Measuring the Accessibility of Public Library Home Pages.

Abstract

The home pages of Hennen's one hundred great American public libraries were evaluated for accessibility by people with disabilities. Library selection was based on HAPLR (Hennen's American Public Library Rating) Index Scores. Of the one hundred libraries, seventy-four maintained Web sites and fourteen of those Web sites were categorized as accessible by the Bobby online evaluation service. Libraries with larger service populations and those with lower HAPLR scores were more likely to have accessible Web sites. Guidelines and resources for creating and evaluating accessible Web pages are included. Approximately 54 million Americans, more than 20 percent of the general population, live with varying levels of disabilities. Disabilities include specific physical conditions (e.g., heart disease, arthritis, asthma, diabetes, and cancer) as well as orthopedic impairments of lower and upper extremities, mental disorders, learning disabilities and mental retardation, and visual and hearing impairments.[1] The Internet and the Web represent an open and continually expanding virtual information environment, where growing numbers of services are becoming available and new styles of learning, information sharing, and information creation are taking place. Grimaldi and Goette's 1999 study suggests that persons with physical disabilities who use various Internet services (e.g., e-mail, Telnet, and FTP) feel a greater sense of independence.[2] Unfortunately, with its highly graphical, visual, and increasingly aural content, the Web frequently may be inaccessible to this very significant population, particularly to those persons with visual disabilities, hearing disabilities, mobility impairments, and learning disabilities. Potential obstacles to Web access caused by specific disabilities are summarized in table 1.[3] Table 1 Barriers to Web Access Related to Disability Type of Disability Common Barriers Visual Hearing Web required use of visual screen display and/or visual cues * Cluttered screen display * Poorly chosen colors * Required use of mouse and/or keyboard * Aural information and/or sound cues * Vocal input or output * Graphical user interfaces * Poor site design or unclear directions Type of Disability Common Barriers Mobility Learning Web required use of visual screen display and/or visual cues Cluttered screen display * * Poorly chosen colors * Required use of mouse and/or keyboard * Aural information and/or sound cues * Vocal input or output Graphical user interfaces * * Poor site design or unclear directions * Accessible Web Design It's Not Just a Good Idea, It's the Law The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), enacted in 1990, applies to state and local government entities. Title II, under which public libraries are covered, prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in all programs, activities, and services of public entities.[4] Furthermore, the United States Department of Justice has determined that ADA accessibility requirements apply to the Web: Entities subject to title II or III of the ADA must provide effective communication to individuals with disabilities, and covered entities that use the Internet to provide information regarding their programs, goods or services must be prepared to offer those communications through accessible means. Such entities may provide Web page information in text format that is accessible to screen reading devices that are used by people with visual impairments, and they may also offer alternative accessible formats that are identified in a screen-readable format on a Web page. …

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