The Gap; Is WCAG Enough For Digital Environment Inclusion?
In Process
The first web accessibility guideline was released in 1995 by Gregg Vanderheiden. The W3C’s WCAG 1.0, based on the 1998 Unified Web Site Accessibility Guidelines, was followed by WCAG 2.0 in 2001, with WCAG 3.0 currently under development.
Despite this progress, a recent study found that over 70% of websites, including those of major retailers and politicians, remain significantly inaccessible to blind users. This has led to questions about whether WCAG is sufficient.
This paper examines websites used by blind users, identifying well-performing and poorly performing sites, and analyzes WCAG and other literature to recommend improvements for digital inclusion.
Telegraph
In Process
When people with disabilities encounter issues within their digital environment—spanning operating systems, hardware, and application software—they often reach out to the respective manufacturers’ tech support lines. Unfortunately, this can turn into a blame game, with each entity pointing fingers at the others, leaving the user stranded without a solution. Our tool, Telegraph, is designed to change this frustrating dynamic. It helps identify the involved manufacturers, clarifies the problems, and over time, reveals patterns that illuminate the nature of these interconnections. Our goal is to resolve these issues definitively, ensuring that no user is left navigating these challenges alone.
The Gap; In Steve We Trust; IOS Love and Accessible Dreams
Out For Publication
The ACE survey reports 4.2 million working-age Americans identify as blind or severely visually impaired (BVI), with only 1.4 million, (36%), employed full year, full-time (data.census.gov, 2021).
Despite these numbers, there’s no universal definition for digital accessibility (Kronschnabl & Vieira, 2023). Research focuses on assistive technology, which often falls short. For instance, VIP 09 faced delays in receiving JAWS and insufficient IT support, highlighting gaps in accessibility.
Apple’s standard inclusion of comprehensive accessibility features demonstrates how usability and accessibility are interconnected, serving as a model for enhancing digital accessibility across the tech industry.