At least 2.2 billion people worldwide have visual impairments, according to a 2019 report by the World Health Organization (WHO). However, the “WebAIM Million” report from 2023 reveals that 96.3% of the top one million homepages had detected Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 failures. Therefore, designing accessible news websites is crucial to safeguard the freedom of information for visually impaired and blind individuals.
The objective of this research is to analyse the digital inclusion of media news websites for visually impaired internet users and provide website recommendations for good practices. Thirteen online interviews, including a test case, were conducted with participants ranging from 18 to 55 years old.
A single news website was selected from Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, respectively, and usability tests were performed by visually impaired and blind users who utilized their daily languages. This approach aimed to enable participants to effectively assess web accessibility issues of the selected news websites without language barriers.
In terms of website analysis, the classification of the analysis is based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), an internationally recognized web accessibility guideline.
• https://webaim.org/resources/ • https://www.w3.org/WAI/ARIA/apg/patterns/ • https://accessibilityinsights.io/info-examples/ • https://teachaccess.github.io/tutorial/
Compare the digital inclusion efforts of news apps on various mobile devices to identify best practices and areas for improvement.
Explore the interaction between different web browsers and assistive technologies, such as screen readers and voice recognition software, and propose modifications to coding practices to enhance accessibility.
Examine the effectiveness of accessibility guidelines and standards, such as WCAG and BITV, on the development of accessible websites, and propose enhancements to address new challenges faced by users with impairments.