The Guardian claims that we adhere to the accessibility policy of W3C. To examine how true this statement is, let’s dive into this article. The Guardian has used JavaScript purely going against its accessibility policy. Further, it’s not user friendly, making it difficult for users to navigate.
Limitations of JavaScript
The biggest concern regarding the use of JavaScript is that users cannot see the comments without turning them on. If you do not do it, the comments will not appear.
It implies that the Guardian disables commenting functionality if you do not use JavaScript. It does not allow any user who has not enabled JavaScript to comment. This otherwise applies to only those who use surf technologies for assistance.
By implementing this practice, the Guardian violates the disability discrimination act. That clearly states that it is unlawful to show discrimination against a disabled person if you do not provide the same services to them.
Accessibility Policy Of The Guardian
According to the accessibility policy of the Guardian, “We put importance on testing to enhance better user and technology experience.” And ‘We are in the continuous process of launching a new design for Guardian.co.uk, guaranteeing the users better accessibility”.
More Problems Due To JavaScript Dependence
Other downsides of JavaScript are mentioned below:
- Indexing Problem- If you use JavaScript, Google won’t index the content. It makes The Guardian the only web 2.0 website that prevents user’s posts from search engines.
- Issue in Mobile Devices- The problem with mobile devices is that many devices do not use JavaScript. So one cannot see the comment section on the mobile.
- Delay in loading- Due to the unnecessary JavaScript, there is a lot of delay in loading the page. So it takes a lot of time for the users to get to the page they want.
- Speed Issue- The JavaScript usually causes the comments to become inactive or to show late. Firstly the page will load, then JS will run, and finally, comments will appear. This process takes a very long time and makes the accessibility process extremely slow.
After hearing all the complaints, the Guardian noticed the accessibility issue faced by the use of JavaScript. But sadly, we did not get any follow-ups.
Ironically, in one of the posts posted in the blog section of the Guardian, Chris advises preventing JavaScript as much as one can. Use it to help the user, not to develop any functionality.’
However, they did exactly the opposite of what they preached.
