The Importance of Leadership

Members of an educational community, business, or agency can all have the best intentions when it comes to creating a Web presence that is accessible to those with disabilities. Too often, however, these individuals with good intentions wait for someone to come and help lead them. Change is a difficult path. It is common to be told to acquire new skills because change is going to happen. So you do just that...you obtain the skills you were asked...you wait for some new policy, some new set of procedures, someone who will support what you were implicitly asked to do...yet nothing happens. This scenario occurs frequently when nobody takes a leadership role. Even when leadership will occur within a group, the group will be more effective if someone takes the responsibility of 'carrying the flag' to it’s intended destination. You probably remember the famous line, 'If not you, who? If not now, When? If you truly believe that accessibility to your Web site is important (or required) for your organization, then I ask you to answer this question for yourself. Your own actions or inactions will speak louder than any voice you give to this effort. You should not assume that someone else would take this role. You should not assume that it would happen in the near future. The only way you can assure that Web accessibility will become a part of the path of change in your organization is if you consider taking the lead, now.

WebAIM (2003). Articles>Accessibility>Management

Introduction to Web Accessibility

Most people today can hardly conceive of life without the Internet. It provides access to information, news, email, shopping, and entertainment. The Internet, with its ability to serve out information at any hour of the day or night about practically any topic conceivable, has become a way of life for an impatient, information-hungry generation. Some have argued that no other single invention has been more revolutionary since that of Gutenberg's original printing press in the mid 1400s. Now, at the click of a mouse, the world can be 'at your fingertips'--that is, if you can use a mouse . . . and if you can see the screen . . . and if you can hear the audio—in other words, if you don't have a disability of any kind. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Before focusing on the challenges that people with disabilities face when trying to access Web content, it makes more sense to discuss the ways in which the Internet offers incredible opportunities to people with disabilities that were never before possible. The Web's potential for people with disabilities is truly remarkable.

WebAIM (2005). Articles>Web Design>Accessibility

Keyboard Accessibility Techniques

Keyboard accessibility is one of the most important aspects of disability access. Blind people generally cannot use a mouse because they cannot see where to click. They use their keyboard almost exclusively.

WebAIM (2003). Design>Web Design>Accessibility

Media Player Accessibility

When delivering multimedia content for the three major media players (Windows Media Player, Quicktime and RealMedia Player), the developer must choose whether to have the viewer access the content through a player embedded in a Web page or through a standalone player. Both methods have their advantages. Embedding the player in a Web page allows the user to access the content without another application opening. The standalone players usually have more control options.

WebAIM (2005). Design>Multimedia>Accessibility>Video

Microsoft Word Accessibility Techniques

Most people use word processors incorrectly. Rather than use true headings, they simply enlarge the font size and make it bold. If you do this, the document has no real structure that can be discerned by a screen reader. The correct way to provide structure within Word documents is to use Word styles.

WebAIM (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Accessibility>Microsoft Word

Motor Disabilities

Not everyone with a motor disability can take advantage of voice recognition software, but there are many other technologies that can help such people. We'll talk about these technologies, as well as some of the types of motor disabilities.

WebAIM (2001). Design>Accessibility

Organizing Your Training

An on-site training requires a lot of logistical planning. If you are hosting or providing the training yourself, then you have the ability to control many of these logistics. If another party is hosting your training, you must communicate with the host to ensure that everything is in place to allow the training to occur effectively. Begin planning for your training as far in advance as possible. Trainings that are organized and thrown together at the last minute are rarely successful.

WebAIM (2004). Articles>Education>Planning

PowerPoint Accessibility Techniques

There's nothing wrong with posting presentations in their original format; however, you must also post an HTML-based version to ensure maximum accessibility.

WebAIM (2003). Presentations>Accessibility>Design>Microsoft PowerPoint

Review: A Review of Free, Online Accessibility Tools

This article reviews eight, free, online web accessibility tools and examines the general characteristics of accessibility tools. The review provides a comparison between tools, and offers suggestions as to which tool would be appropriate for each of the following audiences: web designers, web developers and web evaluators.

Blair, Peter. WebAIM (2004). Articles>Reviews>Accessibility>Software

Screen Reader Simulation

This simulation will help you to understand what it is like for a person with visual impairments to access the Internet using a software program called a 'screen reader.'

WebAIM (2005). Design>Web Design>Accessibility

Section 508 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.

WebAIM (2001). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Section 508

Semantic Structure

Sighted people are able to quickly scan over an entire Web page. They can visually skip past the advertisements, past the main navigation and go directly to the main content. They can ignore the extraneous information all around the main content, without ever having to pay attention to it. Those who use screen readers experience Web sites a little differently. They are not able to immediately zero in on the main content of a Web page. They must find it by listening to the advertisements and the main navigation system. They can speed up the process by tabbing from link to link, but they risk missing an important piece of information this way. The experience is definitely different.

WebAIM (2003). Design>Web Design>Accessibility

Setting Learner Goals and Objectives

While pursuing my undergraduate degree in business education, I took an entire semester-long course on writing good learner goals and objectives. Though I won't pass on everything I learned, I do want to stress the importance of establishing goals and objectives for your learners (as well as for yourself) and provide some tips for establishing effective, measurable goals and objectives.

WebAIM (2001). Articles>Education>Accessibility

Types of Cognitive Disabilities

There are things that designers can do to increase the accessibility of Web content to people with less severe cognitive disabilities.

WebAIM (2001). Design>Web Design>Accessibility

Universal Design and Disability Access to the Web

As the importance of the Internet increases, so does the need to make its content available to larger, more diverse audiences. These audiences use a variety of technologies to access the Web, ranging from traditional browsers on desktop computers to portable, hand-held devices, cell phones and hands-free devices. The need to accommodate these technologies through more universal Web design strategies grows with every new technology which is introduced. Web developers who ignore the emerging trend toward multiple-environment Internet access will be left to lament their inability to reach important segments of the population.

Bohman, Paul. WebAIM (2000). Design>Web Design>Accessibility

University Web Accessibility Policies: A Bridge Not Quite Far Enough

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. Part of the problem lies with the policies themselves. Many of them fail to delineate a specific technical standard, fail to indicate whether compliance with the policy is required, fail to indicate a timeline or deadline for compliance, fail to define a system for evaluating or monitoring compliance, and fail to enumerate any consequences for failure to comply.

Bohman, Paul. WebAIM (2003). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Policies and Procedures

Using Opera to Check for Accessibility

There are a lot of tools available to check your Web content for accessibility. Some tools are Web-based (such as WAVE 3.0). Other tools are stand-alone software products that you install on your hard drive. One tool that you may have overlooked is the Opera Web browser. Opera is not an accessibility validator—it's a Web browser—but it can act like an accessibility validator if you know how to use it that way. In fact, it's one of the best available. This article explains why.

WebAIM (2003). Articles>Web Design>Accessibility>Software

Visual Disabilities

Whenever I ask a large group of people whether or not they have a visual disability, very few of them answer that they do. Then I ask whether or not anyone uses any assistive technology to overcome their visual disability. Most people are unsure what I mean. Invariably, though, as I look out across the group, I see many of them--often a majority--using an assistive technology for their vision at that very moment.

WebAIM (2004). Design>Accessibility>Visual

Visual vs. Cognitive Disabilities

Graphics are not directly accessible to people who are blind, yet graphics can be beneficial (in some cases necessary) to individuals with cognitive disabilities. Are these two disability types at odds with each other? How can Web developers reconcile the needs of these two very different audiences? Read more about the apparent conflicting interests in our feature article.

Bohman, Paul, Shane Anderson and Sachin Pavithran. WebAIM (2003). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Universal Usability

Web Accessibility Policies (and Pseudo Policies) in Postsecondary Institutions

More accurately described as suggestions than policies, since many institutions do not have any binding formal policy. Where multiple documents were found on the institution's Web site, multiple links were included in this list.

WebAIM (2005). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Policies and Procedures

Why Accessibility? Motivating Learners To Bring About Change

There are many reasons why people choose to design with accessibility in mind. These motivations can be roughly categorized into the following: ethical motivations; legal and standards-based motivations; business motivations.

WebAIM (2001). Articles>Education>Accessibility

Assessing Assessments: The Inequality of Electronic Testing

Computer and Internet based tests are used for a variety of purposes. From entering education or employment, to improving basic learning, people everywhere are taking electronically formatted tests. With the advancement of testing from traditional paper-based tests to technologically advanced electronic tests, people reap the benefits of easier access to tests, faster response times, and greater reliability and validity of tests. However, persons with disabilities are being left out of the picture and out of many typically-administered tests.

Lyman, Michael, Cyndi Rowland and Paul Bohman. WebAIM (2006). Articles>Web Design>Accessibility>Assessment

Constructing a POUR Website - Putting People at the Center of the Process

Web developers can create Web sites that are possible for people with disabilities to access, but only with great difficulty. The technical standards are important, but they may be insufficient on their own. Developers need to learn when and how to go beyond the technical standards when necessary.

Bohman, Paul. WebAIM (2005). Articles>Web Design>Accessibility

How to Make Accessible Web Content Using Dreamweaver

Dreamweaver allows developers to be prompted when inserting certain web elements that may need accessibility attributes added to them. Unfortunately, these options are disabled in the preferences by default.ImportantBy default, the accessibility options are disabled in Dreamweaver MX. Once selected, Dreamweaver will display a prompt for accessibility features when each of the identified elements are inserted into a document.

WebAIM (2007). Articles>Web Design>Software>Dreamweaver

How to Make Accessible Web Content Using FrontPage

When designing with FrontPage, some basic accessibility features must be added manually. Despite some of these shortcomings, it is definitely possible to create accessible web pages in FrontPage, often without leaving the WYSIWYG environment.

WebAIM (2007). Articles>Web Design>Software>FrontPage