Gotcha Captcha!

In a recent post on the Official Google Blog, the author describes how Google is implementing an audio alternative to the highly visual Captcha human-verfication methodology for users with visual handicaps.

Kudos to Google! As an advocate for accessible web sites, I applaud Google for introducing this and I urge any readers implementing Captcha on their own web sites to consider the usability ramifications of this method. Captcha, by its very essence, is a non-accessible method of verification so, if your site is using it, you may even be breaking the law, particularly if your site is in the U.S. where Rehabilitation Act and ADA (Americans with Disabilites Act) requirements are pretty stringent, and especially if you run a government web site or you sell directly to government bodies.

Although not web-related, a recent lawsuit in the U.S. has highlighted accessibility issues and gives an indication as to how serious this issue is becoming. In the case, American Council for the Blind v. Paulson, Sec'y of the Treasury, the court ruled that the Treasury's failure to provide the blind with "meaningful access" to paper money violates federal law.

The judge ruled that the "Treasury Department's failure to design, produce and issue paper currency that is readily distinguishable to blind and visually impaired" people violates federal law, since paper money effectively precludes them from "meaningful access to U.S. currency."

I have to admit, I'd spoken about this very issue before--after living in the U.S. for several years and realizing how difficult it is, even for a sighted person, to distinguish American bills. In the U.K., each denomination of paper money is made to be as distinguishable as possible from other denominations, by color and size. It surprised me that, in a country that places such an emphasis on accessibility that the country's own currency would be extremely inaccessible ... but, then again, the American people seem pretty resistant to change when it comes to money!

So, to get back to the world of web accessibility, how accessible is your site? Do you comply with Web Accesibility Initiative standards or legal accessibility requirements, such as the American Section 508 requirements, British requirements under the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) or European accessibility initiatives? And if you've implemented Captcha, what alternatives do you provide, or are you blocking the visually handicapped from your site?

Technorati Tags: captcha, accessibility