrence. I would have probably given up without her help. I would like to give my sincere thanks to Henry Siriburana for his valuable support. I am also grateful to Dr. Nattakant Utakrit for her assistance with the statistics. I would also like to thank Mae Hurley for her assistance with English language writing skills. I also thank lecturers, web staff and senior managers who participated in the survey. Last, but definitely not least, I thank my family for the continuous support they have given me throughout my life. vi DEDICATION This study was inspired by people with disabilities who are denied access to basic information. Discrimination arises not as a result of impairment in a person's ability, but rather, as a consequence of lack of understanding of web accessibility and accessibility knowledge. Generally, people with disabilities face barriers when accessing information on websites. My hope is that this study will encourage improvement in the level of accessibility of online resources published by education institutions, especially in Thailand, allowing students with disabilities to fully participate in their studies on the same basis as other students. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................... 17 1.1 Background to Study ....................................................................................................................................... 19 1.2 Significance of the Research ..........................................................................................................................