Introduction to Web Accessibility
By Peter Berryman, MFA
Georgia Southern University
Web Accessibility
Web accessibility means that diverse users can effectively perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web. By following some simple guidelines, we can support the needs of students with disabilities by providing them with access to equivalent online instruction and engagement.
Usability reflects a commitment to making your online course as easy to use as possible for all students –– from logical course navigation to document design that supports readability in selecting technologies that are easy to use. Both design for accessibility and design for usability support Universal Design for Learning.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework used to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all students. UDL is based on the premise that since there is no typical or average student, instructional strategies should include and support all learning styles and abilities.
In the first part of this lesson, we’ll cover the background knowledge needed to understand accessibility, usability, and universal design for learning. For the second part of this lesson, we’ll help you to apply the knowledge with specific skills and tasks to help you create course content that is accessible, usable, and universal.
Federal Law and Accessibility Guidelines
An individual with a disability is defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.
Two civil rights laws outline the requirements for providing persons with disabilities with equivalent access to online media and digital resources:
The Americans with Disabilities Act (optional), 1990, is a civil law governed by the Department of Justice that guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to participate in the mainstream activities of life – such as using the Internet.
Amended in 1998, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (optional) requires agencies to provide members of the public with disabilities comparable access to information that is available to others. In 2017, The United States Access Board published the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Final Standards and Guidelines (optional) requiring compliance with revised standards for Section 508 compliance by January 2018.
Optional
Review a list of disability complaints against educational institutions in the State of Georgia.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
Guidance for compliance with Section 508 is provided by the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Guidelines are divided into three levels: A, AA, and AAA, with AA as the recommended level to meet the Section 508 standards. If the WCAG guidelines seem a bit difficult to digest right now, don’t worry. This lesson on accessibility and usability will help make them easier to interpret and apply to your online courses.
Responsibility for Accessibility
In traditional face-to-face classrooms, instructors respond to student requests for accessibility on an as-needed basis. By contrast, federal law requires that all online content must meet accessibility guidelines prior to the start of a class, even if no accommodation request is received. The reasoning is that it would be nearly impossible to update the course and provide the appropriate accommodations--- such as closed captioning all video content -- in a timely manner.
Keep in mind that students may request accommodations at any time during a semester – sometimes at the most inopportune time for you! As an online course designer and instructor, it is your responsibility to ensure that all components of your course meet accessibility guidelines before instruction begins.
Required Reading: Online Accessibility is a Faculty Duty.
Accessibility Design Solutions
People-First Language
The intention of “People-First Language” is to recognize that all of us are first and foremost people regardless of ability or disability. People-First Language places the emphasis on the person instead of on the condition. For example, when referring to students with disabilities, use the nomenclature, “students with disabilities” instead of “disabled students”. Learn more about People First Language (optional).