Accessibility of COVID-19-related Public Websites in Japan

BackgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, accessible websites and online content have become more critical worldwide as patients seek information about their medical concerns with limited access to care. However, there are still research gaps regarding the accessibility to COVID-19 information in Japan.PurposeThis study systematically and quantitatively analyzed COVID-19-related local government websites from official COVID-19 for compliance with WCAG guidelines.MethodsOn June 25, 2022, we analyzed COVID-19 web portals by Japanese local governments using AChecker, WAVE, and miChecker. These tools are automated accessibility evaluation tool based on Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which are widely used international standards in accessibility.ResultsOf the 72 websites included, the average number of errors per page was 2.7 (range 0-38) for WAVE and 8.7 (range 0-104) for WCAG 2.0 AA, respectively. The number of errors was lower than the number of accessibility errors on general websites. "Perceivable" errors, such as ambiguous colors/contrasts and missing alternative text, were prominently displayed at the top of the list of web page accessibility errors.DiscussionThe accessibility of the COVID-19 website of the Japanese local government was deemed satisfactory compared with the average number of accessibility errors on the top 1,000,000 home pages worldwide (50.8 per page). However, the websites lacked support in images (color and text) and audio guidance for users with visual and cognitive impairments.Translation to Health Education PracticeFor proper user perception, COVID-19 information had to be presented with clear contrast, alternative text, and informative captions.