Accessibility of dynamic web applications with emphasis on visually impaired users

Abstract

As the internet is fast migrating from static web pages to dynamic web pages, the users with visual impairment find it confusing and challenging when accessing the contents on the web. There is evidence that dynamic web applications pose accessibility challenges for the visually impaired users. This study shows that a difference can be made through the basic understanding of the technical requirement of users with visual impairment and addresses a number of issues pertinent to the accessibility needs for such users. We propose that only by designing a framework that is structurally flexible, by removing unnecessary extras and thereby making every bit useful (fit-for-purpose), will visually impaired users be given an increased capacity to intuitively access e-contents. This theory is implemented in a dynamic website for the visually impaired designed in this study. Designers should be aware of how the screen reading software works to enable them make reasonable adjustments or provide alternative content that still corresponds to the objective content to increase the possibility of offering faultless service to such users. The result of our research reveals that materials can be added to a content repository or re-used from existing ones by identifying the content types and then transforming them into a flexible and accessible one that fits the requirements of the visually impaired through our method (no-frill + agile methodology) rather than computing in advance or designing according to a given specification.

Keywords

• Internet
• Web sites
• handicapped aids
• dynamic Web applications
• visually impaired users
• Internet
• static Web pages
• dynamic Web pages
• Web contents
• accessibility challenges
• e-contents
• dynamic Website
• screen reading software
• content repository