La accesibilidad de SPA

Las single-page applications (SPA) están de moda desde hace un par de años, y como casi siempre que aparece una moda, el buen uso al abuso hay un pequeño paso. Ahora  todo tiene que ser SPA, y si no usas SPA eres un inculto.

Desgraciadamente, SPA presenta numerosos problemas de accesibilidad. En esta página web (se le olvidó poner título al autor) se dan algunos consejos para que SPA sea más accesible:

For dynamic screen changes in an SPA, I highly recommend setting focus to the region with new content, preferably to a top-level heading within the new content. An ARIA live region will read new content to a screen reader user but the keyboard focus will remain in a illogical location on the screen, and very often focus will be lost entirely since content is removed. Reading out all the new content may also be overwhelming for the user.
Also, when a screen changes in an SPA, the page title should be updated. A screen reader user will not be notified of this change which is why focusing a new top level heading for new content is important.

Cómo los usuarios utilizan un lector de pantallas

Muy interesante e importante el artículo Guidelines for Accessible and Usable Web Sites: Observing Users Who Work With Screen Readers. Se trata de una versión extendida del artículo Bridging the gap: between accessibility and usability publicado en la revista Interactions en el año 2003. Aunque ya tenga sus años, hay muchas cosas que no han cambiado.

Banco de imágenes y signos de la lengua de signos española

Muy interesante el recurso Banco de imágenes y signos de la lengua de signos española:

La primera regla de ARIA

La primera regla de ARIA es bien sencilla: no uses ARIA.

Lo podemos leer en 2.1 First rule of ARIA use:

If you can use a native HTML element [HTML51] or attribute with the semantics and behaviour you require already built in, instead of re-purposing an element and adding an ARIA role, state or property to make it accessible, then do so.

Vídeos del W3C

Web Accessibility Perspectives: Explore the Impact and Benefits for Everyone es una página web del W3C con numerosos vídeos sobre discapacidad y accesibilidad.

Algunos ejemplos:

En Noruega todos los sitios web deben ser accesibles

Según It’s illegal to have an inaccessible website in Norway — and that’s good news for all of us, todos los sitios web en Noruega deben ser accesibles:



Está explicado en inglés en Universal design of ICT:

The requirements are relevant for private businesses, organisations, and government agencies. They are applicable to websites and self-service machines. The use of social media, such as blogs, Facebook and Twitter, for non-commercial purposes are not covered by the regulations.

The regulations were approved 21 June 2013 and took effect 1 July 2013. This means that new ICT solutions should be universally designed from 1 July 2014. Existing ICT solutions should be universally designed from 2021.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 level AA is the standard for the universal design of websites. There are some exceptions regarding time-based media: 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded content), 1.2.4 Captions (Live content) and 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded content).

Lo que dice Orange sobre los captchas

En el sitio web de Orange sobre accesibilidad web, existe la página CAPTCHA Accessibility:

CAPTCHAs are often problematic, even for savvy users. It is often necessary to undergo several trials before giving the right answer to a CAPTCHA. For some users a CAPTCHA is a no-go, plain and simple. For example a blind user cannot solve a visual CAPTCHA. Even if some sites provide alternatives, like audio CAPTCHAs in addition to visual CAPTCHAs, it actually seldom works. It’s even the first source of difficulty quoted by visually impaired users according to WebAIM’s latest survey at the end of 2017.

La conclusión es que no hay que usar captchas, son un grave problema de accesibilidad.

Y propone como alternativas:

• HoneyPot and Time measuring, two simple techniques to put in place to identify bots.
• Anti-spam and blacklist solutions to remove bot requests.
• A logical or mathematical test, also called textual CAPTCHA.
• An email, SMS or phone verification for reinforced security.

Orange web accessibility guidelines

La compañía Orange tiene el sitio web Orange web accessibility guidelines con información sobre accesibilidad web.

Publicado WCAG 2.1

Ha tardado, WCAG 2.0 era de diciembre de 2008, han pasado 10 años, pero ya hay una nueva versión de las pautas de accesibilidad web que se pueden considerar el estándar internacional de accesibilidad web: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1.

En el blog del W3C tenemos el anuncio de la publicación de WCAG 2.1: WCAG 2.1 IS A W3C RECOMMENDATION.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 is now a W3C Recommendation. This is an evolution of W3C’s accessibility guidance, including expansion of mobile, low vision, and cognitive and learning provisions. It maintains W3C’s accessibility guidance, while maintaining W3C’s standard of implementable, technology neutral, objectively testable and universally applicable accessibility guidance.

¿Cuáles son las principales novedades?

For users of mobile devices, WCAG 2.1 provides updated guidance including support for user interactions using touch, handling more complex gestures, and for avoiding unintended activation of an interface. For users with low vision, WCAG 2.1 extends contrast requirements to graphics, and introduces new requirements for text and layout customization to support better visual perception of web content and controls. For users with cognitive, language, and learning disabilities, WCAG 2.1 improvements include a requirement to provide information about the specific purpose of input controls, as well as additional requirements to support timeouts due to inactivity. This can help many users better understand web content and how to successfully interact with it.

¿Qué pasará con WCAG 2.0?

WCAG 2.0 remains a W3C Recommendation. It was designed to be a highly stable, technology-agnostic standard, with informative supporting resources. The Working Group has taken care to maintain backwards compatibility of WCAG 2.1 with WCAG 2.0. All the criteria from WCAG 2.0 are included in WCAG 2.1, so web sites that conform to WCAG 2.1 will also conform to WCAG 2.0. As with WCAG 2.0, WCAG 2.1 will be supported by an extensive library of implementation techniques and educational materials, including Understanding WCAG 2.1 and Techniques for WCAG 2.1.

¿Y qué versión deberíamos usar?

W3C encourages organizations and individuals to use WCAG 2.1 in web content and applications, and to consider WCAG 2.1 when updating or developing new policies, in order to better address the needs of more web and mobile users with disabilities.

¿Y cuál es el futuro a corto plazo de WCAG?

WCAG 2.1 provides important and timely guidance but is still only a step—the Working Group expects to develop another dot-release, WCAG 2.2, to expand the new coverage even further. WCAG 2.2 may be developed under a similar timeline and requirements set than WCAG 2.1 was, though we plan to refine the process to address process challenges experienced during the development of WCAG 2.1.

¿Y cuál es el futuro a largo plazo de WCAG?

In addition to a further dot-release of WCAG 2, the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group has been working in parallel on a more major revision to accessibility guidelines, which would not have the same structure as WCAG 2. Beyond web content, these new guidelines are intended to incorporate guidance for user agents and other tools so requirements that depend on tool support are more clear for authors, and address issues of conformance and testability in a different way from WCAG 2. This is a major multi-year project, which is the reason additional updates to WCAG 2 are needed in the meantime.

¿Y qué pasará en España y otros países?

Para eso el W3C no tiene respuesta. El W3C anima a usar la nueva versión, pero las leyes indican que se debe cumplir WCAG 2.0. Incluso, todavía puede quedar algún país con leyes que hagan referencia a WCAG 1.0.

No obstante, como indica el W3C, WCAG 2.1 se ha desarrollado para que sea compatible hacia atrás y se conservan todos los criterios de conformidad de WCAG 2.0. Por tanto, si se desarrolla un sitio web que cumpla WCAG 2.1 también se estará cumpliendo WCAG 2.0.

Consentimiento informado

Según la Wikipedia, el consentimiento informado "es el procedimiento mediante el cual se garantiza que el sujeto ha expresado voluntariamente su intención de participar en la investigación, después de haber comprendido la información que se le ha dado, acerca de los objetivos del estudio, los beneficios, las molestias, los posibles riesgos y las alternativas, sus derechos y responsabilidades".

Cuando se realiza una prueba de usabilidad o accesibilidad con usuarios se debe solicitar a los participantes que firmen un consentimiento informado. Un par de ejemplos de este documento:

• usability.gov: Consent Form (Adult)
• What user researchers ought to know about informed consent

El scroll infinito es malo para la accesibilidad

¿Te gusta esto?

El famoso scroll infinito que se puso de moda hace unos pocos años y que sigue de moda.

¿Útil? A veces.

¿Usable? Pocas veces.

¿Accesible? Casi nunca. En los siguientes artículos te lo explican:

• Automatic infinite scrolling & accessibility
• So You Think You’ve Built a Good Infinite Scroll
• Infinte scroll search-friendly recommendations

Pequeñas cosas que pueden mejorar la accesibilidad de un sitio web

En Small Tweaks That Can Make a Huge Impact on Your Website’s Accessibility explican pequeños cambios que pueden mejorar enormemente la accesibilidad de una página web:

• Document Structure and Semantics
• Get Your Color Contrast Right
• Responsible Text Labels
• Small Typography Tweaks With a Big Impact
• Enhance Keyboard Support
• Don't Rely on Color Alone to Communicate State Changes
• Wrapping Up

Algunos comentarios sobre el daltonismo

Muy interesante todo lo que se cuenta en What my color-blindness taught me about design:

I can tell the difference between green and red most of the time depending on what light I’m under, but I’m pretty sure it’s not the same green and red other people see. The color blindness is typically inherited. After I was diagnosed, my grandpa and uncle from my mom’s side were also diagnosed color blindness (they always were but they didn’t notice). Also, there is no cure for color blindness. This means that I will have to adapt. 

In fact, 8% of all men and 0.5% of all women suffer from color blindness. Although 99% of color blind people suffer from red-green color blindness, they don’t agree on the same colors. For example, I suffer from Deuteranomaly, and it is hard for me to tell violet from blue or yellow from light green; others who suffer from Protanomaly may see red, orange, yellow appear greener. 

Accesibilidad Web: Formularios (2)

Accesibilidad Web: Formularios (1)

HTML y CSS: Accesibilidad para personas con baja visión

Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Hoy se celebra el Global Accessibility Awareness Day:

El 17 de mayo, le invitamos a participar en el Día Mundial para Promover la Concienciación sobre la Accesibilidad Web, conocido en inglés como Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). Cuando hablamos de la accesibilidad Web nos referimos a el contenido, la navegación y la interacción. El propósito de este día es para hablar, pensar y aprender sobre la accesibilidad de las tecnologías digitales (web, software, dispositivos móviles, etc.) y los diferente tipos de usuarios, incluyendo las personas con discapacidades. La audiencia que queremos atraer para GAAD son las comunidades de diseño, desarrollo, usabilidad y también los que crean, dan forma, apoyan financieramente e influencian la industria de tecnología y su uso. Aunque una persona este interesada en el tema de hacer la tecnología mas accesible y usable para las personas con discapacidades, la realidad es que muchas veces no saben como y donde comenzar. El conomocimento sobra la accesibilidad Web es el primer paso.

Cómo escribir sobre las personas mayores según APA

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition, 2010:

3.16 Age

Age should be reported as part of the description of participants in the Method section. Be specific in providing age ranges; avoid open-ended definitions such as "under 18 years" or "over 65 years." Girl and boy are correct terms for referring to individuals under the age of 12 years. Young man and young woman and female adolescent and male adolescent may be used for individuals aged 13 to 17 years. For persons 18 years and older, use women and men. The terms elderly and senior are not acceptable as nouns; some may consider their use as adjectives pejorative. Generational descriptors such as boomer or baby boomer should not be used unless they are related to a study on this topic. The term older adults is preferred. Age groups may also be described with adjectives. Gerontologists may prefer to use combination terms for older age groups (youngold, old-old, very old, oldest old, and centenarians); provide the specific ages of these groups and use them only as adjectives. Use dementia instead of senility; specify the type of dementia when known (e.g., dementia of the Alzheimer's type). For more references relating to age, see Guidelines for the Evaluation of Dementia and Age-Related Cognitive Decline (APA Presidential Task Force on the Assessment of Age-Consistent Memory Decline and Dementia, 1998) and "Guidelines for Psychological Practice With Older Adults" (APA, 2004; see also www.apastyle.org).

Como escribir sobre las discapacidades según APA

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition, 2010:

3.15 Disabilities

The overall principle for "nonhandicapping" language is to maintain the integrity (worth) of all individuals as human beings. Avoid language that objectifies a person by her or his condition (e.g., autistic, neurotic), that uses pictorial metaphors (e.g., wheelchair bound or confined to a wheelchair), that uses excessive and negative labels (e.g., AIDS victim, brain damaged), or that can be regarded as a slur (e.g., cripple, invalid). Use people-first language, and do not focus on the individual's disabling or chronic condition (e.g., person with paraplegia, youth with autism). Also use people-first language to describe groups of people with disabilities. For instance, say people with intellectual disabilities in contrast to the retarded (University of Kansas, Research and Training Center on Independent Living, 2008).

Avoid euphemisms that are condescending when describing individuals with disabilities (e.g., special, physically challenged, handi-capable). Some people with disabilities consider these terms patronizing and offensive. When writing about populations with disabilities or participants, emphasize both capabilities and concerns to avoid reducing them to a "bundle of deficiencies" (Rappaport, 1977). Do not refer to individuals with disabilities as patients or cases unless the context is within a hospital or clinical setting.

Algunos consejos sobre el uso del atributo title

Muy interesante el artículo The Trials and Tribulations of the Title Attribute.

El primer consejo es "no uses el atributo title". Pero si lo tienes que usar, o lo quieres usar aunque te digan que no lo debes usar, entonces lee este artículo para saber cómo usarlo correctamente.