Should I make a website for an art gallery accessible to a blind user,...

[some nickname]

...and if so, why?

[pixelrage]

It's good practice to always supply alt text for images, so you can just put a nice description of the artwork in the alt tag.  Blind people use screen readers, and those read the alt image description so they'll be able to enjoy you describing the image to them.

[svendini]

Russ: Accessible markup benefits a wide range of users, including blind users. However, if you build accessible sites as part of your normal practice, this question is almost irrelevant. You shouldn't have to devote large amounts of time to deal specifically with blind users.

I have a problem with this question for a number of reasons.

1. The question assumes a simplistic view of blindness - if blind people cannot see paintings, photos or sculptures, they will not need to come to the website.

What about a blind user who wants to find out some information on a local artist, and goes to the local art gallery website to read the artist biography?

Many art galleries are also used for parties and functions. What if a blind user wants to look up an art gallery website to find opening times, location and function details?

In both cases, an inaccessible site will lead to a frustrating experience.

2. The question takes a very narrow view of art - that it is purely visual - which is not the case. Art galleries could host experimental sound exhibitions, tactile experiences or sculptures exhibits that are deliberately designed to be explored through other senses.

For example the Royal Blind Society runs an annual art exhibition titled 'Tactile Art' with the Object Gallery that encourages visitors to get 'hands on' and experience contemporary works of art through their sense of touch.


2004 Tactile Art winner Simon Lloyd, with his suspended artwork 'Fabricating the Mundane' and the judges Adam Spencer (Comedian and Broadcaster, Triple J), James Pittar (former Tactile Art judge and marathon swimmer who is blind), Belinda Thorley (pottery and ceramic artist who is blind), Claire Armstrong (Editor, Art and Australia) and Brian Parkes (Associate Director of Object Galleries).

3. Making sites accessible can often benefit a wide range of users.

If an art gallery site has artworks that are labelled with clear, informative descriptions, then many users could benefit. If nothing else, these descriptions could be indexed by Google, and could help other people who are searching for artworks online.

If longdesc (or more widely supported equivalents) were used, artworks could be enriched with detailed descriptions of the artworks as well as history of the artworks, the techniques used, the artists frame of mind at the time of production etc. Again, this could be beneficial to a wide range of users.

If artworks had clear descriptions, another group of users who would benefit are those on slow connections who browse with turn off images. Clear descriptions would allow them to travel quickly through the site until they came to the artworks they wanted to view.

So, to answer your question: yes, I believe you should make an art gallery website accessible to blind users. Why? Because blind users may want to visit the site, and even if they don't, the accessibility features may aid other users.