Improving Web
Accessibility for
Individuals with
Disabilities
with Cyndi Rowland
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February 13, 2002 / Archived
webcast / Transcript
The Internet has become a powerful force in education today. With
this said, many students with disabilities are unable to access
materials placed on the Web because of the way they are designed.
Online learning formats are most susceptible to accessibility woes
because of the reliance on the Web to carry every aspect of a student's
participation (e.g., registration, advisement, courses, library
resources, communication with instructors and peers).
This presentation dealt with the important issue of Web accessibility
for students with disabilities. Specifically, this presentation
focused on three aspects of Web accessibility. The first was an
overall understanding of what accessibility is and how students
with disabilities experience the Web. Second was an understanding
of the current legal picture with respect to Web accessibility.
Finally, how participants can be a force for positive change in
the accessibility of postsecondary education Web materials.
Participants were expected to engage in a variety of Web-based
simulations designed to help them understand what students with
disabilities might encounter when on the Internet. For these reasons,
they are asked to download the following free items if they do not
already have them installed on their computers.
- The browser Opera (www.opera.com)
- Any media player such as QuickTime (www.apple.com/quicktime/download)
or Windows Media Player (www.windowsmedia.com/download/download.asp)
- The Macromedia Flash Player (www.macromedia.com/downloads).
Cyndi Rowland works at the Center for Persons with Disabilities
at Utah State University. She is the Director of Keeping Web Accessibility
In Mind (WebAIM). This federally-funded program (LAAP-funded) works
to mitigate the enormous problems of inaccessible Web sites in postsecondary
settings. Dr. Rowland has worked on Web accessibility efforts for
those with disabilities for several years. She is a frequent speaker
and author on the topic. Dr. Rowland directs other technology projects
at the Center and is the Director for a distance education program
in Utah. This program prepares teachers in rural areas of the state
for certification in early childhood special education. She understands
the issues that surround distance education, the importance of technology
applications, and the need to insure that all individuals can access
online materials.
Simulations
- WebAIM Screen Reader Simulation
http://www.webaim.org/simulations/screenreader
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." We have
designed a mock Web site for a fictional university with some
common accessibility errors. You will be able to experience some
of them when you go through the screen reader simulation.
- WebAIM Low Vision Disability Simulation
http://www.webaim.org/simulations/lowvision
The low vision simulation has two parts. First, go to the
above URL and follow the directions. Second, go to the Opera browser
and enlarge a page using the % pull-down menu in the Opera window.
You should look to see how difficult it is to have to scroll not
only vertically, but horizontally as well. Also, note the differences
between real text with clear, crisp edges and image text
which becomes pixilated and out of focus the larger it gets.
- WebAIM Color Blindness Example
http://www.webaim.org/tutorials/uofa/faculty.htm
Go to the above URL and scroll to the Faculty/staff holidays.
Imagine if you could not distinguish these color differences.
Would you know what holidays you had? The point is that we should
NOT use color alone to denote important content.
- WebAIM Cognitive Disability Simulation
http://www.webaim.org/tutorials/simulations/cogsim
Go the above URL and follow the directions to experience a
simulation of web usage by someone with a cognitive disability.
- CNN
http://www.cnn.com/
Many with motor impairments cannot use the mouse and must use
the keyboard (directly or through their assistive technology).
Go to the above URL. Use your tab key to move from link to link
and the enter key to "select" any link, and any other
keyboarding you might need (e.g., the arrow keys or the number
keys). Count how many times (keystroke hits) it takes you to get
to your local weather forecast. Now, if it took you 20 seconds
between hits, would you persist? The point here is that many sites
could place a "skip navigation" link at the top of their
page so that users could get to the content quickly. They could
also "Chunk" information so that there are not as many
items on the same page.
- NOVA online
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/thin/program.html
Go to the above URL. Make sure you DO NOT turn the captions on,
but please turn your speakers down so you cannot hear. Watch for
a minute or so and determine what you are learning from this.
Then go back to the beginning and turn on the captions (keep your
sound off). Now what are you learning? It is clear that if you
have a hearing impairment, you must have captions for all media
elements (audio or video with audio).
Cyndi referred to these URLs:
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