Banking Websites in Turkey: an Accessibility, Usability and Security Evaluation

With the proliferation of the Internet, banks are adopting technologies to create their own Websites. Websites have evolved into an excellent means of information dissemination and visibility. Hence banks and organizations around the world have websites as primary medium for information communication. The information in bank web sites, which are broadly assumed in numerous nations, must be accessible for all people, easy to use, exact and secure. Since the web is a significant assets of information for millions of people at all levels, attaining accessible e-banking services that enable customers to gain from them and execute varied customers’ prerequisites, regardless of time and location constraints, has become a global aim. The main aim of this study is to investigate the accessibility, usability and vulnerability of Turkish banking websites. A total of thirty two banking websites in Turkey were analyzed according to the criteria of the WCAG 2.0 guidelines, and all of them was selected for further analysis based on usability and vulnerability criteria. The results showed that the evaluated websites had significant number of accessibility, usability and vulnerability problems

Internetikasutuse ligipääsustrateegiad ja kasutamispraktikad nägemis- ja liikumispuudega inimeste näitel

Mujal maailmas tehtud uuringud näitavad, et madalam internetikasutajate osakaal puuetega inimeste seas ei tulene mitte huvipuudusest, vaid sageli ligipääsmatust ja ebasõbralikust virtuaalsest keskkonnast, mis kasutamise ebamugavaks või lausa võimatuks teevad. Sama kinnitavad ka paljud erinevate riikide veebide juurdepääsetavust hindavad uuringud, mis näitavad, et ligipääsetavusnõuetele vastab keskmiselt 10% veebidest ning nende osakaal aastate jooksul suurt ei muutu. Ometigi on olukorra parandamiseks loodud juba ligi 20 aastat erinevaid rahvusvahelisi standardeid, koostatud juhendeid, tehtud koolitusi, kirjutatud ülevaateid, võetud vastu seadusi ning panustatud teadus- ja arendustöösse

On making web accessibility more accessible: strategy and tools for social good

The world currently faces a paradox in terms of accessibility for people with disabilities. While digital technologies hold immense potential to improve their quality of life, the majority of web content still exhibits critical accessibility issues. This PhD thesis addresses this challenge by proposing two interconnected research branches. The first introduces a groundbreaking approach to improving web accessibility by rethinking how it is approached, making it more accessible itself. It involves the development of: 1. AX, a declarative framework of web components that enforces the generation of accessible markup by means of static analysis. 2. An innovative accessibility testing and evaluation methodology, which communicates test results by exploiting concepts that developers are already familiar with (visual rendering and mouse operability) to convey the accessibility of a page. This methodology is implemented through the SAHARIAN browser extension. 3. A11A, a categorized and structured collection of curated accessibility resources aimed at facilitating their intended audiences discover and use them. The second branch focuses on unleashing the full potential of digital technologies to improve accessibility in the physical world. The thesis proposes the SCAMP methodology to make scientific artifacts accessible to blind, visually impaired individuals, and the general public. It enhances the natural characteristics of objects, making them more accessible through interactive, multimodal, and multisensory experiences. Additionally, the prototype of \gls{a11yvt}, a system supporting accessible virtual tours, is presented. It provides blind and visually impaired individuals with features necessary to explore unfamiliar indoor environments, while maintaining universal design principles that makes it suitable for usage by the general public. The thesis extensively discusses the theoretical foundations, design, development, and unique characteristics of these innovative tools. Usability tests with the intended target audiences demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed artifacts, suggesting their potential to significantly improve the current state of accessibility