Questions

• What distance learning technologies are you using?
• Are these technologies accessible to all learners (and teachers)?
• What is "accessible"

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0

• Developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
• Became an "official W3C recommendation" in May 1999
• 14 guidelines
• 65 checkpoints
• Priorities 1, 2, and 3

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, Amended in 1998

• Requires that electronic and information technology (E&IT) developed, procured, maintained, or used by the Federal government must be accessible to users with disabilities.
• Called for the development of E&IT accessibility standards.
• Standards were published in the Federal Register in December 2001

Section 508 Standards

• Developed by the Access Board
• Defined accessibility of six categories of "electronic and information technology"
• Web standards were based in part on WCAG 1.0 Priority 1 checkpoints
• 16 standards
• Some states and higher education institutions have adopted these standards

News Flash!

Both the WCAG and the Section 508 standards are currently undergoing revision.

• Section 508 standards updates and information available on the Editorial Working Group wiki
• W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 recently went to last call for public comment. Web content must be:
  • Perceivable
  • Operable
  • Understandable
  • Robust

A Quick Look at Specific Technologies

Adobe PDF Accessibility

• Three types of PDF:
  • Unstructured (image)
  • Structured (embedded fonts)
  • Tagged (optimized for accessibility)
• Tagged PDF:
  • Originated with Acrobat 5.0
  • Has HTML-like structure
  • Supports alternate text for images
  • Supports reflow

Support for Tagged PDF

• Major screen readers support it
• Few authoring tools support it
• Untagged PDF's can be tagged using Adobe Acrobat Standard
• After tagging, additional steps may be required to attain accessibility (these require Adobe Acrobat Professional):
  • Test and correct read order
  • Add alternate text to images
  • Tweak structure

Online PowerPoint Accessibility

There are a wide variety of methods for bringing slideshows to the web. See my test site Powerpoint & Friends: Accessible slides on the Web for more information about the accessibility each. Based on my tests, the following at this point are my preferrred methods for going from an original PowerPoint source to an online document (such as the one you're reading now):

• Distribute the original PowerPoint file (if all audience members are known to have MS Office, and are all using the same platform)
• Convert to XHTML:
  • Manually (copy and paste into a web editor)
  • LecShare
  • Illinois Accessible Web Publishing Wizard
• Convert to Adobe PDF
• Produce a narrated, captioned video

Multimedia Accessibility

This topic was covered more extensively in my CALWAC presentation titled (not surprisingly) Multimedia Accessibility.

Adobe Flash Accessibility

• Use the Flash Accessibility Panel (Shift + F11)
• If Flash production includes video, be sure to include captions
• Avoid using Flash if the same feature can be created using HTML and CSS. (remember: millions and millions of iPhones sold!)

AJAX / Web 2.0 Accessibility

The problem in a nutshell:

• What is this? (for screen reader users)
• Where am I? (for screen reader users, screen magnification users, and non-mousers)

The solution in a nutshell:

• "Progressive Enhancement"
• Begin with a static, well-structured, fully accessible XHTML document.
• Stylize with cascading style sheets (CSS)
• Use dynamic functionality as needed to supplement this document.
• Use W3C Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) techniques to maximize accessibility of dynamic content

Multiple Levels of Policy

Empower the Infrastructure

• Integrate accessibility into mainstream discussions
• Integrate accessibility into faculty and staff trainings
• Create a cross-institutional accessibility SIG or discussion list
• Invite all stakeholders
• Create a culture that embraces universal design

Opportunities for Collaboration

• EDUCAUSE IT Accessibility Constituent Group
• Access Technologists Higher Education Network (ATHEN)
• UIUC-coordinated Vendor Collaborations