Web 2.0 Access Technologies
Until recently, most websites were navigated by simply selecting or clicking links, moving from one static page to another. This is changing with the growth of newer technologies known as Web 2.0.
Now it is possible to spend a considerable amount of time interacting with a single page through its dynamic content, for example slideshows, videos, search options, polls, surveys, games etc that are part of the web page content. These pages update content while you are using them. The changes take place on the same page without changing the URL (that is, without loading a new page or refreshing the current page). Web 2.0 technologies, such as iGoogle, provide an exciting, interactive experience for sighted users but for someone who is blind results in further barriers to accessibility as adaptive technologies, such as screen readers, are currently unable to deal with dynamic updates.
The SASWAT research project (Single Structured Accessibility Stream for Web 2.0 Access Technologies) being run by the University of Manchester in England aims to address this, by understanding the sighted user's experience, and mapping this to audio for people with vision impairment.
As part of this project, the SASWAT team are looking to understand how current assistive technologies deal with dynamic updates: is the change registered at all; if so, what information is presented, and how? They have created a set of pages for users to view. These contain a range of types of dynamic update, including sections added to the page, removed from the page, or sections replaced or rearranged. The update may be caused by selecting a link, or automatically (after a set period of time). The content is otherwise simple, mostly taken from randomly selected pages of the Wikipedia.
The researchers would like as many people as possible to view one or more of these pages, using whatever browser and assistive technologies they normally use, and give feedback about what happens when they view the pages. Even the most basic information is likely to be useful. There are nine pages in total. The pages are short (the longest contains 230 words), and each ends with a link to the next page.
The study is being run with no expectations at all as to how assistive technologies will present these pages, so any feedback is extremely useful.
If you would like to participate in the assistive technologies review you can access the test pages via the Manchester University website. The only requirement for viewing these pages is that javascript needs to be enabled.
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