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Disabilities and the Digital Divide: Assessing Web Accessibility, Readability, and Mobility of Popular Health
Alicia M Mason1, Josh Compton2, Sakshi Bhati3
1Department of Communication, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, Kansas, US.
Journal of Health Communication
|October 18, 2021
Summary
Most popular health websites have significant accessibility failures, hindering access for persons with disabilities and those with limited English proficiency. Improving web accessibility is crucial for equitable health information dissemination.
Area of Science:
- Health Informatics
- Web Accessibility
- Digital Health Equity
Background:
- Growing population of persons with disabilities necessitates accessible health information.
- Existing health websites often fail to meet the needs of diverse users.
- Understanding functional performance of health content platforms is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- Assess the general accessibility of popular health websites.
- Evaluate web and language accessibility, readability, and mobility of health information platforms.
- Identify common barriers to accessing and understanding online health information.
Main Methods:
- Randomly sampled 139 health-focused websites from Alexa® Top Sites global ranking.
- Utilized computer-aided software (WEB AIM, Web FX, Google Test My Site) for analysis.
- Examined components of web accessibility, readability, and language translation availability.
Main Results:
- 91.3% of sampled home pages exhibited detectable accessibility failures.
- Common issues included low contrast, empty links, missing ALT text, empty buttons, and missing form labels.
- Few websites provided accessibility policies or automated language translation for limited English proficiency (LEP) users.
Conclusions:
- Significant web accessibility barriers exist on popular health websites.
- These failures disproportionately affect persons with disabilities and LEP individuals.
- Urgent improvements in web design and content strategy are needed for health equity.
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