How Web Professionals Perceive Web Accessibility in Practice: Active Roles, Process Phases and Key Disabilities

Providing usable web information and services to as many people as possible confronts web professionals with a challenging task. The present study delivers insights about how Web accessibility is perceived in practice. Using a survey, a total of 163 web professionals in various roles reported their evaluation of Web accessibility implementation in their projects with regard to three aspects: the professional roles primarily responsible for Web accessibility, key phases in the development process, and the types of disabilities primarily considered. Results show that non-technical professional roles are perceived to be less involved in the development process, that Web accessibility considerations are mainly restricted to the design and implementation phases of projects, and that efforts focus predominantly on the needs of people with visual impairments.