ABSTRACT
Like most online content, user-generated content (UGC) poses accessibility barriers to users with disabilities. However, the accessibility difficulties pervasive in UGC warrant discussion and analysis distinct from other kinds of online content. Content authors, community culture, and the authoring tool itself all affect UGC accessibility. The choices, resources available, and strategies in use to ensure accessibility are different than for other types of online content. We contribute case studies of two UGC communities with accessible content: Wikipedia, where authors focus on access to visual materials and navigation, and an online health support forum where users moderate the cognitive accessibility of posts. Our data demonstrate real world moderation strategies and illuminate factors affecting success, such as community culture. We conclude with recommended strategies for creating a culture of accessibility around UGC.
- Ivory, Melody Y., Mankoff, Jennifer, and Le, Audrey. Using automated tools to improve web site usage by users with diverse abilities. Information Technology and Society, 3, 1 (2003), 195--236.Google Scholar
- Mankoff, J., Fait, H., and Tran, T. Is your web page accessible? A comparative study of methods for assessing web page accessibility for the blind. CHI (2005), 41--50. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Vigo, M. and Brajnik, G. Automatic web accessibility metrics: where we are and where we can go. Interacting with Computers, 23, 2 (2011), 137--155. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Gupta, S., Kaiser, G., Neistadt, D., and Grimm, P. DOMbased content extraction of HTML documents. WWW (2003), 207--214. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Takagi, H., Kawenaka, S., Kobayashi, M., Itoh, T., and Asakawa, C. Social accessibility: Achieving accessibility through collaborative metadata authoring. ASSETS (2008), 193--200. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Fairweather, P. G., Hanson, V. L., Detweiler, S. R., and Schwerdtfeger, R. S. From assistive technology to a Web accessibility service. ASSETS (2002), 4--8. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Leahy, D. and Broin, U. Ó. Social networking sites and equal opportunity: The impact of accessibility. 22nd Bled eConference: eEnablement: Facilitating an Open, Effective and Representative eSociety (2009), 41.Google Scholar
- Taras, C., Siemoneit, O., Weißer, N., Rotard, M., and Ertl, T. Improving the accessibility of Wikis: A basic analytical framework. ICCHP (2008), 430--437. Google ScholarDigital Library
- American Foundation for the Blind. Is blogging accessible to people with vision loss? Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/67PvGjdh6.Google Scholar
- Chrisholm, W., Vanderheiden, G., & Jacobs, I. (1999). W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0.Google Scholar
- Wentz, B. and Lazar, J. Are separate interfaces inherently unequal? An evaluation with blind users of the usability of two interfaces for a social networking platform. iConference (2011), 91--97. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Mesiti, M., Ribaudo, M., Valtolina, S., Barricelli, B. R., Boccacci, P., and Dini, S. Collaborative environments: Accessibility and usablity for users with special needs. Pardede, Eric, ed., Community-built Databases: Research and Development. Springer, 2011.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Braithwaite, D. O., Waldron, V. R., and Finn, J. Communication of social support in computer-mediated groups for people with disabilities. Health Communication, 11, 2 (2009), 123--151.Google Scholar
- Maloney-Krichmar, D. and Preece, J. A multilevel analysis of sociability, usability, and community dynamics in an online health community. TOCHI, 12, 2 (2005), 201--232. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Finn, J. An exploration of helping processes in an online self-help group focusing on issues of disability. Health Soc. Work, 24, 3 (1999), 220--231.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Ellis, K. and Kent, M. Community accessibility: Tweeters take responsibility for an accessible Web 2.0. Fast Capitalism, 7, 1 (2010). Retrieved from http://www.uta.edu/huma/agger/fastcapitalism/7_1/elliskent7_1.html.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Kittur, A. and Kraut, R. E. Harnessing the wisdom of crowds in Wikipedia: Quality through coordination. CSCW (2008), 37--46. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Mankoff, J., Hayes, G., and Kasnitz, D. Disability Studies as a source of critical inquiry for the field of Assistive Technology. ASSETS (2010), 3--10. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Cairns, V. and Godwin, J. Post-Lyme borreliosis syndrome: A meta-analysis of reported symptoms. International Journal of Epidemiology, 34, 6 (2005), 1340--1345.Google ScholarCross Ref
- WebAIM. Cognitive Disabilities: Introduction. 1999--2012.Google Scholar
- Burke, M., Joyce, E, Kim, T., Anand, V., and Kraut, R. E. Introductions and requests: Rhetorical strategies that elicit response in online communities. Third International Conference on Communities & Technologies (2007), 21--40.Google ScholarCross Ref
Index Terms
- Accessible online content creation by end users
Recommendations
Automatic system for making web content accessible for visually impaired users
ACS'06: Proceedings of the 6th WSEAS international conference on Applied computer scienceAlthough visually impaired people can access digital information by using computers, usually the content of Internet pages is not fully accessible. The dissemination of information available through the World Wide Web makes universal access more and ...
Accessible smartphones for blind users: A case study for a wayfinding system
While progress on assistive technologies have been made, some blind users still face several problems opening and using basic functionalities when interacting with touch interfaces. Sometimes, people with visual impairments may also have problems ...
Semantic annotation of personal video content using an image folksonomy
ICIP'09: Proceedings of the 16th IEEE international conference on Image processingThe increasing popularity of user-generated content (UGC) requires effective annotation techniques in order to facilitate precise content search and retrieval. In this paper, we propose a new approach for the semantic annotation of personal video ...
Comments