Unified Website Accessibility Assessment Framework

In this chapter, a unified web accessibility assessment (UWAA) framework and its software has been proposed. UWAA framework was developed by considering Web Content Accessibility Guideline 2.0 to evaluate accessibility of web sites by integrating more than one evaluation approach. Achecker tool as an automated evaluation approach and barrier walkthrough (BW) as an expert-based evaluation approach were integrated in the UWAA framework. The framework also provides suggestions to recover from the problems determined to the evaluators. The websites of three universities were evaluated to determine the framework's accuracy and consistency. It was revealed that the results obtained from automated and expert-based evaluation methods were consistent and complementary with each other. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that problems which cannot be determined by an automated tool but which can be detected by an expert can be identified by BW method.

A Systematic Review of Web Accessibility Metrics

Currently, providing accessible websites for all users is an essential requirement. There are various qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods to assure accessibility. Among these, the quantitative methods show the level of accessibility of the website using web accessibility metrics (WAM), which provide a way to understand, control, and improve these websites. This study was aimed to identify current trends and analyze WAMs through a systematic literature review. Therefore, 30 WAM studies that were published since 2008 were determined and investigated according to attributes defined for the metrics such as guideline set used by the metric, coupling level with the guidelines, type of evaluation, site complexity, and validation with the user. Fourteen recently proposed WAMs were determined since 2008. Recently proposed WAMs have begun to consider more elaborate issues such as rich internet applications, website complexity, usability, or user experience issues and implement some machine learning approaches for the metrics.

Evaluating the Accessibility of Computer Laboratories, Libraries, and Websites in Jordanian Universities and Colleges

This article evaluates the accessibility computer laboratories, libraries, and web sites of five different institutions of higher education in Jordan. The evaluation is performed using a questionnaire and by expert visiting these institutions of higher education to check their accessibility according to a set of universal standard collected from the literature. The analysis of the results revealed a serious weakness in understanding, adopting and implementing web accessibility guidelines throughout nearly all evaluated Jordanian universities and colleges. On the other hand, the accessibility of computer laboratories and libraries the questionnaire answers show that there is environmental barrier and technological barrier for persons with disabilities to access such services. The article points out the importance of improving awareness, training staff and developers, and developing formal guidelines to improve the accessibility of universities and colleges services.

Examination of the electronic educational resources accessibility on the university Moodle platform

The purpose of the article is to assess the accessibility of electronic educational resources (EER) published in the university Moodle Learning Management System (LMS). The analysis involved 22 EERs in mathematical and information technology disciplines, located in the Moodle LMS of the V. I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University. The examination algorithm included analysis using the Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool (WAVE) and expert analysis of web accessibility using visual, auditory and manual methods based on 89 checklist attributes. In the result of the analysis, multiple accessibility errors of the Moodle platform and the EERs hosted on it were found. The most serious platform problems include: lack of compatibility with text browsers; errors of reproduction by screen readers; errors of content reproduction on mobile devices. The list of accessibility errors made by the authors of EERs includes: incorrect design of hyperlinks (22.7 % of the EERs); lack of subtitles (13.6 %), transcripts (22.7 %), synopses of video lectures (27.3 %); lack of alternative descriptions for figures (68.2 %); time limit for tests (9.1 %); lack of special markup for mathematical notation (36.4 %) and program code (13.6 %), etc. Results of the survey show need in training of EERs’ authors in technologies for developing accessible educational web content. It is advisable to familiarize web developers deploying an LMS at universities with the basics of web accessibility, LMS accessibility functions and modules in order to select the most suitable platform, determine and install the required set of accessibility tools. Before launching all EERs should be subject to mandatory examination for compliance with the web accessibility guidelines.

Reframing Web Accessibility in Post-Secondary Education: Examining the Role of the Educator in the Curation and Creation of Accessible Digital Course Content

Web accessibility is emerging as a key issue and opportunity for educators in post-secondary institutions (Brown, 2018; Gronseth, 2018). Many factors affect web accessibility, yet little literature examines web accessibility factors relative to literacy, pedagogy, course culture, course content curation and information design for learning— areas that rest firmly within an educator’s domain. What facets are specifically relevant to post-secondary educators? The conference presentation, this proceeding, and a subsequent article for the OTESSA journal that addresses the broader construct of digital accessibility, invite critical engagement with web accessibility practices, accessible course content, and the digital accessibility of technology-mediated learning environments. Together and individually, they offer educators various points of entry that are relevant to praxis and seek to ignite discussions and interventions that build educators’ agency and self-efficacy to co-create accessible courses with students with (and without) disabilities.

Cognitive disabilities and web accessibility: a survey into the Brazilian web development community

Cognitive disabilities include a diversity of conditions related to cognitive functions, such as reading, understanding, learning, solving problems, memorization and speaking. They differ largely from each other, making them a heterogeneous complex set of disabilities. Although the awareness about cognitive disabilities has been increasing in the last few years, it is still less than necessary compared to other disabilities. The need for an investigation about this issue is part of the agenda of the Challenge 2 (Accessibility and Digital Inclusion) from GranDIHC-Br. This paper describes the results of an online exploratory survey conducted with 105 web development professionals from different sectors to understand their knowledge and barriers regarding accessibility for people with cognitive disabilities. The results evidenced three biases that potentially prevent those professionals from approaching cogni-tive disabilities: strong organizational barriers; difficulty to understand user needs related to cognitive disabilities; a knowledge gap about web accessibility principles and guidelines. Our results confirmed that web development professionals are unaware about cognitive disabilities mostly by a lack of knowledge about them, even if they understand web accessibility in a technical level. Therefore, we suggest that applied research studies focus on how to fill this knowledge gap before providing tools, artifacts or frameworks.

Web Accessibility Interventions for Citizens Living with Cognitive Impairment: A Rapid Evidence Assessment

BackgroundThere is a clear and pressing need to understand the barriers to technology user experience, particularly in relation to people with cognitive disabilities. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent expansion of digital technologies associated with education, wellness and employment only makes the need to understand how people with cognitive disabilities interact with such technologies, within the naturalistic context of their lifeworld, increasingly urgent. Therefore a necessary first step is to develop a baseline understanding of the current state of web accessibility for people with cognitive disabilities. Thus, the purpose of this review is to conduct baseline research to understand the factors and processes that inhibit access to online content and services for people with cognitive impairments.MethodsThis systematic, rapid evidence assessment, review will employ a search strategy using defined terms within agreed search strings in the following databases: Web of Science, SCOPUS, EBSCOhost, ERIC and ProQuest. Internet searching through Google Scholar will be carried out as well as forward and backward tracking of citations from studies that are included in the review. All results, screening process results will be documented in tabular form and communicated in a PRISMA flow diagram. In addition, the research team consider it necessary to carry out a grey literature search due to the nature of the work being investigated. The expertise within the research team indicated that many programmes that support people with cognitive impairments do not formally report their work through academic dissemination pathways. Consequently it is intended that a grey literature search will be carried out to supplement that findings of study. In contrast to the focus on studies published in English for peer review returns, the grey literature search will actively seek out returns across all languages of the European Union.DiscussionThis rapid review protocol will focus on citizens ages 9 and up who live with cognitive impairment and establish a baseline for best practice in supporting web accessibility for people with cognitive impairments. It will achieve this by providing a time limited state-of-the-art evidence report, specific to the challenges people with cognitive impairment, that will help those involved in policy development, policy response initiatives and localised activity. It is intended that, depending on the outcome of the review process, additional opportunities for innovation and/or research may be communicated to relevant stakeholders and policy makers.Systematic Review RegistrationThis protocol has been submitted to the International Prospective Register for Systematic Reviews - PROSPERO, and is currently under review. Reference No. 269245.