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Search DRAFT Requirements/Analysis and changelog for "How to Report Inaccessible Websites"
(was "Responding to Organizations with Inaccessible Web sites")
Page Contents
Draft: "How to Report Inaccessible Websites"
Purpose, Goals, Objectives
- Rationale:
- While it can be frustrating to encounter accessibility barriers when trying to use the Web, it can be equally frustrating figuring out how to contact the organizations which own the inaccessible Web site, and explaining in a useful way what kind of barrier was encountered and what needs to be fixed.
- Proposal:
- Develop a WAI Resource page suggesting different options for contacting organizations which have inaccessible Web sites, and providing samples of letters and materials to send them.
Audience
Primary audience:
- People wanting to report Web accessibility problems:
- people with disabilities and older people
- trainers and supporters of people with disabilities and older people learning to use the Web
- people working with site users who may be having difficulty
- disability organizations & older peoples' organizations
- disability advocates
Secondary audience:
- developers and authors wanting to provide appropriate resources for feedback
- @@ decision makers and site owners
Scenarios / use cases:
- "person who is really frustrated and worked up and lands here" (EO, 2009-05-29)
- when they calm down, they might take a more considered approach
- somebody might be aware of friends or family who are having trouble
- small disability or older peoples' organizations that might find this useful
- acts as more of an empowerment tool and reminds people they should complain
Approach
Based on the discussions at the EOWG face-to-face meetings in France, October 2008
- Introduction
- including who may find this useful
- Discussion about selecting an approach
- encourage the readers to make the contact with the owners of the Web site
- advise them to keep copies of any correspondence, and notes of any contact
- Step by step guidance
- how to make contact
(Not enough to contact the webmaster but the higher the better, if you make contact with management you are more likely to get result)
- use the site feedback form
- look for contacts pages (or try the telephone directory)
- if you email a complaint, consider copying it to a relevant disability or older-peoples organization
- Suggestions for who to contact :
- list several ...
- Propose a minimal report including
- the URL of the page
- what kind of problem they have
- maybe what kind of disability you have.
- Have a more technical section in which people might include additional information:
- operating system (& version)
- browser (& version)
- settings used, if known
- assistive technology, if any (e.g. screen reader and make/version)
- settings used, if known
- Ask for a response
- if you get a positive response,
- try help them understand your problem better
- point them to WAI standards
- if you get a negative response
- contact a relevant disability or older-peoples organization
- if you get a positive response,
- how to make contact
(Not enough to contact the webmaster but the higher the better, if you make contact with management you are more likely to get result)
- Where they could go to learn more
Initial ideas for consideration (October 2008)
- who to contact
- how to describe a problem
- ...
Open Issues for EO F2F meeting (Nov 2009)
- Some considerations for this almost final document
- Overall impressions - Does it flow? Does it scan? Have we covered everything?
- Is the tone right for meeting the audience needs? Have we got it balanced between encouraging those who are new to this vs not putting off experienced advocates
- Style - is the balance right between being inviting vs too chatty vs too terse
- Jargon - anything that needs to be simplified or further explained?
- Document title and section headings
- Any refinements to the title? Especially the use of the word 'Report'?
- And suggestions for H1 and H2 headings for clarity and consistency?
- It has been suggested to include a brief message that "Constructive messages get the best results" into the Overview - thought and suggestions?
- It has been suggested to include the BAD demo as a reference for developers in the Resources section - thoughts?
- As the Overview has a large overlap with the Page Contents, is the Page Contents area needed? (See the Draft without a Contents)
References
WAI-AGE task force and EOWG Discussions:
- EO F2F meeting - 3 November 2009
- EO Teleconference - 30 October 2009
- WAI-AGE task force - 7 October 2009
- EO Teleconference - 26 June 2009
- EO Teleconference - 19 June 2009
- WAI-AGE task force - 17 June 2009
- EO Teleconference - 12 June 2009
- EO Teleconference - 29 May 2009
- EO Teleconference - 20 Mar 2009
- WAI-AGE task force - 11 Mar 2009
- WAI-AGE task force - 25 Feb 2009
- EO teleconference - 20 Feb 2009
- WAI-AGE task force - 11 Feb 2009
- EO f2f Meeting - 23 Oct 2008
Related documents:
Previous EO work:
- [Draft] Promoting and Advocating for Web Accessibility Requirements/Analysis
- [Draft] Promoting and Advocating for Web Accessibility
- EO suggestions from 22 January 2007 meeting
External documents
- Information Access Advocacy Guidelines: Eight Steps to Web Accessibility (Blind Citizens Australia)
- Speak out - about inaccessible information and telecommunication technology (ITTATC)
- Sample E-mail Notice of Non-Scaling Text (from Shawn - UIAccess)
- How to Complain - top tips (UK Govt)
- How to Advocate - Advocacy Pointers (Triangle J Area Agency on Ageing)
Changelog
- Responding to organizations with Inaccessible Websites
- How to contact Organizations with Inaccessible Websites
- ... reporting, helping, encouraging, responding,
- accessibility vs inaccessibility
- Encouraging accessibility - Approaching organizations with inaccessible websites
- approaching organizations ...
- confronting organizations with inaccessible websites
- Contacting Organizations with Inaccessible Websites
- How to Report Inaccessible Websites
- how to communicate with people with an inaccessible website
- How to complain about an inaccessible website
- how to enlighten ...
- How to respond to inaccessible website
- How to address an inaccessible website
- what to do when you come across an inaccessible website
- what to do when encountering ...
- what to do when a web site is inaccessible
- Reinforcing Web Accessibility
- Reporting Accessibility Barriers
- How To Report Accessibility Barriers
- Help with Reporting Inaccessible Websites
- Encouraging accessibility - Approaching organizations with inaccessible websites
- Improving the user experience
- Encouraging accessibility - Communicating with inaccessible website owners
- How to report barriers encountered in a website
- How to warn of obstacles found on a website
2009-11-17 version
- Actions addressed from EOWG F2F meeting 3/Nov/2009:
- Action 7 - retained Page Contents
- Actions 8, 9, 10 - Intro phrase modified and moved into Overview
- Actions 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 - removed all links from Overview bullets, bolded key words, matched actions to headings, kept just three of the bullets as numbered 'Steps'
- Actions 18, 19 - added 'tips' after the steps in the Overview to capture ideas for more effective reporting
- Actions 22, 23, 24, 26 - restructured the 'key contacts' section to be a series of bulleted lists, dropping the sub-headings and explanatory text
- Action 28 - abbreviated message about seeing sample emails in Describe the Problem
- Action 27 - added bullet about 'encouraging others to join you' to Overview
- Action 29 - dropped "encountered" from 'What is the Problem'
- Action 30 - turned "If ..." sentences into bullets and tightened in the What is the Problem sub-section
- Action 31 - changed Your Computer System to What Computer System are you Using
- added getting your purchasing dept to approach them if there is a purchasing relationship (Wayne)
- additional wordsmithing in the Introduction, Action sections and others
- Outstanding actions:
- 16 -'keep records of all communications' [look for an alternative to 'keep records']
- 20 - consider 'tips' from action 19 as a short paragraph instead of bullets
- 25 - How to Report - reconsider the title [followed up via email]
- 27 - How To Report - add the "join the revolution" message up front
- is this addressed sufficiently in the Overview + Further Action, or is more required?
- Open items
and suggestions:
- inclusion of discussion of writing a clear subject line (in addition to examples in sample emails)
- more discussion of the 'approach/tone'
( bullet added to Overview for now)
- think-what-approach-will-get-the-best-results (Shawn)
- be respectful, non-threatening, non-demanding, and be really honest about what you feel and why without being confrontational (Triangle J Area Agency on Ageing)
- sample emails addresses some of the issues of tone - is this enough?
2009-10-28 version
- Restructured again (to aid flow) with Shadi's assistance:
- Overview
- Introduction
- Identify Key Contacts
- Contact Points on the Website
- Feedback Forms
- Other Sources for Contact Information
- Alternatives to Direct Contact
- Describe the Problem
- Where is the Problem
- What is the Problem Encountered
- Your Computer System
- Provide Pointers to Resource
- Follow-Up as Needed
- Be Available for Follow-up
- Keep Records
- Getting a Response
- Further Action to Consider
- Sample Emails
- Template
- Samples
- Using this Document
- wordsmithing and tightening to accompany restructuring
2009-10-16 version
- Consideration of feedback from Alan Chuter
2009-10-08 version
- Consideration of WAI-AGE task force - 7 October 2009 discussion
2009-10-06 version
- Restructured to include a main section "steps to take"
- Significant editing to ensure the document appeals to people who might be experienced in accessibility advocacy as well as those who might be new to the Web and/or advocacy
2009-07-02 version
- Consideration of EOWG 26/June discussion
2009-06-23 version
- Changes suggested during EOWG 19 June 2009 plus suggestions by Sharon Rush and copy-editing suggested by Jennifer Sutton
2009-06-18 version
- added a "tips" section at the start for discussion with TF and EO - see EO 12 June 2009:
- #1. take a deep breath, #2. make use of your right, #3. shoot high, #4. document everything, #5. try to be explanatory, #6. help the developers understand the problems, #7. encourage others to do the same, #8. share this with others.
- Another idea for tips list.
- clarified in "the problem" that is is the site's fault, not the user's
- Restructured with Shawn's assistance and added extra sections so structure reads
- Approach
- Why Bother
- Finding Contacts
- What to Report
- Keep records
- Provide Pointers to Web Accessibility Information
- Sample Emails
- Response Time
- Follow Up
- Further Actions
- Permission to Use
- lots of additional wordsmithing
2009-06-11 version
- added 'permission to reuse' section
- rephrased preface as "Need to complain about an inaccessible website? Here is a an approach you might like to follow."
- renamed the section about why a site might be inaccessible as "Why are websites inaccessible?"
- wordsmithing to start making it more direct (and briefer)
- added links to help people move to the subsections they require
2009-05-27 version
"Further resources" removed as readers should be using main WAI navigation. [NB. subsequently added a reader oriented section "Provide Pointers to Web Accessibility Information"]
2009-04-27 version
Q. does the document need any disclaimer WRT legal issues not being addressed in this document, e.g. that people should seek appropriate legal advice in their own country?
A. felt not to necessary as document does point to http://www.w3.org/WAI/Policy/ and does suggest seeking legal assistance if you pursue further.
Q. should the OS become a recommended (not optional) thing to include under 'what to report'?
A. no, don't want to put readers off taking this step of contacting an organization.
Edits:
- General
- general wordsmithing
- added spacing to lists with items more than 10 words long
- added an H2 Preface to assist people navigating by heading
- Introduction
- add bullet about "systems that require replacement before accessibility can be fully addressed"
- consider adding "accessibility implemented but not tested with users"
- Approach
- qualified that the public approach should be after other forms of contact prove ineffectual
- added a reminder about being polite
- added a note about 'keep a diary of your actions'
- How to contact
- added a note about automated replies to form submissions
- moved the para about keeping copies to the opening of this section
- What to report
- added bolded identifying text at the start of each sample problem description
- added an encouragement to indicate OS and browser
- Follow up
- added industry associations
- Further actions
- added 'department responsible for overseeing the government's Web presence' to indirect follow-up
- Samples
- added H4 headings to separate the samples
- added off-screen start/end of sample markers to substitute for CSS marking
2009-03-15 version
Edits:
- Approach
- Restructured to separate 'how' from 'what'
- Contact
- Renamed the section as "How to contact an organization" to better reflect the content
- What to report
- Restructured the "Your computer system" subsection to aid skimming
- Follow up
- Separated the "Further Action" subsection out as its own section
- Further action
- restructured the options for direct/indirect follow-up actions
- reworded some actions for front loading and clarity
2009-03-10 version
Changed document working title to "Contacting Organizations with Inaccessible Websites"
Edits:
- Contacts
- added "disability coordinators"
- added a note that "different organizations may have different cultures and different ways of handling feedback"
- Reporting
- rephrased "constructive and usable" suggestion
- modified example problems, adding alt-text and confusion
- reduced the material in 'computer system' and added a 'skip this section' note for consideration
- added a note for consideration under 'further action' about the most effective approach
- Samples
- added emphasis within the template
2009-02-23 version
Edits:
- Contacting
- added an opening para to Contacting
- added trying the public companies register to obtain contact details
- recommended going to the top of the organization
- added an H3 - Copies of correspondence
- Problem
- mentioned trying with multiple browsers (if they have them)
- mentioned including a screen dump or print-out as an option
- suggested describing the steps being taken before the problem occurred
- Follow up
- note about how long is reasonable to wait for a response - e.g. govt = 4 weeks
- note that many people never hear back (even if they fixed it)
- note that some changes should be quick - other take years (e.g. due to CMS upgrade)
- Future action
- add local newspaper
- expand 'more people are more likely to get a response'
- for local govt or municipal site, there may be a local disability forum to contact
- start a petition
- contact your local MP
- consider legal action, e.g. a letter from your solicitor
- blog about it (Do we need to recommend how to do? Or just tell people to describe their experience)
- boycott he organization
Pending suggestions from EO:
- useful to have some success stories from different countries
2009-02-18 version
Edits:
- Examples moved to call-out boxes.
- Language simplified.
- Template response completed
- Other suggestions from the TF discussion of 11 Feb considered
2009-02-06 version
Added:
- Letter template & sample letters with introductory paragraph
(used the CityLights/BAD site as an example)
[Mix of template vs. sample letters to be decided] - minor wordsmithing
- moved a discussion about the target audience to the opening paragraph
- added 'no problem is too trivial to raise'
- moved 'impact of your disability or impairment' to 'describing the problem'
Note: the LHS navigation is incomplete as we still have to decide the appropriate location for this document within the WAI site
2009-01-14 version
Added:
- Examples for computer and browser
- Describing your computer system
- Describing the impact of your disability or impairment
2009-01-12 version
- first draft
Wish list
For future consideration:
- how to gather evidence, e.g. taking screen grabs
- toggle bare-bones vs. expansive/descriptive material
- an ability to share experiences with using this document so others can see how it worked. Success stories. Failures. Improvements