The accessibility divide: The visually-impaired and access to online news

This study evaluated the extent to which online news is accessible to visually-impaired individuals. The home pages of 69 online news sites (representing print newspapers, news magazines, national television/radiolcable networks, and Internet-only organizations) were evaluated for accessibility in June 2002 and March 2003. Findings indicate that accessibility was nearly nonexistent in 2002 (where only 3% of sites' home pages were completely accessible) and little improved in 2003 (where only 7% were completely accessible). Analyses of reasons preventing access indicate that accessibility could be greatly improved if relatively simple design and coding changes were implemented. Recommendations for improvement are discussed.