Cognitive Web Accessibility: Assessments

This is a description of the criteria and the methodology I use to assess the efforts of 100 cognitive disability organizations to make their Web sites accessible to their constituencies. For more information, see the archive of related blog posts.

Results

• 20 of 100 Web sites have been assessed to date. The average score is 5.
• Index Of All Results
• Results By Numbers Of Web Sites That Met Section Criteria
• Summary Results By Web Site
• Detailed Results By Web Site

Evaluation Criteria

Seven criteria are based upon WebAIM's latest Cognitive Web Accessibility Checklist:

Content

• Multi-Modality (e.g., video- or audio alternatives to text);
• Focus and Structure (use of elements to focus attention, not distract it, etc.);
• Readability and Language (clear display of text and use of simple language);

Design

• Consistency (of navigation);
• Transformability (support for increased text- and image sizes, etc.);
• Orientation and Error Prevention/Recovery (adequate instructions, feedback and error recovery)
• Assistive Technology Compatibility (use of alternative text, labels, headings, keyboard accessibility, etc.)

Design-Related

Three criteria help evaluate general Web site accessibility.

• Attempt to meet W3C accessibility standards (1.0 or 2.0).
  I judge this based upon a related site statement or by a positive result from running WebAIM's WAVE against up to three pages.
• Accessibility statement.
• Explanation about how to use site accessibility feature(s).

10-Point Measurement

On at least three pages per Web site, I look for the presence or the absence of features that meet the guidelines listed for each of the checklist's sections. I average the number of guidelines that were met (successes) with those that were not (failures). For an average success of 75% or higher, I record one point. Up to seven such checklist points could be recorded.

I record one point each for the presence of the remaining three design-related criteria.

Conclusions

To be judged accessible, a Web site must minimally meet all (4) design criteria and all (3) content criteria based upon WebAIM's checklist. Up to 3 points for design-related criteria add to the total score.

Web Sites Chosen For Assessments

The Web sites I assess are from my list of over 100 cognitive disability organizations.

• National Organizations
• International Organizations
• Organizations For People with Intellectual Disabilities

Assessment Tools

• WebAIM's latest Cognitive Web Accessibility Checklist with instructions on how to use WAVE to test a Web site's implementation of the checklist's guidelines;
• WebAIM's WAVE accessibility evaluation toolbar;
• Standards Schmandards Readability Index Calculator;
• Jonathan Snook's Colour Contrast Check;
• Firefox 3.6x;
  • Firebug Firefox Extension;
  • Default Full Zoom Level Firefox Extension; and
• Internet Explorer 8.x