Accessibility
The Best Choice .... according to the experts
Penn State Policy AD 54 – "The University's policy is to be compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998....Web pages [outside of ANGEL] should comply, to the extent possible allowed by current technology, with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, the Web-based intranet and Internet information and applications (1194.22) http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/standards.htm.
Training and help for developers: Penn State has identified considerations and helpful hints for faculty, staff, and students that will assist in making all formal units' Web sites and Web pages accessible in an academic setting."
Additional Links
- Accessibility for ANGEL Pages
- Accessibility in Microsoft Office (Word, Powerpoint,Excel)
- Accessibility in Charts and Graphs
Rationale
According to the W3C "For those unfamiliar with accessibility issues pertaining to Web page design, consider that many users may be operating in contexts very different from your own:
- They may not be able to see, hear, move, or may not be able to process some types of information easily or at all.
- They may have difficulty reading or comprehending text.
- They may not have or be able to use a keyboard or mouse.
- They may have a text-only screen, a small screen, or a slow Internet connection.
- They may not speak or understand fluently the language in which the document is written.
- They may be in a situation where their eyes, ears, or hands are busy or interfered with (e.g., riding to work, working in a loud environment, etc.).
- They may have an early version of a browser, a different browser entirely, a voice browser, or a different operating system.
Content developers must consider these different situations during page design. While there are several situations to consider, each accessible design choice generally benefits several disability groups at once and the Web community as a whole."
Basic Information
These tips should resolve a large number of possible usability issues in the classroom. However, you may still be asked to make additional accomodations depending on the needs of the student.
Official accomodation requests are made through the Office of Disability Services on behalf of the student.
ANGEL and Accessibility
- Quizzes – Use "Multiple Choice" (shows all answers) instead of "Matching Option" (answers in a menu).
- HTML Editor – Use H1, H2, H3 tags to mark sections and subsections. Screen readers can read a table of contents based on these styles.
- Uploaded/Linked Images – should include captions to describe image.
- Uploaded Files and Multimedia should be accessible (see below)
- Color choice – Make sure text is readable in black and white. This will help low vision and color blind users.
Microsoft Office
- Word – Use Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3 styles to mark sections and subsections. Screen readers can read a table of contents based on these styles.
Note: You can use the style format tools to alter the appearence of Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3 as needed. - Images – Label images in Powerpoint or Word with descriptive captions (or fill in an ALT Tag in the images Properties panel).
- Charts and Color – Make sure charts in Excel or Powerpoint are legible in black and white. This will help low vision and color blind users.
Note: Chart colors can be changed in the "Chart Wizard" formatting options. Yellow line charts are especially difficult to read. - Summarize results of graphs and tables in a short sentence. Some screen readers have difficulty processing tables.
Audio and Video
- A text transcript is suggested for students with hearing disabilities.
Podcasts and Accessibility
If your podcast is hosted in iTunesU, you may need to provide a separate .mp3 link for users of screen readers.
Visually impaired users can hear the content, but may not be able to find it within iTunes because of other usuability issues.
Non-ANGEL Web Sites
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments: Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards (Published in the Federal Register on December 21, 2000) provides a list of accommodations that must be made for people with different disabilities.
References
- Section 508 Standards (Accessed 15 Dec 2006)
http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Content&ID=12#Web - Penn State Policy AD 54 (Accessed 15 Dec 2006)
http://guru.psu.edu/policies/AD54.html - Penn State Creating Accessible Web Sites (Accessed 15 Dec 2006)
http://tlt.its.psu.edu/suggestions/accessibility/resources.html - Access PSU Web Accessibility (Accessed 15 Dec 2006)
http://www.equity.psu.edu/accesspsu/
Additional Links
Tutorials
- WebAim - Tutorials and demos on all aspects off accessibility
- University of Wisconsin Accessibility
- Ohio State University - includes Flash, P.D.F., JavaScript
- University of North Carolina: Accessible Electronic Content
- University of Illinois: Creating Accessible Instructional Materials
- University of Iowa: Web Accessibility Standards
- University of Maryland Universal Usability in Practice - Also covers age and cultural differences
Online Verification Services for Web Sites
To test a Web page, you enter a URL in a text box, then read the report. Some reports may say manual checks are required.
- Cynthia Says - Reports geared for Section 508 and W.C.A.G. compliance. A similar report is available at HiSoftware AccMonitor
- WAVE 3 (WebAim) - Graphical reports shows layout of accessibility tags. Can be installed into a browser toolbar.
- LIFT Online (www.usablenet.com) - The online version of the LIFT software licensed to Penn State for a low cost.
- See also WebAim Evaluation & Repair Tools List for a more detailed list.
Note: The Web service Bobby has been changed to WebXact.