Position Paper: Improving Browsing Environment Compliance Evaluations for Websites

Though it would be ideal for web pages to render and function con-sistently 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 accessibil-
ity. 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 en-
tire web population also encompasses addressing the limitations of devices and
platforms used to deploy web pages. We propose that more research be in-
vested in the latter issue to facilitate the development of effective tools for de-
tecting browsing environment influenced usability issues before inaccessible
pages are released in the field.