Meeting the Challenges of Developing Accessible Web Content

1
Meeting the Challenges of Developing Accessible
Web Content

• Kevin S. Floyd and Julie Santiago

2
Higher Education Today

• Continues to attract all types of students
• Availability of online education attracts the
  non-traditional student
• Non-traditional could include
• Working adults
• Physically-challenged students

3
Web Accessibility

• Defined by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium)
  as
• Access to the Web by everyone, regardless of
  disability
• For websites, accessibility ensures that disabled
  persons can perceive, understand, navigate and
  interact with the site as well as non-disabled
  persons

4
Laws for Higher Education

• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
  states
• no otherwise qualified individual with a
  disability in the United States , shall,
  solely by reason of his or her disability, be
  excluded from the participation in, be denied the
  benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination
  under any program or activity receiving Federal
  financial assistance
• In 1990, Section 504 was extended to all colleges
  and universities

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Determining Accessibility of a Website

• Many tools are available to gauge the
  accessibility of a website
• http//www.w3.org/WAI/eval/Overview.html

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Types of Errors Identified

• From the W3C
• Priority 1 Error
• Priority 2 Error
• Priority 3 Error
• Section 508 more stringent than 504 but
  institutions who meet 508 requirements
  automatically meet 504 requirements

7
Higher Education Home Pages
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Higher Education Home Pages

• Are colleges and universities meeting web
  accessibility challenges?

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Web Accessibility Standards

• WC3 accessibility guidelines are found here
  http//www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/
• Section 508 standards are found here
  http//www.access-board.gov/sec508/standards.htmS
  ubpart_b

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Simple Techniques to Enhance Accessibility

• Structure vs. Presentation
• Text equivalents
• Alternative pages
• Navigation
• Validation

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Simple Techniques to Enhance Accessibility

• Spelling and Grammar Checks
• Browser Support
• Technologies Reviewed for Accessibility
• Audio and Video
• Visual Information and Motion

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Accessibility Examples

• Good Layout Example
• http//it.maconstate.edu/kfloyd/Merlot2008/page1.h
  tm
• Bad Layout Example
• http//it.maconstate.edu/kfloyd/Merlot2008/page2.h
  tm

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Questions?

• Kevin S. Floyd
• kevin.floyd_at_maconstate.edu
• Julie Santiago
• Julie.santiago_at_maconstate.edu