Web Accessibility and You A Web Validation Saga

The World Wide Web Once upon a time there was no Internet Now the Internet impacts society through – Electronic commerce – Information acquisition – Community operations The Internet has become a collection of communities and technology – A Brief History of the Internet

Change and the Internet Evolution of the Internet brings new challenges Architecture of the Internet and WWW has been driven by designers As the Internet grows its stakeholders grow and new demands are put upon the architecture of the WWW – A Brief History of the Internet

Information Technology Has Changed the World An estimated 54 million people in the United States have a disability The number of people with disabilities will grow as the population ages. Problems of disability and inaccessible technology are linked to demographics, economics, and issues of justice – National Council on Disability (NCD, 2001). The Accessible Future. Retrieved May 10, 2004, from m m

Currents in Electronic Literacy The Imagination Gap: Making Web-based Instructional Resources Accessible to Students and Colleagues with Disabilities by John SlatinJohn Slatin in.html

Federal Mandates Section 504 (1973) A Rehabilitation Act which is considered civil rights legislation for persons with disabilities Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) Prohibits discrimination in employment, programs and services Section 508 (2001) Requires accessible web and electronic resources for local, state, federal government and government contractors –

ADA & the WWW ADA 1990 requires state, local government and “places of public accommodation” to communicate effectively with individuals with disabilities The effective communication rule applies to covered entities using the Internet for communications regarding their programs (Waddell, 1999) Chisholm, W. (1999) Creating Accessible Content for the WWW and Distance Education Aug 99

Section 508, the WWW, and MnSCU Went into effect June of 2001 requires agencies accepting federal funds to be accessible to persons with disabilities MnSCU states that there is, “sufficient legal basis to require that our sites are accessible.” Minnesota web accessibility standards(2002) Minnesota State Colleges and Universities(MnSCU) Retrieved May 10,2004 from

Disability Types Physical disabilities Cognitive, language, and learning disabilities Auditory disabilities Visual disabilities –

2 Kinds of Disability & the WWW Disabilities caused by physical, cognitive, auditory, and visual disabilities “Technology disabilities” related to outdated technology Both of these “types” can be excluded from your materials without adherence to W3C, WAI, and Section 508 (2001) guidelines – Horton, S. (2000). User-centered design for media-rich web sites. Syllabus: New Dimensions in Education Technology 14,(22-26)

Web Accessibility Initiatives/W3C Access has been a concern for the web since its beginning In 1997 the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) was formed to watch over the Internet A spin off of W3C called Web Accessibility Initiative was charged to develop accessibility guidelines Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)(2002) Retrieved May 10,, 2004 from

WC3 Guidelines Images & animations - use alt attribute to describe visuals Image maps - use client MAP & text for hotspots Multimedia - provide captioning, transcripts of audio, descriptions of video, and accessible versions

More WC3 Hypertext links - use text that makes sense if read out of context Pages - use headings, list, and use CSS (cascading style sheets) for layout when possible Scripts, applets, plug-ins - provide alternative content in case features can’t be supported

Last of WC3 Frames - label with the title or name attribute Check your work - validate the HTML, use evaluation tools and text-only browsers to verify accessibility – Section 508 mimics these guidelines

Web Validation Information Web validation can be done by following guidelines for Section 508, WAI, or using a web validation software such as Bobby (2002) Bobby will view your URLs and assist your web validation efforts. – Bobby (2002) Watchfire Corporation Retrieved. May 10,2004 from

Bobby’s Seal of Approval Bobby software analyzes pages for accessibility You may display a Bobby Icon after making changes to comply with WAI and Section 508 guidelines

Example of Section 508 User Check Bobby checks for html code compliance with 508 Requires one to review the checks triggered on the page Some may not apply to your page Sample addresses how an organization physically checked their compliance ity_508statement.asp ity_508statement.asp Compliance page Retrieved June 1, 2004

What Do I Need to Know? Basic HTML Computer Skills Internet and Keyboarding skills Reading and Decoding skills How to ask for help from college staff Webmaster Chief Information Officer Computer savvy colleagues

Accessibility Web Tutorial 1 Thatcher, J. (2003)ITTATC Web accessibility course.Information and Technology Technical Assistance Center. Retrieved May 10, 2004 from / /

Accessibility Web Site Tutorial 2 WebAccessibilityInMind.(2002)Section 508 Web accessibility checklist Retrieved May 10, 2004 from

Accessibility Web Tutorial 3 Doyle, C. (2001) Making your module accessible in BlackBoard 5.5. University of Wales Institute. Retrieved May 10, 2004 from

The Center for Applied Technology CAST is an excellent resource for accessibility information their stated purpose is: – To expand opportunities for people with disabilities through the use of technology Also does research and product design on curriculum, and software for schools and colleges Excellent sources for web validation, eReaders, universal design, teaching and learning – The Center for Applied Technology (2000) Cast, 39 Cross Street, Peabody, MN Retrieved September 10, 2002 from

Who Benefits from Accessible Technology? According to a recent Microsoft study the majority of computer users will benefit – People with mild difficulties (37%) – People with severe difficulties (25%) – People with no difficulties to minimum difficulties least likely to benefit (37%) – Identifying Who is Likely to Benefit from the Use of Accessible Technology Retrieved May 10, 2004 from

Equal Access to Software and Information (EASI) Retrieved May 10, “Today's distributed computer environment means that providing support for the technology needs of students and professionals with disabilities is a global responsibility. It requires extensive planning and cooperation across several departments. "If it takes a village to raise a child, then, it takes the global commitment to support the adaptive technology needs of students and professionals with disabilities. It is no longer the sole province of the computer. It cannot be relegated to the disabled student office either. Seamless service requires campus-wide cooperation.”