Breaking down barriers for accessible IT

Consumer rights group ANEC estimates that current e-voting technology excludes 10 per cent of the population

Last week’s European elections were always going to be controversial ­ – the current fury over MPs’ expenses claims saw to that. But elsewhere in the EU, it was the voting process itself that came under fire, with many arguing that new e-voting technology that is intended to empower citizens is actually alienating some.

Many European countries gave their citizens the option to use e-voting systems in the election. For its supporters, e-voting is seen as a means of making it easier for citizens to engage with the political process.

But according to European consumer lobby group ANEC, e-voting is not necessarily the inclusive means of engagement it first appears. Groups such as the elderly and those with visual impairments can be excluded from e-voting because their needs are not taken into account. As many as 10 per cent of voters could be excluded, says ANEC.

Furthermore, ANEC looked at the web sites of seven political parties taking part in the elections and found that none openly complied with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, which provide a standard method for ensuring that all web users can access content.

The accessibility issues raised by ANEC are by no means unique to last week’s elections. In the UK, many organisations are still failing to provide universal access to their services, with the problem being particularly acute in the private sector.

According to a recent study by public sector IT body Socitm, there is evidence that local authorities are more attuned to meeting the needs of every section of the public than their private-sector counterparts.

Socitm examined the web sites of metropolitan, district and unitary councils in the UK, and of leading private-sector organisations such as Marks & Spencer, Norwich Union and the AA.

Nearly half of all council web sites offered a satisfactory level of accessibility –­ and of those 10 per cent were regarded as excellent. Of the private sector web sites Socitm assessed, a mere 16 per cent were satisfactory.

The problem of building accessible systems is particularly acute when it comes to the web.

The dynamic nature of web sites creates challenges for those seeking to be compliant with accessibility requirements, says Peter Abrahams, practice leader, accessibility and usability at analyst Bloor Research.

And while firms can use audits, automated tests, manual inspections and user testing to check for compliance, subsequent changes to web sites can quickly make them non-compliant.

“The continual flux of web sites means there is a need for continual compliance checking,” says Abrahams.

This need to ensure accessibility also extends to other technologies, such as client systems. And again, public bodies seem to be leading the way.

When the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) began a major desktop refresh programme, employees’ specific requirements were high on the priority list.

Like all organisations, Defra has responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to make “reasonable adjustments” for disabled staff. Indeed, central and local government bodies have further requirements placed on them by the Disability Equality Duty directive, which stipulates that they must incorporate their duty of care into all facets of organisational working, taking an active approach to disability equality, rather than making adjustments at the end of a process.

Consequently, for the Renew IT Desktop Programme ­ – a pan-departmental rollout of Microsoft’s Vista operating system while simultaneously introducing new Lenovo X61 laptops to the majority of employees –­ the impact on disabled staff was considered at the outset.

Peter Barber, head of Defra’s business relationship management unit, says that bringing in external expertise played a crucial role in ensuring the programme progressed smoothly.

“The key was to ensure that neither access, productivity nor comfort were compromised during the process,” he says.

Charity AbilityNet worked alongside Defra and its technology partners Microsoft and IBM to ensure that staff with special needs were supported through the transition –­ the first phase of which has involved some 3,000 members of staff.

AbilityNet assisted in the individual review of cases ­ – 55 have been conducted to date ­ – and also in the review of the operating system, identifying the correct adjustments that were needed in each case and providing support for deployment and training.

David Banes, AbilityNet’s business development director, says the adoption of a new system can be stressful for those using non-standard equipment. The upgrade of technology such as operating systems can be especially problematic for workers who have required modifications to their set-ups, as glitches can leave them unable to work at all.

For example, system administrators could decide to lock down Vista’s Ease of Access Centre, to make deployment of a standard desktop easier. However, this function contains a range of accessibility tools such as Magnifier, Narrator, On-Screen Keyboard and the adjustment of screen colour settings, which can make a crucial difference for those with visual impairments or dyslexia.

AbilityNet worked with Defra, using a combination of telephone screening, personal consultation and training needs analysis to assess how the upgrade would affect staff. It was often possible to establish through the consultation whether or not a user’s existing set-up would operate effectively following the Vista upgrade.

“At the same time, our team provided a series of background support activities including floor walking as each department plugged into the new system, user acceptance testing and ongoing reviews of recommended solutions,” says AbilityNet’s Banes.

Defra needed to be sure that commonly used tools, such as speech recognition package Dragon Naturally Speaking, onscreen keyboard WiVik, magnifying tool Zoomtext and screen-reading package Jaws, were fully compatible with Vista.

“Some mouse and keyboard alternatives were found to lack the necessary drivers to provide the full range of functionality required,” says Banes. “As the project progressed it was vital to co-ordinate the supply of patches and upgrades to ensure optimum performance.”

One of the added benefits for Defra of the ongoing work with AbilityNet is the scope it offers for active future-proofing when it comes to IT.

“Future team needs for assistive technologies are now front of mind and a shared awareness of current trends in access technology among all partners involved will help inform future activity,” says Defra’s Barber.

Defra employs about 10,000 people in more than 200 geographically dispersed locations countrywide. So far, the first phase of the upgrade programme has covered about 30 per cent of staff, and Barber is confident Defra will not only exceed its legal obligations, but will be seen as an exemplar across government.