Running head: Web Accessibility 1

Web Accessibility

Yolande Samuels

#04022944

EDID 6510 Assignment 2

University of the West Indies Open Campus

Dr. Laura Gray

Web Accessibility 2

The Web as we know it today was initially created by Tim Berners-Lee a researcher at

the European Particle Physics laboratory. His initial creation was called Enquire which later

blossomed into the World Wide Web. In 1994 Berners-Lee further went on to form the World

Wide Web Consortium or W3C. Web accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies

are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them. More specifically,

people can: perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web and contribute to the Web

(Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), 2018). “The power of the Web is in its universality. Access

by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect” (Berners-Lee,1997).

Individuals with different disabilities such as visual impairment, physical disability,

autism spectrum disorder, deaf or hard of hearing, acquired brain injury, speech impairment or

intellectual disability all need access to the internet and web standards help to make this possible.

“Web standards is defined as a formal set of standards and technical specifications used to define

aspects of the world wide web. These are best-practice standards used by organizations to build

web sites and web applications” ("What are Web Standards | elcom", 2015). The W3C also

highlights that Web Standards not only help disabled persons but they are also beneficial for

people without disabilities, for example: people using mobile phones, smart watches, smart TVs,

and other devices with small screens, different input modes, etc., older people with changing

abilities due to ageing, people with “temporary disabilities” such as a broken arm or lost glasses,

people with “situational limitations” such as in bright sunlight or in an environment where they

cannot listen to audio and people using a slow Internet connection, or who have limited or

expensive bandwidth.
Web Accessibility 3

Accessibility issues for inclusion and diversity of participants in an LMS

As the internet progressively becomes a part of everyday life, the impact of digital

disability on people's lives increases. Increasingly being unable to access the internet can be seen

as a form of disability in itself (Tănăsescu, Stegăriou & Păunescu 2010). Dobransky and

Hargittai (2006) found that people with a disability are less likely to have access to information

technology. Similarly, Fox (2011) found in the United States people with disability are

significantly less likely to use the internet. To ensure all users, have access to the web various

software and hardware devices would have to be utilized to assist with content access. Table 1

outlines a few assistive tools that can be used to help in making content accessible. For a

Learning Management System to be effective learners must be able to navigate web pages and

the various content features.

Many online courses are not designed with accessibility in mind (Roberts, Crittenden &

Crittenden 2011). This leads to additional spending on the part of the course developer as issues

found would then have to be accommodated by including guideless such as those shown in table

1 of the Appendix. Roberts, Crittenden and Crittenden (2011) suggest that courses should be

designed to be accessible from the beginning.

Technical specifications are developed by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI),

along with guidelines, techniques, and supporting resources that describe accessibility solutions.

These are considered international standards for web accessibility; for example, WCAG2.0 is

also an ISO standard: ISO/IEC 40500. There are several legal ramifications of having a Learning

Management System that is not compliant with the various needs of scholars with disabilities.

Currently there are a number of laws that ensure the fair treatment of individuals with disability.

These laws are summarized in table 2 found in the appendix.

Web Accessibility 4

The Portland Community College (2015), suggests the following questions be taken into

consideration by faculty and course designers when content is being acquired from various

online sources.

 Are the videos captioned and audio transcribed?

 Can the content be accessed by a screen reader?

 Are all activities navigable and usable by a student using only a keyboard?

 Does the vendor have a VPAT or WCAG 2.0 AA compliance statement?

There are many accessibility guidelines available, that can be utilized by design teams

tasked with creating online courses for different LMSs. The School Website ADA Compliance

Accessibility Guide outlines a wide range of hardware and software are available to assist

disabled persons with accessing the web. Screen readers (e.g. JAWS, NVDA), magnification and

speech input software, and input alternatives such as head pointers, motion, eye-tracking and

single-switch entry devices help people access the web. Both teachers and students with

disabilities need to be taken into consideration when design decisions are taking place. Courses

should be designed to work with any device, browser or adaptive equipment that users need to

help them garner information presented via a website.

Various forms of content and possible improvement to enhance learner’s experiences

Content on an LMS can be presented in several ways inclusive of, videos, word documents,

PowerPoints, Excel spreadsheets and pdf documents just to name a few. Each document type

lends itself to different forms of guidelines that can lead to its content being deemed as

accessible, Table 1 in the Appendix also outlines some of the features mentioned and also the

type of disability for which they are best suited.

Web Accessibility 5

Videos

Greenberg & Zanetis (2012) state that:

Education is undergoing a major shift, as brick-and-mortar classrooms are opening up to

rich media content, subject matter experts, and to one another. This shift has been

influenced largely by technological and pedagogical trends, greater worldwide access to

the Internet, an explosion of mobile phone users, and the appreciation for these

technologies by young people, as well as by teachers. Video appears poised to be a major

contributor to the shift in the educational landscape, acting as a powerful agent that adds

value and enhances the quality of the learning experience (p. 4).

De Boer (2013) highlights the shift in the of video in education in the following context:

The emergence of digital networks, like the internet, disconnected video-watching from a

set time because the video can be watched at any time. It has also led to disconnecting the

lesson, in some sense, from a set place (i.e. the classroom): the video can be watched on

any computer connected to the internet. (p. 17)

It is imperative that videos adhere to that have been stipulated through the Web Content

Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0). Below are a list of recommendations provided by the

WCAG 2.0 for creating accessible videos:- are a preferred choice of content presentation for

teachers are students alike, however, for videos to be compliant for disabled students and faculty

the following considerations need to be in place:

 Ensure all relevant information is recorded

 Describe relevant sensory characteristics and use of colour

 Write dialogue at a level your audience will understand.

 No flashes more than 3 times a second

Web Accessibility 6

 Ensure sufficient colour contract between text and background

 Low background noise

 Provide an accurate text equivalent

 Provide captions for all audio content

 Provide a sign language track

 Video controls should be keyboard friendly

Word / Text Documents

Completed Word documents can be checked for Accessibility by using the Microsoft

Word Accessibility checker. Portland Community College (2015), offers a comprehensive guide

of accessibility features for creating Word documents. A few of these recommendations are

listed below:

 Properly format headings.

 Use headings in the correct order.

 Add alternative (Alt) text to all images.

 Format a list as a list.

 Create links that describes the link destination.

 Indicate column headers or data tables.

 Use sufficient colour contract

 Label form fields and buttons

PowerPoint Presentations

Presentations are another common method of displaying content information on an LMS.

For this content to be effective there are several pointers that have been recommended by The

National Center on Disability and Access to Education (2014), these tips included:
Web Accessibility 7

 Using slide layouts provided within PowerPoint will ensure that files have correctly

structured headings and lists, and proper reading order

 Images can be given appropriate alternative text in PowerPoint. This Alt text is read by a

screen reader in a PowerPoint file and should remain intact when exporting to HTML or

PDF.

 PowerPoint automatically creates a hyperlink when a user pastes a full URL onto a page.

These may not make sense to screen reader users, so more information is needed.

 Ensure that font size is sufficient. If your presentation will be viewed on a projector, font

size may need to be even larger.

 Provide sufficient contrast. If your presentation will be viewed on a projector, sometimes

the contrast needs to be even more pronounced.

 Do not use color as the only way to convey content.

 Avoid automatic slide transitions.

 Use simple slide transitions when possible.

 Use simple language.

 Check reading order of text boxes that are not part of the native slide layout. They are

usually the last thing read by a screen reader.

 If you have embedded video, ensure that the video is captioned, and that the player

controls are accessible.

 If you have embedded audio, include a transcript.

 If your slides contain animations, ensure that they are brief and do not distract from the

most important content on the page.

Web Accessibility 8

Excel Documents

Spreadsheet information is presented in an organized table. The National Center on

Disability and Access to Education (2014) produced a cheat sheet for creating accessible

spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel 2010/13 (WINDOWS) & 2011 (MAC). A few of the

specifications are outlined below:

 Do not use merged cells in tables as they can be confusing to screen readers.

 Cell A1 is a good place to put important stuff as this is where screen readers

usually start.

 Alterative text for images is not recommended for excel documents as they may

introduce reading order issues.

 Ensure that you spell check as it is not done automatically as it is done in Word.

 Data used for charts should be available and clearly structured as alternative text

cannot be used for charts.

 Create one table per sheet.

 Get rid of unnecessary empty rows in tables.

PDFs

Pdfs are a common document format that can be found on almost every website. The

Portland Community College (2015), provides some helpful hints for dealing with pdf files.

Below is a list of recommendations:

 All Microsoft Word and PowerPoint documents should be converted to pdf files.

 Running Adobe’s PDFs Accessibility check will help to ensure that the document

is accessible to all users.

 Run Optical Character Recognition (OCR) on scanned document

Web Accessibility 9

Webpages

Webpages are synonymous with online learning courses and as such great care has to be

taken when creating these pages to ensure that they meet the needs of the various users. The

following items should be kept in mind when designing these pages as outlined by Portland

Community College (2015):

 Use the most current D2L page template.

 Properly format headings. Use headings in the correct order.

 Add alternative (Alt) text to images.

 Format a list as a list using Ordered or Unordered lists.

 Write meaningful link text that indicates the link’s destination.

 Indicate column (or row) headers in data tables.

 Add table caption.

 Check the reading order.

 Use sufficient color contrast.

 Don't use color alone to convey meaning.

 Eliminate or limit blinking/flashing content to 3 seconds.

 Make sure all mouse actions can also be completed with a keyboard alone

(without a mouse.)

 Use an accessible media player like YouTube or the DL Kaltura player.

Conclusion

Online learning is increasing in popularity and with it comes the rise of contemporary

issues that will continue to be addressed not only for persons with disability but also for all users

who may benefit from using these featured when necessary. All eLearning content should be
Web Accessibility 10

tested for accessibility and when barriers are found develop an accessibility plan proactively.

Stake holders should work together to identify and implement appropriate accommodations

when barriers are encountered Portland Community College, (2015). The W3C along with other

organizations continue to provide guidelines and legislature to ensure that all users of the web

are given an equal opportunity for inclusion.

Web Accessibility 11

References
Bradbard, D., & Peters, C. (2010). Web Accessibility Theory and Practice: An Introduction for

University Faculty. The Journal Of Educators Online, 7(1). doi: 10.9743/jeo.2010.1.1

Campus Suite. School Website ADA Compliance Accessibility Guide [Ebook].

De Boer, J. (2013). Learning from video: Viewing behavior of students. Enschede: Ipskamp

Drukkers B.V.

Dobransky, K. & Hargittai, E. (2006). The Disability Divide in Internet Access and

Use. Information Communication and Society, 9(3), 309-311.

Fox, S. (2011). Peer-to-peer healthcare. The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life

Project. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/P2PHealthcare.aspx

Google Docs. (2018). acc-quick-guide-web.pdf. [online] Available at:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxwwBLzARiDjYktMOG5vQUJfdEFmcTZGRlhQckRZd

GFrR29r/view

Media Genesis. (2018). Best practices and tips to create a disabled friendly website.. [online]

Available at: https://mediag.com/news/tips-for-making-your-website-disabled-friendly/.

Portland Community College. (2015). Guidelines WEB ACCESSIBILITY 2015 [Ebook].

Retrieved from https://www.pcc.edu/instructional-support/wp-

content/uploads/sites/17/2017/11/WebA11Y-HB2_Print-HiRes.pdf
Web Accessibility 12

Roberts, J. B., Crittenden, L. A. & Crittenden, J. C. (2011). Students with disabilities and online

learning: A cross-institutional study of perceived satisfaction with accessibility compliance

and services. Internet and Higher Education, 14, 242-250.

Stamford Interactive. (2015). A guide to accessible video [Ebook]. Retrieved from

http://accessibility.arl.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/stamford-a-guide-to-accessible-

video.pdf

Tănăsescu, D. Stegăriou, I. & Păunescu, G. (2010). Integrating eLearning in the Knowledge

Society. Proceeding of the 5th International Conference on ELearning: Universiti Sains

Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia, 12 — 13 July 2010.

The National Center on Disability and Access to Education. (2014). CREATING ACCESSIBLE

SPREADSHEETS IN MICROSOFT EXCEL 2010/13 (WINDOWS) & 2011 (MAC)

[Ebook]. Retrieved from http://www.ncdae.org/resources/cheatsheets/pdf/excel.pdf

Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). (2018). Web Accessibility Laws & Policies. [online]

Available at: https://www.w3.org/WAI/policies/

Webhostingsearch.com. (2018). 25 Ways To Make Your Website Accessible. [online] Available

at: http://www.webhostingsearch.com/articles/25-ways-to-make-your-site-more-

accessible.php.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. (2008). Retrieved from

https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/

What are Web Standards | elcom. (2015). Retrieved from

https://www.elcomcms.com/resources/blog/web-standards
Web Accessibility 13
Web Accessibility 14

Appendix

Table 1- Accessibility features

Accessibility Definition Why this is needed Source / literature Intended

Feature audience
Alt text Alternative text Allows screen readers (software that WebAIM. (2017, Mar. Visually Impaired
reads content aloud) to state visual 29). Alternative (severe blindness)
cues such as images, section Text. Retrieved
divisions and table headings from WebAIM:
http://webaim.or
g/techniques/altt
ext/

Custom keyboard Custom keyboard Allows users with mobility issues to Nielsen Norman Group. Impaired mobility
commands are overtly access menu items with a keyboard, (2014, Apr. 6).
commands e.g. text indicated on a webpage input data using a keystroke rather Keyboard-Only
or within a menu than clicking a mouse. Navigation for
links, Text based Improved
Accessibility.
wizards, keyboard Retrieved from
Nielsen Norman
shortcuts
Group:
https://www.nng
roup.com/articles
/keyboard-
accessibility/
Web Accessibility 15

Consistent Layout The main elements of To help users navigate your website Webhostingsearch.com. Cognitive
the page—banner, quickly and easily, you should provide (2018). 25 Ways To Make
and Structure navigation, sidebar— a consistent layout and structure. This Your Website Accessible. Impairment
should appear in the will also benefit those with cognitive [online] Available at:
same impairments and those who use a http://www.webhosting
locations throughout screen-reader application (which search.com/articles/25-
the website. processes content on the screen and ways-to-make-your-
reads it aloud). site-more-
accessible.php.

Legibility Ease of readability or Allows users with learning disorders Galvin, K. (2014, Dec. 4). Cognitive
being able to discern or to understand content based on how Online and print impairments
distinguish between the font size, style, color, and other inclusive design
items and formatting is presented and legibility
understanding the considerations.
language Retrieved from
Accessibility and
assistive
technology:
http://www.visio
naustralia.org/bu
siness-and-
professionals/digi
tal-access-
consulting/resour
ces/blog---
accessibility-and-
assistive-
technology-
blog/blog/accessi
bility-
blog/2014/12/03
/online-and-
Web Accessibility 16

print-inclusive-
design-and-
legibility-
considerations

Some video makers Allows persons who are hard of Sounding out the web: Hear Impaired
choose to generate hearing or deaf to follow along with accessibility for deaf and
Make sure that captions their captions from an video and images accurately hard of hearing people
are synchronised with existing transcript. And [Part 2]. (2017).
the audio if you do that, you Retrieved from
need to make sure https://developer.paciello
that each line appears group.com/blog/2017/03/
on screen at about the sounding-out-the-web-
same time that the accessibility-for-deaf-
audio is heard. and-hard-of-hearing-
people-part-2/
Supplement color-coding Use of other visual 10% of men are color blind and Silver, A. (2016, June 21). (Color blindness/
with text/icon coding indicators such as cannot distinguish certain colors (e.g. Accessibility: Improving
asterisk, question mark red/green) The UX For Color-Blind color deficiency)
or other special Color blind users can still read text in Users. Retrieved from
characters to demark muted colors and make appropriate Smashing Magazine:
text selections https://www.smashingm
agazine.com/2016/06/im
proving-ux-for-color-
blind-users/

Table 2- Web Accessibility Laws (Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), 2018)

Web Accessibility 17

Overview Table:

Showing 40 results

Country ↕ Name ↕ Date Type (Policy, law, Scope ↕ Web WCAG

enacted ↕ legislation, etc.) ↕ Only ↕ Version
Used ↕
Australia Disability Discrimination Act 1992 1992 Non-discrimination Public sector, no WCAG 2.0
(DDA) law Private sector
Australia Procurement Standard Guidance 2016 Procurement Government no WCAG 2.0
recommendation
Canada Canadian Human Rights Act 1985 Non-discrimination Public sector, no None
law Private sector
Canada Policy on Communications and 2016 Mandatory policy Government no WCAG 2.0
Federal Identity
China Law on the Protection of Persons 2008 Accessibility law Public sector, no None
with Disabilities 1990, as amended Private sector
China Voluntary Web Accessibility 2008 Recommendation Government yes WCAG 2.0
Standard derivative
Denmark Agreement on the use of open 2007 Mandatory policy Public sector yes WCAG 2.0
standards for software in the public
sector
European Web and Mobile Accessibility 2016 Accessibility law Public sector no WCAG 2.0
Union Directive
European European Accessibility Act draft Proposed law Public sector, no WCAG 2.0
Union (proposed) Private sector derivative
Finland Act on Electronic Services and 2003 Accessibility law Government no None
Web Accessibility 18

Overview Table:

Showing 40 results

Country ↕ Name ↕ Date Type (Policy, law, Scope ↕ Web WCAG

enacted ↕ legislation, etc.) ↕ Only ↕ Version
Used ↕
Communication in the Public Sector
France Law N° 2005-102 Article 47 2005 Accessibility law Public sector no None
France Order of 29 April 2015 on the 2015 Accessibility law Public sector yes WCAG 2.0
general accessibility framework for derivative
public administrations
France Law N° 2016-1321 Article 106 2016 Digital Governance Public sector, no None
law Private sector
Germany Act on Equal Opportunities for 2002 Non-discrimination Public sector, no None
Disabled Persons of 2002 law Private sector
Germany Federal Ordinance on Barrier-Free 2011 Accessibility policy Government yes WCAG 2.0
Information Technology derivative
Hong Kong Guidelines on Dissemination of 1999 Mandatory policy Government no WCAG 2.0
Information through Government
Websites
India Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2016 Non-discrimination Public sector, no None
Act, 2016 (RPD) law Private sector
India Guidelines for Indian Government 2009 Mandatory policy Government no WCAG 2.0
Websites
Ireland The Disability Act, 2005 2005 Accessibility law Public sector no None
Ireland Equal Status Acts 2000 to 2004 2004 Non-discrimination Public sector, no WCAG 2.0
Web Accessibility 19

Overview Table:

Showing 40 results

Country ↕ Name ↕ Date Type (Policy, law, Scope ↕ Web WCAG

enacted ↕ legislation, etc.) ↕ Only ↕ Version
Used ↕
law Private sector
Ireland Employment Equality Acts 1998 and 2004 Non-discrimination Public sector, no None
2004 law Private sector
Israel Equal Rights of Persons with 1998 Non-discrimination Public sector, no WCAG 2.0
Disabilities Act, as amended law Private sector
Italy Law 9 January 2004, n. 4 "Provisions 2004 Accessibility law Public sector, no WCAG 2.0
to support the access of disabled Government
people to IT tools" (Stanca Law)
Japan Basic Act on the Formation of an 2000 Accessibility law Public sector, no None
Advanced Information and Private sector
Telecommunications Network
Society
Netherlands Procurement Law 2012 2016 Procurement law Government no WCAG 2.0
Netherlands Policy in the Netherlands 2016 Mandatory policy Government, yes WCAG 2.0
Public sector
New Zealand Human Rights Act 1993, including 1993 Non-discrimination Public sector, no None
amendments law Private sector
New Zealand Online Practice Guidelines 2013 Mandatory policy Government yes WCAG 2.0
Norway Regulations on universal design of 2013 Non-discrimination Public sector, no WCAG 2.0
ICT law Private sector derivative
Web Accessibility 20

Overview Table:

Showing 40 results

Country ↕ Name ↕ Date Type (Policy, law, Scope ↕ Web WCAG

enacted ↕ legislation, etc.) ↕ Only ↕ Version
Used ↕
Republic of Act on Welfare of Persons with 2008 Non-discrimination Public sector, no WCAG 2.0
Korea Disabilities law Private sector derivative
Sweden Discrimination Act (2008:567) 2008 Non-discrimination Public sector, no None
law Private sector
Switzerland Federal Law on the Elimination of 2002 Non-discrimination Public sector, no WCAG 2.0
Inequalities for Persons with law Private sector
Disabilities, as amended
Taiwan Web Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 2017 Mandatory policy Public sector yes WCAG 2.0
derivative
United Equality Act 2010 2010 Non-discrimination Public sector, no WCAG 2.0
Kingdom law Private sector
United Section 508 of the US Rehabilitation 1998 Procurement law, Government no WCAG 2.0
States Act of 1973, as amended Accessibility law
United Americans with Disabilities Act of 2009 Non-discrimination Public sector, no None
States 1990 (ADA), as amended law Private sector
United Section 504 of the U.S. 1990 Non-discrimination Public sector no WCAG 1.0
States Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as law derivative
amended
United Section 255 of the 1996 Accessibility law Public sector, no None
States Telecommunications Act of 1996 Private sector
Web Accessibility 21

Overview Table:

Showing 40 results

Country ↕ Name ↕ Date Type (Policy, law, Scope ↕ Web WCAG

enacted ↕ legislation, etc.) ↕ Only ↕ Version
Used ↕
United Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 2013 Non-discrimination Private sector no WCAG 2.0
States law
United 21st Century Communications and 2010 Accessibility law Private sector no None
States Video Accessibility Act of 2010
(CVAA)