Web-Based Teaching and Learning for Blind and Visually Impaired Faculty

Currently, 24% of the population has experienced significant vision loss. Though there has been some progress on developing accessible Web pages, there has been little work on providing Web page development accessibility to visually-impaired faculty. This chapter presents a study designed to assist educational organizations with blind or visually-impaired (BVI) faculty in the development of online courses and in the teaching of those same courses. The study used the tools of interview, usability analysis, and experimentation. Issues discussed include software accessibility, college or university support requirements, motivational factors, instructor skill levels, and strategies for working with BVI faculty. The findings and recommendations are specific to the WebCT environment, but some of the strategies may be generalized to other similar environments. The article ends with a discussion of major technology initiatives currently underway.

Web-Based Distance Learning and the Second Digital Divide

Web-based distance learning programs promise learning options anywhere, anytime, to anyone. However, some individuals with disabilities are locked out of these opportunities when courses are designed in such a way that they are inaccessible to individuals using assistive technology. This chapter provides an overview of access challenges for people with disabilities; suggestions for course developers on creating accessible courses; and suggestions for administrators on developing accessiblity policies, guidelines, and procedures.

Web Accessibility and the Law

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.

Overcoming Organizational Barriers to Web Accessibility in Higher Education

The number of students with disabilities who attend college is rising, which may be one of the many positive outcomes of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. While issues of adequate access to assistive technologies in computer labs, classrooms and libraries continue to be of importance for students with disabilities, it is apparent that consideration of the accessibility of academic cyberspace is also important for this growing population of students. This chapter is a case study of a successful Web accessibility initiative at the University of Arizona. Recommendations for both policy and implementation are included, with a discussion of how organizational culture and structure affects such efforts.

Inclusion in an Electronic Classroom

Providing educational opportunities within online environments, while beneficial, also has the potential to exclude a significant portion of the population. Those who are learning and physically disabled may be prevented from accessing online learning environments due to problems in the design of the technology, as well as with the pedagogy directing the use of this technology. Inclusion in an Electronic Classroom was funded by the Office of Learning Technologies (OLT) and examined accessibility within various courseware platforms in order to better assess both the technological and pedagogical issues associated with the general educational shift toward providing learning opportunities within online learning networks.2 This paper presents a summary of the results of this study alongside recommendations for ensuring equitable access within online, courseware-enabled, networked learning. The study data are placed within a framework that examines the technical and pedagogical ramifications of accessibility issues and online learning environments, specifically, courseware environments currently used in today’s online educational market. The findings are compared with the associated guidelines and checkpoints in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines published by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and provide a useful framework for consideration of the current challenges and the opportunities at hand for courseware authoring tool developers.3

Understanding Section 508 and Its Implications for Distance Education

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act mandates that federal agencies must ensure the provision of accessible electronic and information technology. Although this legislation has not formally been applied to higher education, it will inevitably have an impact on all academic institutions, particularly in the area of distance education. This analysis examines how the legislation applies to distance education technologies and technical requirements and provisions of the law. An overview of Section 508 standards and its application is distance education is discussed.

Web Accessibility at University Libraries and Library Schools

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates that library programs and services must be accessible to people with disabilities. In an era in which much information resides in digitized form on the World Wide Web, the ADA’s mandate must be interpreted as applying not only to physical space but also to cyberspace. Just as in the physical world, proper design is a crucial issue. Only accessibly-designed Web pages ensure that all people, including those with print disabilities, have access to Web-based information. Previous studies indicate that a large proportion of campus, as well at the main libraries on these campuses. This study looks at all 56 North American ALA-accredited schools of library and information science (SLIS), as well at the main libraries on these campuses. Accessibility data collected in February 2002 are compared to 2000 data. The findings continue to give cause for concern: It is reasonable to assume that low Web page accessibility at the nation’s library schools reflects a lack of awareness about this issue among the leaders and trainers in the library profession.

Text-Only Alternatives

Providing a text-only version of a Web site is one way that Web developers can meet the accessibility guidelines suggested by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Text equivalents need to communicate the same information as non-text content. This flexible format allows content to be accessible to assistive technology, to new devices such as handheld computers, and to text-only Web browsers. Examples of all three are described in this chapter. One way the text-only challenge can be met is to use proper HTML coding to provide text equivalents to non-text items. This chapter reviews the applicable W3C guidelines and technical support documents and provides examples of their implementation. Another way to meet the challenge is to create a text-only version that reproduces the same content. The most efficient and accurate way is to use a parsing program that converts HTML pages into text-only equivalents on-the-fly. Two case studies are described in the chapter outlining examples of this process. By offering a text-only version, developers can ensure that their Web content is accessible to the widest range of users.

Strategies to Increase Web Accessibility and Usability in Higher Education

This chapter addresses the current status of Web accessibility and usability in higher education. As post secondary institutions strive to expand their online services and still maintain inclusive classrooms, attention must be given to the design of Web resources. Over 20 percent of Internet users have disabilities including vision, hearing, motor, and cognitive impairments that affect their use of the Internet. In addition, many users have inefficient operating systems and/or slow connections. The World Wide Web Consortium’s Accessibility Initiative guidelines for accessibility are reviewed for the following areas: (1) page organization, (2) images, (3) image maps, (4) graphs and charts, (5) tables, (6) multi-media components, (7) scripts, applets, and plug-ins, (8) frames, (9) use of color, and (10) default font settings. Examples and strategies are presented for creating dynamic Web pages that are accessible and usable without jeopardizing the goals and creativity of the designer. Developing accessible Web resources will benefit all users, as well as comply with federal accessibility regulations for electronic and information technology.