Design for All See the Opportunity

See the opportunity

Design for all

In Western Australia there are more than 400,000 people with disability. This is a significant percentage of the consumer market and it’s growing.

An aging population and other factors mean that within 15 years, one quarter of all Western Australians will have a disability.

Many communication challenges faced by people with disability are also faced by other members of the community including seniors and people from diverse backgrounds.

In terms of market share, can you or your clients afford to exclude such a large slice of the market?

A disability doesn’t prevent someone from needing and wanting to buy products and services.

The principle of accessible information is simply – a ‘design for all’ approach to creating and providing information to the public.

Aside from the legal obligation not to discriminate, if your clients are state or local governments or contractors to state or local government they also have a legislated requirement to ensure information is accessible.

There are some easy rules to follow to make your information, promotions and advertising accessible without compromising on design or creativity.

These resource guidelines and checklists for printed and online information and general information about accessibility can be used to communicate effectively with people with disability.

Printed information guidelines

There are simple things that improve the readability of information without impacting on design or aesthetics.

Use a sans serif font like Arial, Helvetica and Univers. Fonts without ‘strokes’ are easier to read.
Avoid using uppercase as the word will look like a rectangle (lowercase gives more shape to a word making it easier to process and recognise).
Where possible, avoid italics and underlining as it can make letters appear to merge into one another.
Left align text. The consistent spacing between words makes them easier to read. Avoid justified text.
Where possible text should be 12pt for body copy and 14pt or larger for headings on brochures and advertising.
Avoid watermarks behind text. They can make text harder to see and understand.
Use a strong colour contrast between the text and background so people can easily distinguish the text from the background. Check it with a Colour Contrast Checker available online.
Print on matt or satin non-reflective paper. Gloss or shiny paper makes reading more difficult in different lighting.
Use plain English, short sentences and avoid jargon.
Use clear headings to introduce information.
Make sure pictures and diagrams reflect what is in the copy and are not over used.

Website guidelines

For the designer

Design with web safe fonts when it comes to text content areas. Avoid using images for text content. See also: Briefing the developer.
Use high contrast between the text and background colour. Ensure colour is not used to convey information (eg ‘select the red circle to continue’). A free Colour Contrast Checker is available online.
Provide multiple ways of finding information when considering your website navigation. A sitemap should also be provided.
When linking to documents that are not HTML pages (ie PDF, DOC, PPT) a separate description of the format and size should be included – for example: Document on DSC website (5MB PDF).
Audio and video should have subtitles, captions or written transcripts available. Users should be able to pause or stop the audio and video. Sounds that play automatically with no option to pause or stop can be confusing to people listening to content.
Moving, blinking or scrolling should be limited to less than three seconds. Do not put anything on any page that flashes more than three times in any one second.
Flash, Silverlight and PDF can be accessible. Refer to your software documentation to see how this can best be achieved.

Briefing the developer

Familiarise yourself with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as developed under the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Your web developer should be validating your website to ensure it meets world best standards and practices.

Areas covered by WCAG include:

Images should have an ‘alt’ attribute so people can use screen reader technology to hear what the image represents.
Fields in forms require label tags so screen readers
can use them.
Ensure all parts of your website can be navigated without a mouse. Look at pages in a text only browser such as Lynx View to confirm the site makes sense.

Guide to alternate formats

Advice that alternate formats are available should be included in the copy, eg ‘This publication is available in alternate formats upon request’. Formats can include an HTML web page, large print document, text only email, text only files (eg Word), CD or audio cassette.
PDF content should also be available in text only formats (eg Word). The font size in a text only file is also easily increased for people requiring a larger font size.
For presentations, audio loops can be linked to a public address system to assist people who are hard of hearing.
Captions should be used in videos or films, including advertisements.
Audio descriptions of what is being seen and the inclusion of an AUSLAN (sign language) interpreter are also useful.

People first language

Language reflects and shapes the way we view the world. Words can influence community attitudes – both positively and negatively – and can impact on the lives of others.

General guidelines

Use person first language and don’t define a person by their disability. Say ‘people with disability’ not ‘disabled person’.
Focus on what a person can do, not what they can’t.
Avoid focussing unnecessarily on a person’s disability. If it is not relevant, don’t mention it.
Avoid labels and collective terms like ‘the disabled’, ‘the crippled’. Say ‘people with disability’, ‘people with mobility impairment’.
Be specific about a person’s circumstances and avoid stereotypes, generalisations and assumptions based on limited information.
Avoid any word or phrase that has a negative connotation – for example, avoid ‘confined to a wheelchair’ instead use ‘person who uses a wheelchair’. Do not suggest people with disability are sufferers or victims.

Links / resources

Colour Contrast Checker

The Colour Contrast Checker is an online tool for checking foreground and background colour combinations to determine if they provide good colour visibility.

Vischeck

Vischeck lets you check your work for colour blind visibility. Daltonize corrects images for colour blind viewers.

Web Accessibility Tools

Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools from W3C
The Web Accessibility Toolbar from Vision Australia
Accessibility ‘add-ons’ to help developers are available for Firefox.
Creating Accessible Events

Signage Guide for Assistive Listening Devices in Cinemas, Theatres and Auditoriums

Cinema Complexes: Assistive Listening Devices and Captioning Guidelines

Web Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

To get a copy of any of these resources
email or visit the Disability Services Commission website at

The Commission has also produced the ‘You Can Make a Difference DVD - Customer Relations for People with Disabilities in Hospitality, Tourism, Retail and Entertainment Industries’. Please contact the Commission for a copy of the DVD.

For more information, contact the Disability Services Commission:

telephone08 9426 9325
email
web