Disabled Users’ Accessibility to Websites in Brazil Is Less Than One Percent

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A survey conducted by the Movimento Web para Todos (“Web for All Movement”), in partnership with BigData Corp, showed that of the 14 million active websites in Brazil, less than one percent passed the accessibility tests for the handicapped. When it comes to websites of the three levels of government (federal, state, and municipal), the percentage drops to 0.34 percent.

The data also show that 93.7 percent of Brazilian websites failed in some of the tests performed, and 99.39 percent showed at least one flaw. In 52.38 percent of websites, there were form issues and 83.56 percent link failures. Moreover, 5.6 percent of the active websites (which have been updated in up to three months ago) failed in all the tests to which they were submitted.

According to the president of BigData Corp, Thoran Rodrigues, the tests assessed several aspects of web pages to check navigation barriers encountered by people with disabilities, in addition to technical issues. Rodrigues said that the failures create an obstacle for those with some hardships and prevent the user from browsing with autonomy.

“What is most striking to me is that theoretically this confirmation, as it is structural and automated, does not justify having the amount of problems that we found, because it is very easy to identify this type of issue and eventually correct it. Not that a website that failed a test will be unmanageable by a disabled user, but the browsing experience will leave something to be desired,” he said.

Simone Freire, the founder of Web Movement for All, stressed that the study shows that the digital world is entirely exclusionary for people with some kind of disability, a population that totals 45 million people in Brazil. “Regardless of their disability, the digital world needs to be prepared for this type of navigation. Accessibility means eliminating navigation obstacles for everyone, not only for people with disabilities”.

Simone recalled that the Brazilian Law on the Inclusion of People with Disabilities, passed in July 2015 and in force since January 2016, requires organizations with representation in the country to make their web pages accessible to people with disabilities. “In addition to empowerment and empathy, there is a shortage of knowledge about this law and awareness that this access contributes to market expansion. Accessibility enhances the experience for all, brings purpose, and is not difficult to do”.

Source: Agência Brasil