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Re: Is javascript a big issue?

for

From: Katharine Whitelaw
Date: Mar 14, 2004 8:16PM

And if you don't think the numbers for people with disabilities are
compelling (I certainly do), add to them the people using various
devices to access your web site. People using PDA's do not have a
mouse, they may not have a keyboard, and there are many different
operating systems out there right now, some of which aren't very
sophisticated.

Katy Whitelaw
ITS Customer Support Center
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL

>>> <EMAIL REMOVED> 3/14/04 8:00:47 PM >>>
Numbers are a bit hard to come by, but it is instructive to at least
try
to figure out what types of people will be "turned away" if you use
javascript-dependent menus. One major point to consider is that nearly

all javascript menu systems are inaccessible to the keyboard. Keyboard

accessibility is a significant issue that will never be out of date.
The
summary is that the content will be inaccessible to:

1. blind users
2. users with motor disabilities who can't use a mouse
3. anyone with javascript turned off
4. anyone who happens to like navigating with a keyboard
5. anyone using a browser on which the javascript doesn't work

The last point is interesting, because so many javascript menus were
written to work only on Internet Explorer and old Netscape. Many of
them
don't work on New Netscape or on Opera, though both of these can handle

most javascript quite well, especially new Netscape. The trouble is
that
many scripts were purposefully written to exclude anything other than
IE
or old Netscape. You just have to make sure that you're using a good
script to begin with.

Your question of how many users will be turned away is hard to answer,

because if the site is inaccessible to someone, they are unlikely to be

a repeat visitor, whereas accessible sites may get repeat visits from
users with disabilities. Plus every site has a slightly different set
of
users. It would be better to ask how many *potential* users you're
turning away, or what percentage of potential users might have a
disability.

Though estimates vary, I've seen several sources estimate the
percentage
of people in the United States with disabilities to be at about 20% to

30% when you include cognitive disabilities and temporary disabilities

(broken arm, broken leg, etc.). A few estimates are even higher, but
most are in the 20-30% rang. This will overestimate the percentage of
people that cannot access your Web site of course, because not all
disabilities affect a person's ability to use a computer.

I've seen estimates that 5-10% of the population has a disability that

affects their ability to use a computer. Beyond that, it would be very

difficult--for me at least--to put a number on the quantity of people
who would potentially be "turned away" without alternatives to
javascript menus.

If your hunch is that it is a small percentage, you're right. It is a
small percentage.

But I hope you don't use that as a justification to ignore the
principle. Keep in mind that for many people with disabilities, a
computer is their best method for retrieving information from the
"outside world" and/or for communicating with others. In other words,
computers are the solution. They break down barriers for people who
would have difficulty obtaining information any other way. People talk

about making accommodations for people with disabilities on computers.

The fact is that *the computer IS the accommodation*. When you create
content that shuts out these people, you nullify the solution and force

them to either do without the information or to depend upon others to
obtain the information for them.

Chris Price wrote:

> How many visitors am I going to turn away if I have js based
navigation
> without non-js alternative.
>
> It is a WAG Priority 1 issue so I imagine it must be significant. Or
is that
> out of date.

--
Paul Ryan Bohman
Web Accessibility Specialist/Project Coordinator
WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind)
www.webaim.org
Center for Persons with Disabilities
www.cpd.usu.edu
Utah State University
www.usu.edu



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