Position Paper: Improving Browsing Environment Compliance Evaluations for Websites

Though it would be ideal for web pages to render and function consistently across heterogeneous browsing environments, the browser, browser version, and operating system used to navigate and interact with web content is known to have a significant impact on the subsequent level of user accessibility. While research endeavors directed toward improving web accessibility have generally focused on addressing usability issues for individuals with physical limitations, providing accessible information and services for the entire web population also encompasses addressing the limitations of devices and platforms used to deploy web pages. We propose that more research be invested in the latter issue to facilitate the development of effective tools for detecting browsing environment influenced usability issues before inaccessible pages are released in the field.