Ready.gov: Who’s Ready, Really? Examining Principles of Inclusivity and Universal Design in Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness Public Information Websites

Nearly 20 years ago, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched Ready.gov, a national public service advertising campaign designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies such as natural and technological disasters. To date, little is known about the accessibility and adaptability of this information for vulnerable populations including persons with disabilities (PwDs) and those with limited English proficiency (LEP). This computer-automated analysis seeks (1) to determine the general web, mobile and language accessibility of state websites which extend and/or amplify the Ready.gov national campaign goals, (2) to evaluate the document accessibility of downloadable emergency preparedness information, and, based on findings, (3) reflect upon improvement opportunities for disaster and emergency management preparedness messaging processes to vulnerable populations. An exploratory, quantitative content analysis relying on computer-automated software is used to assess the web, language, mobile and document accessibility of Ready.gov state-affiliated websites dedicated to providing public information for emergency preparedness and disaster response. Additional factors such as the use of CAPTCHA, adherence to the Matterhorn Protocol, disclosure of accessibility policy statements, and the presence of tailored information are evaluated. No significant differences among FEMA regions were found. The most frequent errors were likely to impact the POUR dimensions of perceivability and operability. In all, 76% of the Ready.gov state-affiliated websites had WCAG Level AA detectable accessibility failures on the home pages. Furthermore, 62% of the sites offered translational language formats for LEP users, while only 6% (n=3 role= presentation style= box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; line-height: normal; word-spacing: normal; overflow-wrap: normal; text-wrap: nowrap; float: none; direction: ltr; max-width: none; max-height: none; min-width: 0px; min-height: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; position: relative; \u3en=3�=3) explicitly provided PwDs an option to report accessibility-related user experiences to the agency. Document accessibility was deemed to be poor with 80% of the websites disseminating downloadable .pdfs such as emergency planning guides and preparedness kits in inaccessible digital formats. These findings identify opportunities for improvement specifically, in the web, mobile and document accessibility of information associated with the Ready.gov national campaign. We argue that improvement and compliance is expected to reduce the likelihood of litigation, increase the resilience of vulnerable populations, and improve user experiences

From Disability to Usability in Online Instruction

This article is a primer on the work needed to ensure accessibility in online instruction. It discusses different disabilities, reviews relevant laws and standards, and explores the relationship between accessibility and the principles of universal design. The article introduces a number of best practices for creating accessibility in online instruction

L'(in)accessibilità degli articoli scientifici sul Web e l'uso di RASH e EPUB

Ad oggi lo standard “de facto” per la pubblicazione di articoli scientifici in formato elettronico è costituito dal formato PDF il quale crea molteplici problemi a tutti coloro che ne debbano usufruire attraverso l’uso di tecnologie assistive. Dopo aver fornito una breve panoramica dei motivi che hanno portato alla situazione attuale e delle ragioni per cui sarebbe auspicabile l’impiego di un’alternativa differente per la pubblicazione di articoli scientifici sul Web, ci si soffermerà sulla discussione dell’implementazione e dei vantaggi di una possibile soluzione al problema basata su RASH (Research Articles in Simplified HTML) un linguaggio che consente la scrittura di articoli scientifici utilizzando un insieme ristretto di funzionalità presenti nei linguaggi di markup per la creazione di pagine Web. Più nel dettaglio, l’alternativa proposta consiste nell’implementare uno strumento da integrare nel framework RASH che consentano di esportare un documento scritto con l’omonimo linguaggio in formato EPUB, uno standard aperto impiegato ormai da molti anni per la pubblicazione di libri in formato elettronico; verranno illustrati i motivi che hanno portato alla scelta della combinazione di RASH e EPUB, nonché i vantaggi che essa comporta. Saranno inoltre discusse le difficoltà tecniche che l'implementazione di rash2epub, dovute alla varietà di dispositivi con cui è possibile leggere gli ebook in formato EPUB e allo scarso supporto che essi offrono per il rendering delle formule matematiche e le strategie utilizzate per superarle

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