AccessibilityIssues surrounding designing accessibility and usable web content as well as web accessibility evaluation tools that faculty can use to increase web accessibility (508 and ADA Compliance).
HIGH TECH CENTER TRAINING UNIT
The High Tech Center Training Unit of the California Community Colleges is a state-of-the-art training and support facility for community college faculty wishing to acquire or improve teaching skills, methodologies, and pedagogy in Assistive and Instructional Computer Technology. The Center supports Assistive Computer Technology programs at one-hundred fourteen California community colleges. More than seven thousand students with disabilities are currently enrolled in High Tech Center programs state-wide.
http://www.htctu.fhda.edu/
SECTION 508 WEB ACCESSIBILITY CHECKLIST
The following standards are excerpted from Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, §1194.22. Everything in the left hand column is a direct quote from Section 508. The other two columns are only meant to serve as helpful guidelines to comply with Section 508.
http://www.webaim.org/standards/508/checklist
These guidelines are suggestions only, and are not part of the official Section 508 document. For the full text of Section 508, please see http://www.access-board.gov/news/508-final.htm.
QUICK TIPS TO MAKE ACCESSIBLE WEB SITES
For Complete Guidelines & Checklist: http://www.w3.org/WAI
- Images & animations. Use the alt attribute to describe the function of each visual.
- Image maps. Use the client-side map and text for hotspots.
- Multimedia. Provide captioning and transcripts of audio, and descriptions of video.
- Hypertext links. Use text that makes sense when read out of context. For example, avoid "click here."
- Page organization. Use headings, lists, and consistent structure. Use CSS for layout and style where possible.
- Graphs & charts. Summarize or use the longdesc attribute.
- Scripts, applets, & plug-ins. Provide alternative content in case active features are inaccessible or unsupported.
- Frames. Use the noframes element and meaningful titles.
- Tables. Make line-by-line reading sensible. Summarize.
- Check your work. Validate. Use tools, checklist, and guidelines at http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG
GUIDELINES
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Distance Education: Access Guidelines for Students with Disabilities
http://www.htctu.fhda.edu/dlguidelines/final%20dl%20guidelines.htm
August 1999
Chancellor’s Office
California Community Colleges
Developed By:
The High Tech Center Training Unit
In Collaboration with the Distance Education Accessibility Workgroup
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W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
http://www.w3.org/WAI/
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508 WebAIM
http://www.webaim.org/
An estimated 20 percent of the population in the United States (40.8 million individuals) has some kind of disability, and 10 percent (27.3 million individuals) has a severe disability.
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Information about Evaluation and Repair software
http://www.webaim.org/products/evalandrepair/
(e.g. Bobby, WAVE, A-Prompt, InFocus, AccVerify, PageScreamer, Lift, etc., posted January 2002)
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Bobby
http:///www.cast.org/bobby/
Center for Applied Specail Technology provides Bobby, a means of checking individual pages or sites for accessibility.
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A-Prompt
http://aprompt.snow.utoronto.ca/
Stand-alone tool developed at the University of Toronto. Developers install the program on their own computer, then specify which file they would like to evaluate. The program then takes the user through a wizard-style succession of questions and answers. At the completion of the process, the file is updated to incorporate the changes that the developer has made (if any) at the recommendation of the software. Although the software makes recommendations based upon sound princples, the actual changes to the file are made by the developer, so the developer still needs to have a solid understanding of the underlying principles.
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American Foundation for the Blind
http://www.afb.org/info_documents.asp?kitid=115&collectionid=4
links to information about adaptive technology. The
Foundation's headquarters is in New York City.
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World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG/
document is available
free at this site. The consortium develops interoperable
technologies for the Web. It has offices in Cambridge,
Mass., and around the world.
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Royal National Institute
for the Blind
http://www.rnib.org.uk
offers "an excellent unit dealing with
accessible Internet for all disabilities, not just
visual," says London computer trainer Stewart.
The institute, with locations in London, Cardiff,
Edinburgh and Belfast, provides a free CD -- available
only within the U.K. -- featuring video on disability
and Web design.
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Australia's Royal Blind Society
http://http://www.rbs.org.au/
provides free
adaptive technology, including screen readers
and large-print programs.
Contacts: Wayne Chenoweth and Sean Keagan, High Tech Center at De Anza
http://www.htctu.fhda.edu/
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