THE ADOPTION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ACCESSIBILITY GUIDELINES WITHIN DUTCH MUNICIPALITIESMASTER THESIS INGE NAHUIS

1) Background

2) Research question

3) Method

4) Main results

5) Conclusion

6) Recommendations

7) Further research

CONTENT

13% of the Dutch population has a disability

Accessibility guidelines make websites usable for as many people as

possible. For different environments, different devices, elderly, different

backgrounds, low literacy skills, impaired abilities

8% compliance by Dutch municipalities

Obligation to comply with the guidelines since 2010, 2012, 2015....

BACKGROUND

Beautiful

intention ? ? Inaccessible

website

MUNICIPAL WEBSITE DESIGN PROCESS

AdoptionIdea OutcomeImplementation

Beautiful

intention ? ? Inaccessible

website

MUNICIPAL WEBSITE DESIGN PROCESS

AdoptionIdea OutcomeImplementation

RESEARCH QUESTIONWHICH FACTORS INFLUENCE THE ADOPTION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF

THE WEB ACCESSIBILITY GUIDELINES ON DUTCH MUNICIPAL

WEBSITES?

Adoption

Investigation and decision-making on the introduction of the guidelines

within the organization and the website

Implementation

Integration of the accessibility guidelines with the design, technique and

content of the website.

EXISTING ADOPTION MODELS

Literature research

Expert interviews

19 interviews with key stakeholders

6 municipalities

Management, communication/web employees, external suppliers

Transcription

Coding

METHOD

A B C D E F

SIZE 150.000 –

200.000

> 500.000 10.000 –

20.000

30.000 –

40.000

20.000 –

30.000

30.000 –

40.000

WEBSITE

LAUNCH

March

2012

October

2009

February

2011

May

2013

February

2010

April

2010

ACCESSIBILITY

LEVEL

-*** ***

-**

-

CASESSIX MUNICIPALITIES IN THE NETHERLANDS

MAIN RESULTSCOMPLYING VERSUS NON COMPLYING MUNICIPALITIES

Accessibility in procurement

Suppliers know about accessibility

Internal quality assurance

Perceive the guidelines as less

complex

Responsibilities

Pride and ambition

Rules and legislation are a tool to

convince other stakeholders

Complying Non-complying

Accessibility in procurement

Suppliers lack knowledge

No internal quality assurance

Perceive the guidelines as

complex

No clear responsibilities

No pride and ambition

Rules and legislation are

perceived as undue

Low perceived importance at non-complying municipalities

Lower priority

Lower score on other factors

MAIN RESULTSPERCEIVED IMPORTANCE

“If it’s not on the website, it doesn’t mean it’s not available for a deaf person. If he would notify us, he would be helped and we would explain it. He can also call or come over to the municipality.”

CONCLUSIONSO WHAT HAPPENS?

AdoptionIdea OutcomeImplementation

Beautiful

intention ? ? Inaccessible

website

CONCLUSIONSO WHAT HAPPENS?

AdoptionIdea OutcomeImplementation

Beautiful

intention ? ? Inaccessible

website

ADOPTION PHASE

CONCLUSIONSO WHAT HAPPENS?

AdoptionIdea OutcomeImplementation

Beautiful

intention

Inaccessible

website?

IMPLEMENTATION PHASE

RECOMMENDATIONS

AdoptionIdea OutcomeImplementation

Beautiful

intention

Accessible

website

Compatibility

Procurement

Rules and legislation

Quality assurance

Assign

responsibilities

Quantitative testing of the proposed model

Application in other contexts

Implementation of accessibility on mobile devices

FUTURE RESEARCH

THANK YOU

Existing adoption models (including Rogers model of innovations)

Website design process

Costs and benefits

Organizational structure

Interoperability and open standards

Rules and legislation

Basis for research model

LITERATURE REVIEW

3 experts in the field of accessibility

Interviews

Transcription and analysis

High agreement with dimensions from literature

2 new dimensions added

EXPERT INTERVIEWS

Coding scheme

dimensions from literature and expert interviews

Episodes of data were assigned to codes

2nd and 3rd coder

Coding rules

TRANSCRIPTION AND CODING OF INTERVIEWS

RESEARCH MODEL

Adoption factorsWeb design

process

Organizational

structurePersonal factors

External

influences

Relative

advantage

Compatibility

Complexity or

simplicity

Trialability

Observability

Network

externalities

Current

infrastructure

Communication

channels

Sponsorship

Resources

Quality

assurance intern

Quality

assurance

extern

Knowledge

Internal benefits

External benefits

Budget and

costs

Pleuralism

Closedness

Interdependent-

ness

Quality of

procurement

Checking skills

of outsourced

party

Accessibility as

organizational

issue

Managerial

commitment

Municipal

collaboration

Stakeholder

influence

Stakeholder

responsibilities

Stakeholder

involvement

Disability in

circle

Wanting to do

the right thing

Rules and

legislation