Conformance with Web accessibility and technical recommendations: Lessons learned from California

The World Wide Web (WWW) has become a key information resource for pleasure and work activities. Nearly all of the information is presented to the user in some type of visual interface using technical interoperability languages such as the HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). Of all the aspects of the WWW aggregate system--people, data, networks, software, hardware--one particularly difficult and complex component of the WWW has the force of law behind it. This law is known at the federal level as "Section 508." This law articulates specific technical requirements for web accessibility by physically-challenged (visual, aural, motor, and cognitive) individuals. Broadly, the Section 508 law and specifications are to electronic pathways what the "Americans with Disabilities Act" (ADA) law and specifications are to physical pathways. California has long a leadership history in both information technology and in institutions of higher education, particularly systems of public higher education. The scope of this study is the approximately 375 public and private institutions of higher education located in the State of California that grant at least an Associate of Arts degree.;This study measured the degree of conformance with not only the Section 508 requirements, but also the normative HTML and CSS technical recommendations. Data resulting from validating hundreds of web pages was captured in both January, 2006 and July, 2007. The data was captured for the main campus web page and the library web page for all campuses. Additional secondary source information was captured, such as the size and mission of the organization and the number of professional staff.;As of July, 2007, only 11% of all main campus web pages studied exhibit zero Section 508 errors. Other campus web pages often exhibit several Section 508 error and dozens of HTML or CSS errors. Approximately 19% of the library web pages exhibit zero Section 508 errors, indicating differential attention to web accessibility and quality standards within the same organization. Section 508 compliance is neither correlated with campus revenues nor campus expenditures, although larger campuses (as measured by enrollment) tend to exhibit slightly fewer errors. A smaller number of Section 508 error instances is correlated with a smaller number of HTML errors and a smaller number of HTML errors is correlated with a smaller number of CSS errors. Six campuses and five libraries (with one overlapping campus) have managed to create web pages that exhibit no Section 508, HTML, and CSS errors. Between January, 2006 and July, 2007, the mean number of Section 508, HTML, and CSS errors decreased overall with CSU campuses exhibiting the largest reduction in errors. Measured over time, a reduction in HTML errors is more strongly associated with a reduction in Section 508 errors as opposed to vice-versa. The "lower-down" in the web hierarchy a user travels, the number of all types of errors increase in a non-linear pattern. This study suggests that while the overall technical quality of California campus web pages is gradually improving, much work remains to be done to assist disabled users in accessing public web pages.