University Web Accessibility Standards An Instructional Training Unit Prepared by Priya Gopalakrishnan IDT Graduate Student Emporia State University, Kansas

University Web Accessibility Standards

An Instructional Training Unit

Prepared by

Priya Gopalakrishnan

IDT Graduate Student

Emporia State University, Kansas


2

Preface

More and more university information and

educational materials migrate to the web, it

becomes increasingly important to ensure that

those materials are accessible to people with

disabilities. However, most university web

accessibility policies fall short of achieving their

purpose. The web sites of these universities often

fail to meet minimum web accessibility standards.


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Preface

This instructional training unit is concentrated

on how to evaluate a university’s website that

adheres to web accessibility standards. In this

instructional unit the emphasis is on training

and pedagogical advice.


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Table of Contents

Introduction to Web Accessibility

Getting to Know Disabled Community

Legal Requirement and Web Content guidelines

Key Design guidelines for disabled community

Web Accessibility standards for any University Website

Website Assessment Tool

References


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Accessibility

Accessibility is about designing user interfaces by following a set of standards so

that more people can use your product effectively in more or any situations.


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What is Web Accessibility?

People with disabilities can use the web with ease. Web accessibility means that

people with disabilities can distinguish, understand, navigate and interact with the

web without any difficulty.

Designing for accessibility by people with disabilities who may be using assistive

technology, or customized software settings, also means we make the information on

our site much more usable for people using older or non-standard computer

equipment, slow internet connections and different browsers.


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What is Web Accessibility?

Web accessibility encompasses all disabilities that affect access to the web, this

includes; visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive and also neurological

disabilities.

Web accessibility also benefits older people with changing abilities due to aging.


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What is the Problem?

Many Web sites use design techniques, scripts, images and graphics in ways that

make the content inaccessible or difficult to use. They do not follow a set of universal

standards.


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What is the Problem?

For e.g.

Images without alt tags.

Complex navigation.

Content presented as graphics without a text version such as Flash or PDF

documents.

Video and audio clips without captions or transcripts.


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Why Universal Web Accessibility is essential?

The web is fast becoming a very important resource in various aspects of life;

education, employment, government, health care and so much more. Thus it

becomes very essential that the web be accessible in order to provide equal access

and equal opportunity to people with disabilities. An ease of access can always help

people with disabilities participate in society more actively.


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Getting to know the Disability Communities

An accessible Web means unparalleled access to information for people with

disabilities. People with disabilities on the web are –

Visual – Blindness, Low vision, Color blindness.

Hearing – Deafness.

Motor - Inability to use a mouse, slow response time, limited fine motor control.

Cognitive - Learning disabilities, distractibility, inability to remember or focus on

large amounts of information.


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Keeping web accessibility in mind, let’s gain

an appreciation of web accessibility by

understanding the user perspective.

The two given video’s in the next slide

provides an overview of the difficulties users

with disabilities face on the web and some of

the motivations for web accessibility.

How do people with disabilities access the web?


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A 11.5 minute video, interviewing various

disabled people struggling to use web as a

resource for their education.


Windows Media

Flash

http://www.webaim.org/media/common/video/asd.asx

http://www.webaim.org/intro/video.php


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This 2 min video is about disabled students

sharing their experiences with the web and

accessibility.


Windows Media

QuickTime

http://www.webaim.org/media/common/video/k12.asx

http://www.webaim.org/media/common/video/k12.qtl


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Legal Requirement

In United States, the applicable laws include

ADA - Americans with Disabilities Act,

IDEA - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and

The Rehabilitation Act which are Section 504 & Section 508 – These two sections as

amended, have impact on accessible web design. Section 508 of the act, as now

amended, provides for us a blueprint of just what is intended in Section 504. Thus,

Section 504 provides the context of the law and Section 508 provides the direction.


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Legal Requirement

Section 508 - According to ‘Section508.gov’

In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act to require Federal agencies to

make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with

disabilities.

Inaccessible technology interferes with an individual's ability to obtain and use

information quickly and easily.


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Legal Requirement

Section 508 - According to ‘Section508.gov’

Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make

available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to encourage

development of technologies that will help achieve these goals.


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Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

W3C.org

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines provide an international set of guidelines.

They are developed by the Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C), the governing body

of the web. They were invented to make life easier for people with disabilities. Like

everyone else, people with disabilities want and need to access the kinds of

resources offered on the web. These guidelines are the basis of most web

accessibility law in the world.


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W3C guidelines are based on four principles called POUR;

Perceivable – Available to the senses (vision and hearing) either through the

browser or through assistive technologies (e.g. screen readers, screen enlargers

etc.)

Operable – Users can interact with all controls and interactive elements using the

mouse, keyboard or an assistive device.


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Understandable – Content is clear and limits confusion and ambiguity.

Robust – A wide range of technologies (including old and new user agents and

assistive technologies) can access the content.


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Check if Forms can be navigated with tab key.

Check for Alt tag in every image and graphics.

Check for text links for image maps and drop-

down menus.

Check if ‘pdf’ documents are easily accessibile.

Check if ‘skip to content’ link is provided.

Key Design Guidelines - For Visually Impaired


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Check if transcripts are provided for audio

clips.

Check for captions for video clips.

Check if all the multimedia clips have been

transcripted.

Key Design Guidelines - For Hearing Impaired


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Check if large area is provided to click

links.

Check if focus state for links are provided.

Check if ‘audio’ opt in is provided.

Check if ‘small buttons’ and ‘small text

links are avoided.

Check if ‘skip to content’ link is provided.

Key Design Guidelines - For Motor Impaired


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Check if background glare effect is avoided.

Check if content is in simple language, use of low vocabulary.

Check if document has clear and correct document structure.

Check if text are well illustrated.

Check if consistent navigational techniques are used.

Key Design Guidelines - For Cognitive Impaired


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It is a legal requirement for any University to maintain the accessibility of their

website. The QAA’s Code states: ‘The institution’s publicity, program details and

general information should be accessible to people with disabilities and describe the

opportunities for disabled students to participate. Institutions should consider

implementing arrangements which ensure that, electronic information, including

websites, is accessible to students with disabilities.’



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Making information about the University accessible to a wider audience through an

accessible website helps to further widen access to the University, its research,

learning and teaching, and services.

Some accessibility techniques actually result in making web pages more easily

findable by search engines, both for the University's internal search and in the wider

World Wide Web, thereby also increasing the number of students to whom

University’s pages will be available.



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Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 1.0), published in May 2000, has

become the accepted international standard for ensuring accessibility of websites for

people with various disabilities, regardless of the technology they are using to

access the web. Most institutions worldwide that are legally required to make their

websites accessible base their guidelines on this standard.



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The full WAI (Web Accessibility Initiative) guidelines are very detailed and extensive.

They are, however, broken down into individual checkpoints which are prioritized

according to their impact on accessibility.

Priority 1

Priority 2

Priority 3



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Priority 1 - checkpoints are those which MUST be satisfied, otherwise one or more

groups of web users will find it IMPOSSIBLE to access information on our pages.

Satisfying these checkpoints is a basic requirement to removing the most obvious

barriers to accessibility.

Priority 2 - checkpoints are points which SHOULD be satisfied, or one or more

groups of users will find it DIFFICULT to access information on our pages. Satisfying

these removes significant barriers to accessibility.



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Priority 3 - checkpoints are points which MAY be satisfied, or one or more groups of

users will find it SOMEWHAT DIFFICULT to access information on our pages.

Satisfying these improves accessibility.

The WAI Team recommends that we aim for our pages to comply as far as

possible with the Priority 1 and 2 checkpoints.



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Priority 1 Checkpoints

Basics

A text equivalent for every non-text element; images, graphics should be available –

‘alt’ tag.

The information conveyed with color should be also available without color, for

example from context or markup.

Check for organized documents so they may be read without style sheets.



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Check that equivalents for dynamic content are updated when the dynamic content

changes.

Screen flickering should not be available.

Check for clearest and simplest language appropriate for a site's content.



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Images and image maps

Check for client-side image maps wherever available.

Check for ALT text for linked areas of the image map.

Check if a separate text-based list of links are provided to accompany the image

map.



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Tables

For data tables, identify row and column headers, and if they have two or more

logical levels, check for markup to associate data cells and header cells.

Complex nested table layouts should not be provided.

Documents should be organized so they may be read without style sheets.



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Frames

Each frame has to be facilitated with frame identification and navigation.

Documents should be organized so they may be read without style sheets.



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Applets and Scripts

Check pages that are usable when scripts, applets are turned off or not supported.

Multimedia

Text transcriptions for audio and video clips, captions for video should be available.



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PDF

Documents that just a particular group of people should be able to print, for example,

minutes of University committee meetings, should be published in PDF format only,

as long as it is an accessible version of the document to anyone who may request it

(e.g. a Word version for use with screen reading software). A link has to be available

to the Adobe download page for the Acrobat Reader so that users can easily get the

latest version if required.



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Basics

Check for foreground and background color combinations, as the provided colors

should be sufficient contrast when viewed by someone having color deficits or when

viewed on a black and white screen.

Identify for the appropriate markup language and check for markup rather than

images to convey information.



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Basics

Check for documents that validate to published formal grammars.

Style sheets to control layout and presentation.

Header elements should be used to convey document structure and use them

according to specification.



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Basics

Lists and list items should be properly marked.

Mark up quotations. Do not use quotation markup for formatting effects such as

indentation.

Dynamic content should be accessible or an alternative presentation or page should

be provided.



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Basics

The content shouldn’t be clinking or flickering.

The user should be able to stop, refresh pages.

User should get the ability to stop auto-redirect.

Pop-ups or other windows should not appear or change the current window without

informing the user.



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Basics

Deprecated features of W3C technologies should be avoided.

Target of each link should be clearly identified.

Proper meta data has to be available in each pages.

Site map is a must in all the web sites.



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Tables

Tables for layout should not be used unless the table makes sense when linearized.

If however the table does not make sense, then check for an alternate equivalent.

If a table is used for layout, any structural markup should not be allowed for the

purpose of visual formatting.



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Frames

If the title is not available for frames then at least purpose of frames or how they

relate to each other should be mentioned.



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Forms

The user agents should support explicit associations between labels and form

controls, for all form controls with implicitly associated labels, if not check if the label

is properly positioned.

Associate labels explicitly with their controls.



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Applets and Scripts

For scripts and applets, ensure that event handlers are input device-independent.

Programmatic elements such as scripts and applets should be directly accessible or

compatible with assistive technologies.

Ensure that any element that has its own interface can be operated in a device-

independent manner.



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Basics

The expansion of each abbreviation or acronym in a document should be specified

in the first occurrence.

Primary natural language of a document should be identified.

Keyboard shortcuts to important links (including those in client-side image maps),

form controls, and groups of form controls should be provided.



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Basics

Users (including assistive technologies) should be able to render adjacent links

distinctly, including non-link, printable characters (surrounded by spaces) between

adjacent links.

Information should be provided so that users may receive documents according to

their preferences (e.g., language, content type, etc.)



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Basics

Navigation bars should be provided to highlight and give access to the navigation

mechanism.

If search functions are provided, check for different types of searches for different

skill levels and preferences.



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Basics

Check for distinguishing information are placed at the beginning of headings,

paragraphs, lists, etc.

Information about document collections (i.e., documents comprising multiple pages.)

should be provided.



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Basics

Means to skip over multi-line ASCII art has to be provided.

Check for supplement text with graphic or auditory presentations where they will

facilitate comprehension of the page.

A style of presentation that is consistent across pages should have created.



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Images and Image Maps

Users should be able to render text equivalents for client-side image map links,

redundant text links should be provided for each active region of a client-side image

map.



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Forms

User should be able to handle empty controls correctly, include default, place-

holding characters in edit boxes and text areas.



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Tables

Summaries for tables should be provided.

Abbreviations for header labels are provided.

Users (including assistive technologies) should be able render side-by-side text

correctly. A linear text alternative (on the current page or some other) for all tables

that lay out text in parallel, word-wrapped columns should be available.



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Web Aim's WAVE 4.0 - http://wave.webaim.org/

WAVE is a free web accessibility evaluation tool provided by Web AIM. It is used to

aid humans in the web accessibility evaluation process. Rather than providing a

complex technical report, WAVE shows the original web page with embedded icons

and indicators that reveal the accessibility information within your page.

Website Assessment Tool

http://wave.webaim.org/


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Morrison, Ross. (2007). Designing Effective Instruction (5th ed.). John Wiley & Sons

Inc.

Dan Cederholm. (2004). Web Standard Solutions. Friends of.

Michael G. Paciello. Web Accessibility for People with Disabilities. Berkeley, CA:

CMP Books.

. (nd.). W3 org. Retrieved from http:/ / www.w3.org/ WAI/ Resources/

. (nd.). Web Aim. Retrieved from http:/ / www.webaim.org/ intro/

References


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(http:/ / wave.webaim.org/ , December 8, 2008)

.(n.d.). How to Evaluate A Web Site's Accessibility Level. Retrieved December 8,

2008, from http:/ / www.ukoln.ac.uk/ qa-focus/ documents/ briefings/ briefing-12/ html/

.(n.d.). Checklist for checkpoints of priorities of web accessibility. Retrieved

December 8, 2008, from www.W3.org Web site: http:/ / www.w3.org/ TR/ WCAG10/ full-

checklist.html#wc-priority-1

References