The use of the Web is spreading rapidly into all areas of society, Internet is becoming a key resource for many kind of information, from news to distance learning, from government services to education. In particular, as web-based information has become increasingly important in health, there is a growing need for people to access it but there are still too many barriers for many types of disabilities.
It is widely known that a site should be user centered in that it is based on knowledge of the site’s users, in particular their technological and physical capacities, their cultural context and their information needs. Moreover, when accessible features are built into web pages, websites become more friendly and more available to everyone, not only to disadvantaged users.
2003 has been designated the European Year of Disabled People by the European Commission, in Europe and in the rest of the world there is a growing body of national laws and policies which address accessibility of Internet and the Web to disabled people.
The purpose of this study is to investigate if, when, how much health related websites in Italy are accessible to users with different abilities and, via a combination of appropriate accessibility testing methods, to answer questions such as:
Is the site:
- readily intelligible, i.e. not confusing to the reader;
- intuitive and easy to navigate (with respect to overall structure, navigation, labeling, searching/browsing, general features);
- consistent in design and terminology?
In order to answer the above questions, the authors analyzed Italian health websites evaluating their compliance to the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) guidelines and carrying out the appropriateness of their design and content. Collected statistical data will be given to show the current situation and establish the compulsory developments to ensure access for all.
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