Research, analysis, and evaluation of web accessibility for a selected group of public websites in Bulgaria

Abstract

This article discusses the accessibility of public information on the Internet by people with disabilities, and in particular people with visual deficits. Web accessibility standards, content and basic principles have been considered. A survey on the accessibility of public websites in the Republic of Bulgaria was conducted. Information on the group that conducted the study is given, the purpose of the study, the methodology of the study is described. The surveys were conducted on 100 public administration sites, which are divided into 5 groups. The results of the study are presented. Conclusions were made for the accessibility of information in the public sphere of the Republic of Bulgaria. In recent months accessibility of these sites has been re-evaluated. The results show that not enough is being done to achieve accessibility while maintaining public administration websites in Bulgaria. Despite the overall increase in web accessibility of the sites being tested, there is still much work to be done on this.A statistical analysis of the different groups of public sites was conducted, and the group in which the accessibility was the best was examined.Тhe conclusion is that the accessibility of the websites of the public administration in the Republic of Bulgaria is not at the necessary level of accessibility, which does not allow the users with visual disability to access these sites easily. It is, therefore, necessary for the public administration and web application developers to implement the accessibility guidelines proposed in the standards and improve the accessibility of these websites. This will be a step forward in ensuring the rights of people with disabilities. Тhe paper of this survey is original and not previously published.