Learning Objectives
After completing this lesson you will be able to:
- Know barriers in online accessibility.
- Understand how it is important to make online courses accessible.
- Gain knowledge and be inspired to make online courses accessible.
- Engage and share experience with the class.
- Feel encourage and engage in making online content accessible.
Activity Checklist
- Watch the video "To Care and Comply" from the homepage.
- Read all the content in the homepage
- Watch the video "Barriers in Mathematics" and read the articles.
- Read the regulations in online accessibility.
- Discussion: Your experience working with people with disabilities.
Terminology in Accessibility
- Accessibility
Within these guidelines, "accessible Web content" and "accessible authoring tool" mean that the content and tool can be used by people regardless of disability. To understand the accessibility issues relevant to authoring tool design, consider that many authors may be creating content in contexts very different from your own:- They may not be able to see, hear, move, or may not be able to process some types of information easily or at all;
- They may have difficulty reading or comprehending text;
- They may not have or be able to use a keyboard or mouse;
- They may have a text-only display, or a small screen.
Accessible design will benefit people in these different authoring scenarios and also many people who do not have a physical disability but who have similar needs.
- Web Content
refers to the information in a Web page or Web application, including text, images, forms, sounds, and such. - Web software
Web browsers, media players, and other "user agents"; for more information, see User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG) Overview.Authoring tools that creates Web sites; for more information see, Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) Overview. Evaluation tools that determine if a Web site meets standards and guidelines; for a list of accessibility evaluation tools, see Evaluation, Repair, and Transformation Tools for Web Content Accessibility.
People with disabilities sometimes use other software, called assistive technologies, to interact with the Web. - To see more specific terminology, go to Glossary from W3C
Barriers in Online Accessibility
Students with disabilities will not be able to access web content if it's not formatted accessibly. In the United States, people with disabilities are the largest minority group. Some 54.4 million people, or 18.7% of the population, have a disability. This number will increase rapidly as the baby boom generation ages, because 53% of persons over 75 have a disability.
In 2012, the Distance Learning department and two Math Departments at Portland Community College financed release time for two math faculty, Scot Leavitt and Chris Hughes, to study how to make math content more accessible for online students with disabilities. (Watch the video "Barriers in Mathematics)
- Read: Barriers Common to Mobile Device Users and People with Disabilities
- Read more about the differences between Accessible, Usable, and Universal Design from University of Washington.
Regulations in Web Accessibility
- Read: U.S. Department of Justice: Accessibility of State and Local Government Websites to People with Disabilities
This ADA Home Page provides access to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations for businesses and State and local governments, technical assistance materials, ADA Standards for Accessible Design, links to Federal agencies with ADA responsibilities and information, updates on new ADA requirements, streaming video, information about Department of Justice ADA settlement agreements, consent decrees, and enforcement activities and access to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) ADA material - Read: A Guide to Disability Rights Laws from ADA
This guide provides an overview of Federal civil rights laws that ensure equal opportunity for people with disabilities. - Read: Introduction to US Laws for Web Accessibility
The WebAIM site introduces key US laws pertinent to web accessibility. This information will help you understand the conditions under which you must create web content that is accessible to individuals with disabilities under US law.
Proactive Solution
Making online courses accessible at the last minute is putting your institution at risk. One of the solutions is proactive web accessibility strategy that is adopted in some universities, such as George Mason University.
Summary
Accessibility is required by law. To make onlince courses accessible, it is important to know the reasons why accessibility is so important. Understanding regulations and what barriers students have encountered, and students with different disabilities will inspire you to be aware when you choos online content for your course.
Without changes such as these, people with disabilities will not be able to fully participate in online opportunities in education, employment, communication, and government. Simply put, people with disabilities need accessibility to be included as equal members of the information society. Public policy has promoted the rights of persons with disabilities in the United States for four decades, and as technology evolves, so must legal guarantees of rights for persons with disabilities.
Activity
Discussion Instruction
- Watch a webinar presentation from “The Long Road from Reactive to Proactive: Developing an Accessibility Strategy".
- After you complete all the reading and watching, describe your experience that you have ever worked with students with disability. If you never have experience, describe what would you do to help them succeed in online education. Post the discussion in the Discussion Lesson 1. and respond to the group at least 3 people.