From Afterthought to Forethought: The Advancement of Web Accessibility

From Afterthought to Forethought: The Advancement of Web Accessibility

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Abstract

While web application security has stolen most of the spotlight due to the hacking and theft of information, there is an equally large problem that is not getting the same attention. Web accessibility has made strides in the last few years, but the reality is many individuals with disabilities are still overlooked when it comes to web application functionality and design. Although accessibility may seem like an issue of the past, we are really just now scratching the surface on fixing accessibility and usability issues across the web. Thanks to advances in technology, accessibility and usability are becoming foundations for future web development, enhancing the web experience for all users.

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From Experiment to World-Changer: The Evolution of Web Design

and Development

As technology advances, the World Wide Web is struggling to keep up with the changing times and to take advantage of everything new technology has to offer. For many years standards and procedures were left out of the fold; it was all about growing business and technology in what seems like a constant race to have the biggest and best design and features. Unfortunately, web accessibility took a back seat, since it was more about functionality and equality, as opposed to eye-catching and innovative. Times are finally changing, and although it has been a long, tough road for accessibility supporters, it is finally getting its turn in the spotlight.

Although many have heard the term web accessibility, the meaning of the terms seems to be misunderstood by a large majority of people. So what is web accessibility, you may ask? It’s ensuring all information and functionality across the web can be achieved by all users, disabled or not. In reality, web accessibility is more than that, as it is very closely tied to the usability of a website. If a website is completely accessible, it has a greater chance of being more user-friendly, as the time was most likely taken to optimize the site for user experience. As technology and web know-how are progressing, accessibility and usability have been taken into greater

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consideration as sites and web applications are designed and developed. The emergence of HTML5 is helping set new standards for website accessibility and usability, and they are standards that will be put into place universally (Loiacono 2009, 118).

Web design and development has been attempting to catch up with the evolution of technology and hardware for years, often causing many important issues to be overlooked. Often times the design and flashy factor won out over functionality and usability, creating a dangerous precedent among web developer and designers. Technologies such as Adobe’s Flash player became popular to achieve the visual results users were looking for, despite Flash player’s accessibility limitations (Wisniewski 2011, 54). As technology continues to advance, there are many services available now that allow users to create their own sites in a matter of clicks, which may seem like a great idea. One of the biggest problems we are currently facing is the lack of understanding and proper education when it comes to web design and development, and often a lack of knowledge leads to a lack of accessibility and usability. However, as problems began to continue, a solution is in the works that should finally help resolve some of these long standing issues, although it will not be fully in place until 2015 (Wisniewski 2011, 54).