A holistic and pragmatic approach to teaching web accessibility in an undergraduate web design course

Author(s):  
Ye Diana Wang
1981 ◽  
Vol 45 (9) ◽  
pp. 585-588
Author(s):  
MJ Kutcher ◽  
TF Meiller ◽  
CD Overholser

Author(s):  
Holly Yu

Through a series of federal and state laws and standards, the legal foundation concerning Web accessibility that impact people with disabilities and their ability to fully overcome digital barriers and participate in the Web environment has been established. Currently, the concept of accessible design or universal design is increasingly becoming an important component of Web design. However, the unanswered questions in laws, the absence of the obligation in fulfilling legal requirements, and the general unawareness of the need to make Web pages accessible have created barriers in implementing the Americans with disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act as amended in 1998, and others. In many cases, the absence of obligations is due to unfamiliarity with legal responsibility of creating accessible Web sites. As a result, the response to Web accessibility concerns frequently comes about only on an ad hoc basis. Identifying these barriers is the first step toward solutions. There are legal and practical approaches for addressing Web accessibility issues in policies, education, research and development, and technology and tools.


2008 ◽  
pp. 3410-3429
Author(s):  
Jack S. Cook ◽  
Laura Cook

Web accessibility is really not a technological issue but rather a cultural problem. A Web site is said to be Web accessible if anyone, regardless of capabilities or disabilities, using any kind of Web browsing technology to visit the site has full and complete access to the site’s content and has the ability to interact with the site if required. If properly planned from the start, a Web site can be functional, accessible and aesthetically pleasing. This chapter focuses on ensuring access to information available on the Internet. The overall objective is to increase awareness of Web accessibility issues by providing rationale for why Web designers should be interested in creating accessible sites. Specifically, this chapter identifies some of the emerging digital barriers to accessibility encountered by those with disabilities. Current efforts to address these barriers legally are identified and their effectiveness for breaking down barriers is discussed. The World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C’s) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is discussed, followed by a study of the 50 most visited Web sites. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the importance of this topic and future developments.


2011 ◽  
pp. 522-540
Author(s):  
Rui Lopes ◽  
Konstantinos Votis ◽  
Luís Carriço ◽  
Spiridon Likothanassis ◽  
Dimitrios Tzovaras

The Web serves as the principal mediator for information sharing and communication on a worldwide scale. Its highly decentralized nature affords a scale free growth, where each endpoint (i.e., Web site) is created and maintained independently. Web designers and developers have the onus of making sure that users can interact without accessibility problems. However, coping with users with disabilities poses challenges on how to ensure that a Web site is accessible for any kind of user. When (and if) this is done, designers and developers do it in a post-hoc way, (i.e., verify and tweak Web sites according to guidelines such as WCAG). In this Chapter the authors present SWAF, the Semantic Web Accessibility Framework, a base framework for supporting the integration of accessibility services into Web design and development processes. SWAF affords both tailoring accessibility to user needs and specifying the semantic validation of accessibility guidelines in different application situations.


2009 ◽  
pp. 2542-2555
Author(s):  
Soonhwa Seok

Digital inclusion and Web accessibility are integral parts of modern culture and, as such, have implications for social accountability. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has suggested standards and guidelines regarding the inclusion of people with special needs, with an emphasis on higher accessibility and adaptability as the main goal of Web design. The user interface is the place where users can interact with the information by using their minds. Users with special needs can acquire information by using a human centered user interface. This article highlights the need to investigate the relationship between cognition and user interface.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Shawna Longo

This chapter lays the foundation for an authentic integrated approach to learning. Music technology is a key component in most approaches that integrate STEM with Music. The connecting of multiple content areas through the arts, or music, can be used to increase teacher collaboration. The key areas of arts integration, STEM, STEAM, and how these can effectively and authentically exist together in the classroom to increase student engagement and connections to the content areas and concepts, are defined through a research-based and pragmatic approach. By incorporating the fundamental definitions and understandings posited by this chapter into one’s teaching students will be given opportunities to connect STEM concepts to the artistic processes.


Author(s):  
Julio Abascal ◽  
Myriam Arrue ◽  
Markel Vigo

Web design and evaluation are currently framed by legal restrictions and social demands for full accessibility. The main reason is that currently most web sites are not accessible for people with physical, sensory or cognitive restrictions due to diverse causes, such as disability, use of non-standard equipment or special work conditions. Accessibility awareness has advanced considerably in recent years, but designers are still having difficulties in updating or creating new accessible pages. Even though useful tools and sound evaluation methodologies are being designed, they are of no use if they are not integrated into the standard web design lifecycle, interacting naturally with common design and authoring tools. This chapter introduces the basic concepts related to web accessibility and proposes a method for including accessibility in standard web engineering methodologies. The key phases, accessibility, evaluation and maintenance, are described in detail. Finally, a model is proposed for implementing accessibility policy in organizations.


2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 39-50
Author(s):  
Brien Bolin ◽  
Linnea GlenMaye

An innovative web-based approach to teaching computer-based technological skills to MSW students is described. Students enrolled in an advanced generalist community practice course were taught how to create useful, informative, and empowering web sites for at-risk communities. Student feedback suggested that web development skills were viewed as relevant and useful to community-based practice, and students felt empowered through the acquisition of technological skills. The basic pedagogical features of the assignment are described and recommendations for mounting a web design course are offered.


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