Copyright, Curtis D. Edmonds, 2002. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission...

Copyright, Curtis D. Edmonds, 2002. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

Making Web Pages Accessible for Everyone

Your One Stop Center on the ADA and Accessible E & IT

1-800-949-4232

www.sedbtac.org

[email protected]

Southeast Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center

(DBTAC)

Southeast DBTAC serves 8 states

Network of 10 Regional Centers with over 2,200 affiliates at the local, state and regional level

National Institute on Disability

and Rehabilitation Research

(NIDRR)

U.S. Department of Education

Grant Number H133D010207

Who Funds Us?

DBTAC Mission

• Facilitate voluntary compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)

• Facilitate widespread use of accessible education-based electronic and information technology (EduIT)

• Individuals with disabilities and their family/friends

• Business Entities

• Service Providers

• Government Entities

• Educational Entities

Who Do We Serve?

History

• In the last thirty years, there has been revolutionary change in both the development of information technology and the rights of people with disabilities.

History

• Unfortunately, advances in access for people with disabilities have not always kept pace with advances in information technology.

History

• In 1973, Congress passed the Rehabilitation Act, which protected the rights of individuals with disabilities in the federal sector and in federally funded programs.

History

• In 1973, ARPANET, the predecessor to the Internet, established connections to Great Britain and Norway.

History

• In 1990, President George Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act.

History

• In 1990, there are approximately 300,000 computers hosting sites on the Internet. Scientists begin work on the World Wide Web.

History

• In 1993, the standards for new construction under the ADA take effect.

History

• In 1993, Mosaic, a graphical browser that was a predecessor to Netscape Navigator, was launched. Previously, most Internet traffic was text-based.

History

• In 1998, the Supreme Court heard its first two ADA cases, Yeskey v. Pennsylvania and Bragdon v. Abbott.

History

• In 1998, Congress amended Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, guaranteeing access to information technology for persons with disabilities in the federal sector.

Legal Environment

• Section 508 applies in three areas (absent undue burden):

– Federal government entities (limited by national security)

– Vendors that sell information technology to the federal government

– State entities in states that receive funding under the Assistive Technology Act

Legal Environment

• Section 508 applies to information technology products, including:

– Copiers

– Fax Machines

– Information Kiosks

Legal Environment

– Computers;

– Software and operating systems;

– Websites; and

– Telecommunication products.

• In 2001, standards implementing Section 508 went into effect.

Legal Environment

Legal Environment

• The Access Board, the federal agency that drafted the ADA standards for architectural barriers, drafted the Section 508 standards.

Legal Environment

• The Department of Justice has stated that entities covered by the ADA that provide information over the Internet should make that information accessible.

Legal Environment

• Currently, there are no comparable standards under the ADA for covered entities that want to provide access to information technology.

Legal Environment

• However, ADA-covered entities that follow the Section 508 standards will more than likely be able to show that they are providing access for people with disabilities.

Legal Environment

• Pennsylvania and Washington have adopted the Section 508 standards. Connecticut adopted the industry-based W3C Standards, which are more stringent.

Legal Environment

• Several other states, such as Texas and Kentucky, have passed laws requiring state agencies to provide access to information technology for people with disabilities.

The Bottom Line

• Organizations that value and promote development of accessible EduIT environments create systems that, as a whole, are more accessible and usable by all.

Reasons for Accessible IT

• Providing access to EduIT affirms the values of diversity and inclusion held by many educational institutions.

Reasons for Accessible IT• Increasing numbers of people are accessing the Web through alternative means such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, and other devices that are not what we usually think of as computers.

Reasons for Accessible IT• Accessible websites work better and faster in this context. Forward thinking web masters design websites that work for all visitors.

Reasons for Accessible IT

•When the EduIT environment is not accessible, the educational entity may lose qualified current and potential faculty, staff, students with disabilities, and participation by the general public.

Assistive Technology

• Barriers to access generally occur when information technology is not designed to take advantage of assistive technology devices.


• “Assistive technology” is any technology that assists persons with disabilities in performing tasks that most people can do without such technology.


• Voice-activated software allows people who cannot use a keyboard to enter in text.


• Trackballs allow people who do not have the dexterity to use a mouse to move around on a computer screen.


• Screen readers translate the text of a computer screen into speech for persons who are blind.


• Magnification software allows people with low vision to read computer screens at a comfortable level of print.


• Television sets with captioning provide accommodations for persons with hearing loss.

Common Barriers

• When information technology is designed so that it does not work with assistive technology, it creates barriers to people with disabilities.

Common Barriers

• Software that requires the use of a mouse to perform commands is inaccessible to people with disabilities that cannot use a mouse.

Common Barriers

• A copier that has controls outside of accessible reach ranges is inaccessible for some persons who use wheelchairs.

Common Barriers

• A computer laboratory that is located in an inaccessible building cannot be accessed by people with disabilities.

Common Barriers

• Some of the barriers listed above are primarily the responsibility of IT vendors, but educational entities should take these barriers into account in the procurement process.

Internet Barriers

• Barriers to Internet access or facilities, however, should be addressed by educational entities directly.

Internet Barriers

• Educational entities should take affirmative steps to evaluate their Internet sites for accessibility to visitors with disabilities.

Internet Barriers

• Internet pages are constructed using a special code called HyperText Markup Language, or HTML.

Internet Barriers

• This code indicates where text and images appear on an Internet page.<A HREF="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ wp-srv/weather">Metro Weather</A> 47°F M/sunny

Internet Barriers

• Most Internet sites use images to convey information.

Internet Barriers

• However, if these images are not labeled, users who use screen readers cannot access them.

Google

Internet Barriers

• If these images are mislabeled, then users who use screen readers cannot understand them.

kwajex.gif (45k)mailbox

Internet Barriers

• If these images are flashing at a high rate, they can cause seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy.

Internet Barriers

• If the site uses color to portray information, people with visual impairments like color blindness may not be able to access that information.

Internet Barriers

• If the colors used in a site have poor contrast, it may be difficult for some users to read.

Internet Barriers

• If the site has multiple navigation links, it may be repetitive for users who use the keyboard to navigate the site.

Internet Barriers

• Online tools are available to evaluate and test Internet sites for access.

Internet Barriers

• The “Bobby” website is the most widely used validator:

– http://www.cast.org/bobby

http://www.cast.org/bobby

Internet Barriers

• The WAVE validator shows where text labels are missing or mislabeled:

– http://www.temple.edu/inst_disabilities/piat/wave/

http://www.temple.edu/inst_disabilities/piat/wave/





Internet Barriers

• The “Lynx Viewer” lets you see your site as a screen reader sees it:

– http://www.delorie.com/web/lynxview.html

http://www.delorie.com/web/lynxview.html





Internet Barriers

• For other information and resources about access to information technology, visit the Southeast DBTAC website at:

– http://www.sedbtac.org/ed/index.cfm

Internet Barriers

• The National Center on Accessible Information Technology in Education provides guidance on accessible information technology:

– http://www.washington.edu/ accessit/index.php

Internet Barriers

• The Information Technology Technical Assistance and Training Center is another valuable resource for information on accessible IT:

– http://www.ittatc.org

Have Questions?

By telephone800-949-4232 (v/tty) Southeast region only404-385-0636 (v/tty)711 (relay)

By fax404-385-0641

By [email protected]

By internetwww.sedbtac.org

Copyright, Curtis D. Edmonds, 2002. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission...

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