Web Accessibility
Web Accessibility is a key area of JISC TechDis' work. Over the last three years JISC TechDis have built relationships with key intermediaries, including UCISA and UKOLN, in this field to ensure that the advice given is both in context for the education sector and relevant to the web development community.
More information on the subject of web accessibility can be found in the Supporting your Role section of the website.
Resources
Web Accessibility for Hard of Hearing
To Logo or Not to Logo?
This article examines the use of web accessibility logos throughout institutional website, and discusses the pros and cons of their use.
Text-only web sites: accessibility saviour or a waste of time?
This article discusses the pros and cons of a text-only web site, and suggests how "text-only" may be used as part of a broader approach to optimal accessibility of on-line information.
XML and Accessibility
This article examines eXtensible Mark-Up Language (XML) and its accessibility.
Designing Accessible Web-based Courseware
This article discusses the nature of the problems surrounding the accessibility of web authoring (with the advent of authoring software which allows authors to put together resources without requiring to learn HTML) and how these problems can be overcome.
How to judge a websites accessibility level
This article gives a number of practial tips enabling people with little techincal knowledge to judge the accessibility of a website.
Institutional Websites and Legislation
This article (originally published in 2001) discusses the Disability Discrimination Act in relation to institutional websites.
VLEs and Disability Access
The purpose of this study by Staffordshire University was to identify problems encountered by disabled students in using Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) and to identify solutions where possible, making the appropriate recommendations to improve accessibility.
VLE User Testing
The purpose of the study was to increase understanding of how to make a virtual learning environment (VLE) accessible to students with disabilities and in particular those who have a visual impairment.
The Speechlet Project
Speechlet was produced to allow a blind student to move the mouse pointer over the screen and hear a spoken description of what is there. This paper discusses the reasons for the development of Speechlet, followed by a description of its operation and finally a discussion of its use in practise.
PDFs and Accessibility
Article (originally written in 2003) examining the accessibility of Adobe PDFs and complementary assistive technologies.
E-learning products and services: a comparison of legal requirements in the UK and US
This paper examined the various legal requirements regarding e-learning in both the UK and the US with a view to providing a comparison of these requirements.
Towards a pragmatic framework for accessible e-learning
The authors of this paper, while recognising the importance of accessibility in e-learning resources, query the universal applicability of the Web Accessibility Initiatives guidelines and describe a pragmatic framework which provides a broader context for their use.
Should online course design meet accessibility standards
This paper examines the question Should Online Course Design Meet Accessibility Standards?
Web-based higher education, the inclusion/exclusion paradox
This article will expand on this apparent paradox that the technology that provides a great platform for inclusion, in reality appears to be excluding. A five step analysis and some mythology will describe what this paradox is and how to overcome it.
JISC TechDis Staff Packs
An Introduction to Web Accessibility
These training materials provide an introduction to the issues facing disabled people when accessing materials on the web. They also give an overview of the disability legislation in relation to website development.
