Callie Carroll
MS-HCI 05/2007
callie@cc.gatech.edu
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~callie

Accessibility in MediaWiki

Image 1: MediaWiki logo
Image 1 Text: MediaWiki: Because ideas want to be free.

The ATWiki was created for the Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access (CATEA) in 2006, and combines the open source wiki MediaWiki with modifications to improve accessibility.

Goal: Collaborative Assistive Technology Resource
Provide a web-based resource on assistive technology (AT) to support the existing Assistivetech.net user base, which includes persons who use assistive technology, as well as other interested individuals: therapists, teachers, parents, caregivers, and advocates.
Ideally, the form and function of this resource would inspire collaboration and discussion. 

Basic Requirements
- Accessible to those with visual, hearing, cognitive, and motor impairments.
- Complies with Section 508 requirements, and other standard recommendations like the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) are easily accomodated.
- Easy to learn, use, and support.
- Something "other than a regular mailing list" is preferred.
- Able to be installed, customized, and updated by current technical personnel.
- Existing development community.

MediaWiki: Pro & Con
After researching other resources, forum systems, and wikis, we narrowed our possible choices to several "accessible" wikis. MediaWiki was the most progressive, in terms of accessibility and general usability, but was not without problems...

Pro: MediaWiki is used for Wikipedia projects. Wikipedia has a very large user base (millions of users) that includes many people that demand accessible features.
Pro: Minor problems with accessibility were easily solved through HTML and CSS changes.
Pro/Con: Has a huge community of developers who continually work to improve the software and add features. Those developers may or may not consider accessibility a priority.
Pro/Con: Highly customizable and configurable (although it's not necessarily easy!).
Con: Lacking in formal usability and accessibility testing throughout the development cycle.

Accessibility Issue: Images and alt attribute text
In our testing we found certain accessibility issues that could only be corrected by restructuring the way MediaWiki works. Far beyond cosmetic or text-only problems, these could only be fixed by changing an "as-designed" functionality of the software. The following screen images detail an issue found with alt attribute and title text on uploaded files.
Step 1: Upload file
Following the non-specific instructions on the upload form, a short but descriptive phrase that will serve as alt attribute text is entered into the "Summary" field.
Step 2: View uploaded image
The "Summary" text that was entered correctly appears on the image page.
Step 3: Insert image into document
Using basic wiki markup the image is added: [[Image:Staticdisplay_example.gif]]. To be accessible to screen readers and text-only browsers, images within the wiki content should be properly described with correct alt attribute text and title attribute text, when appropriate. MediaWiki doesn't fully support this.
Step 4: View image in document
The "Summary" text that was entered during the image upload does not appear as alt or title attribute text. To view it the inline image link must be followed. 

Recommendations: Correcting Accessibility Issues
- Automated testing with tools like Watchfire's Bobby, for basic Section 508 and WCAG checks
- Experiential testing. Even if something is "technically accessible" it might be a frustrating experience.
- Correct any minor issues through code changes within your templates (CSS, HTML, PHP).
- If other developers are unable to help, dive into the code on your own. Be sure to contribute your fixes back to the open source community.
- Do research within the MediaWiki community (mailing lists, BugZilla, irc channel) to see if the issue has already been identified or is being worked on. Update the issue report and talk to other developers about the problem.
- Tailor in-wiki documentation to your user base, and mention known accessibility issues.

Outcome: ATWiki
Extensive Help documents were written specifically for ATWiki users. A special "Create Article" form that pre-fills a template for first-time users has been a success; it prevents some users from being overwhelmed by the idea of filling a blank document with wikitext. Known accessibility issues are detailed in the Help, and several cheat-sheet guides walk users through common wiki actions, like including images or creating data tables within the content.

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MS Project: Accessible Mobile Devices

Currently in-progress: A study focusing on the use of mobile devices (including regular, accessible, and modified cell phones) by visually impaired users.
Expected results: Design recommendations for accessible mobile devices. Planned Completion: April 2007