The accessibility of state occupational safety and health consultation websites

This study examines the accessibility of state occupational safety and health agency (SOSHA) websites for users with disabilities. To examine accessibility, we used a combination of AChecker-based automated analysis and manual code inspection to evaluate SOSHA consultation website accessibility. Manual code inspection looked at image ALT attribute, form label, and linked text quality, as well as the presence of skip-to-content links. Only two sites passed federal accessibility requirements based on WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA guidelines. Accessibility problems may impede a user’s quest for safety information, both for employers and employees. The results of this study also emphasize the need for researchers using automated analysis tools to supplement their research with manual site inspection.

[1]  Jonathan Lazar,et al.  Accessibility of U.S. federal government home pages: Section 508 compliance and site accessibility statements , 2011, Gov. Inf. Q..

[2]  Paul T. Jaeger,et al.  Telecommunications policy and individuals with disabilities: Issues of accessibility and social inclusion in the policy and research agenda , 2006 .

[3]  Jonathan Lazar,et al.  A longitudinal study of state government homepage accessibility in Maryland and the role of web page templates for improving accessibility , 2013, Gov. Inf. Q..

[4]  Markel Vigo,et al.  Benchmarking web accessibility evaluation tools: measuring the harm of sole reliance on automated tests , 2013, W4A.

[5]  Yavuz Inal,et al.  Web site accessibility and quality in use: a comparative study of government Web sites in Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkey , 2017, Universal Access in the Information Society.

[6]  Norman E. Youngblood.  The Digital Inclusiveness of State Library Websites , 2015 .

[7]  Anna Trakoli,et al.  Risk Communication: A Handbook for Communicating Environmental, Safety, and Health Risks , 2015 .

[8]  Jo Mackiewicz,et al.  A usability analysis of municipal government website home pages in Alabama , 2012, Gov. Inf. Q..

[9]  Serhat Kurt,et al.  Accessibility of Turkish university Web sites , 2017, Universal Access in the Information Society.

[10]  Andrew Potter.  Accessibility of Alabama government Web sites , 2002 .

[11]  Andrea H. McMakin,et al.  Comprar Risk Communication: A Handbook for Communicating Environmental, Safety, and Health Risks | ACerS | 9780470422137 | Wiley , 2009 .

[12]  Jonathan Lazar,et al.  Danger, danger! Evaluating the accessibility of Web-based emergency alert sign-ups in the northeastern United States , 2014, Gov. Inf. Q..

[13]  L. R. Wise,et al.  Disability Access and E-Government , 2008 .

[14]  P. Jaeger.  Beyond Section 508: The spectrum of legal requirements for accessible e-government Web sites in the , 2004 .

[15]  L. Ambrose,et al.  Get Started! , 2024, Rock the Tech Stage.

[16]  Bambang Parmanto,et al.  U.S. state government websites demonstrate better in terms of accessibility compared to federal government and commercial websites , 2011, Gov. Inf. Q..

[17]  Timothy R. Huerta,et al.  Hospital Website Rankings in the United States: Expanding Benchmarks and Standards for Effective Consumer Engagement , 2014, Journal of medical Internet research.

[18]  Manuel Au-Yong,et al.  Enterprise Web Accessibility Levels Amongst the Forbes 250: Where Art Thou O Virtuous Leader? , 2013 .

[19]  S. Lewthwaite.  Web accessibility standards and disability: developing critical perspectives on accessibility , 2014, Disability and rehabilitation.

[20]  Cihan Cobanoglu,et al.  Website Accessibility of U.S. Based Hospitality Websites , 2009, ENTER.

[21]  P. Jaeger.  User-Centered Policy Evaluations of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act , 2008 .

[22]  Kimberly A. Neuendorf,et al.  The Content Analysis Guidebook , 2001 .

[23]  Norman E. Youngblood,et al.  E-government in Alabama: An analysis of county voting and election website content, usability, accessibility, and mobile readiness , 2016, Gov. Inf. Q..