IT Accessibility Curriculum and Resources

Accessibility Curriculum

These materials were developed by the NYS Forum's IT Accessibility Committee for a 2004 presentation at the Governor's Technology Expo: Technology Opens Doors. The presentation was jointly sponsored by the NYS Forum, the NYS Office of the Advocate for Persons with Disabilities (now the NYS Commission on Quality of Care and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities), and the Northeast ADA and IT Center, Cornell University.

This curriculum is available for reuse in your training program. For information on using these resources, read our terms.

Last Updated: April 1, 2008

• Background: Policy and Law — A basic introduction to the various laws and policies governing web site accessibility, and information about the impact of disabilities on the browsing experience
• Eating the Elephant — Where and how to start
• Images and Visual Elements — The most important step you can take toward making your web site accessible
• Cascading Style Sheets — Establishing a common look and feel the accessible way
• Tables — When and how to use them... and when not to
• Forms — Designing an information collection tool everyone can use
• Scripting and Programmatic Elements — Items to consider when you're thinking about using scripts or applets
• Adobe® PDF Documents and Other Proprietary Formats — Alternatives ensure access
• XML — Using XML for file management
• Multimedia — Tools for creating accessible multimedia files
• Usability — Making sure your audience can find what they're looking for
• Validation and Testing — Where the rubber meets the road

The materials contained in this section have been prepared on behalf of the NYS Forum IT Accessibility Committee by members of that Committee. No enterprises may charge for classes that make use of these materials without the express written consent of the Forum.