The struggle for web eQuality by persons with cognitive disabilities

Abstract

This article is based on the book eQuality: The Struggle for Web Accessibility by Persons with Cognitive Disabilities (2014, Cambridge University Press). It contends that the rights of individuals with cognitive disabilities to equal access to web content are not only protected under law, but may also be implemented and supported by current user-based, semantic and cloud technologies. Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, web content equality is defined through functional, rather than disability-specific, approaches and techniques to enable personalization and customized usage across online functions. Legal challenges brought forward by individuals with cognitive and other disabilities illustrate the barriers still faced by individuals with disabilities to web equality as well as some of the solutions to and outcomes of these challenges. In closing, a view for the full and equal enjoyment of web content, which considers technology, financial benefits, and the role of advocacy and regulations, is discussed.