Web Accessibility and Electronic Resources
This webpage presents resources, tips, and legal information about Web accessibility and the challenges people with disabilities face when navigating the Internet.
Using the World Wide Web may present difficulties for people with disabilities. Not all websites are designed to be accessible for users with disabilities. Users who are blind or visually impaired may need to use a screen reader to access Web content. Users who are deaf or hard of hearing need captions or transcripts of videos embedded in websites. Users with learning disabilities may have difficulty deciphering meaning if a website is not clearly organized.
SDS is committed to working with the university as a whole to improve the accessibility of New School websites, digital resources, and Learning Management Systems.
Web Accessibility Articles
This article is a straightforward introduction to Web accessibility and an explanation of why it matters. The article includes basic information on the way people with disabilities use the Web, ways to implement accessible Web design, principles of accessibility, and a list of external resources. Useful for tech and nontech types alike.
webaim.org/intro
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has a wealth of information about Web accessibility. The site defines Web accessibility and provides examples and links to resources that enable users to test the accessibility of a website.
www.w3.org/WAI/intro/accessibility.php
A particularly useful article comes from George Mason University. It provides an example of an accessible academic website, offers a broad overview of accessibility, and discusses the need for Web design for accessibility at institutions of higher education.
webaccessibility.gmu.edu/index.html
Tips and Checklists
This website is a Web accessibility toolkit targeted at research libraries and the academic sphere. It presents information on standards and best practices, tips for fostering an inclusive institution, statistics on individuals with disabilities and higher education, and links to external resources. It is intended "to promote the principles of accessibility, universal design, and digital inclusion; help research libraries achieve digital accessibility, and connect research libraries with the tools, people, and examples they need to provide accessible digital content."
accessibility.arl.org
Published by the American Foundation for the Blind, this website presents tips for making blogs accessible. It is useful for anybody who administers a blog or website, even if not at the coding level.
www.afb.org/info/accessibility/creating-accessible-websites/23
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) offers a step-by-step guide to designing accessible websites that can be used as a checklist. The final step presents numerous useful links that can be used in evaluating websites for accessibility.
askjan.org/media/webpages.html
Editorial Articles
From A List Apart, a popular blog for Web designers and developers, this is an interesting and engaging article that is geared to those in the tech world but is straightforward enough for nontech types to understand. The article offers an insider's perspective on how people who create websites think and talk about accessibility.
alistapart.com/article/accessibility-the-missing-ingredient
This article making a case for accessibility is from "24 Ways To Impress Your Friends," a yearly online publication for Web designers and developers. It is aimed at people who create websites and have some knowledge of coding and development.
24ways.org/2013/coding-towards-accessibility