Skip to Main Content >

IT Accessibility Curriculum and Resources

You are here: Home > Resources & Tools > General Resources on Accessibility

General Resources on Accessibility

Background in Policy and Law

Eating the Elephant — "The 10 that gets you 90"

Creating Accessible Images and Visual Elements

Using Cascading Style Sheets to Enhance Accessibility

  • The W3C's Cascading Style Sheets Home Page
    Includes the latest information on the status of various style sheet-related documents, and includes links to resources you can use to learn CSS.
    http://www.w3.org/Style/CSS/
  • The W3C's W3C CSS Validation Service
    Includes a downloadable version of the validator.
    http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/
  • The CSS Zen Garden
    One of a series of sites in which designers take the same basic content and give it an entirely different flavor using nothing more than CSS. If you are still on the fence regarding the power of CSS, this site will convince you!
    http://www.csszengarden.com/
  • The w3schools CSS Tutorials
    Provides tips and techniques at a very granular level. Their mission is "to develop well organized and easy to understand online Web tutorials based on W3C Web standards."
    http://www.w3schools.com/css/
  • The Web Design Group's CSSCheck
    Another excellent style sheet validator.
    http://www.htmlhelp.com/tools/csscheck/

Accessible HTML Tables

  • Tables in HTML Documents
    This is the portion of the W3C's HTML specification that discusses tables and the elements that are used in composing tables. Excellent resource, including a section about how tables are rendered by non-visual user agents.
    http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/struct/tables.html
  • Techniques for Accessible HTML Tables
    Prepared by Stephen Ferg, a computer systems analyst in the Division of Data Dissemination Systems (LABSTAT) at the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Discusses techniques for formatting complex tables of statistical data in HTML so that they are accessible to visually impaired users and compliant with the provisions of Section 508.
    http://www.ferg.org/section508/accessible_tables.html
  • Accessible Tables
    Written by Jim Thatcher, a noted accessibility expert, for the Information Technology Technical Assistance and Training Center, funded in support of Section 508 by NIDRR and GSA at Georgia Institute of Technology, Center for Rehabilitation Technology.
    http://www.jimthatcher.com/webcourse9.htm
  • WebAIM's Creating Accessible Tables
    Good, basic tutorial on coding accessible tables in HTML.
    http://www.webaim.org/techniques/tables/

Creating Accessible HTML Forms

Working With Proprietary Formats

  • Adobe's® Acrobat Accessibility Page
    Provides links to a number of documents that discuss the accessibility features of PDFs.
    http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/solutionsacc.html
  • How to Create Accessible Adobe PDF Files Booklet
    This Adobe PDF booklet is a step-by-step guide that covers the basics for creating and optimizing Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files so that they can be made accessible to users with disabilities such as blindness or low vision.
    http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/access_booklet.html
  • WebAIM's Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Techniques
    Discusses the accessibility problems with PDF documents and what can be done to ameliorate them.
    http://www.webaim.org/techniques/acrobat/
  • The W3C's PDF Techniques for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 and 2.0
    Describes how to create accessible Adobe Portable Document Format as refered to in the PDF Reference Manual Second Edition, Version 1.3 which explains the changes between PDF 1.3 and 1.4 .
    http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/WCAG-PDF-TECHS-20010913/

Designing Usable Web Sites

  • useit.com
    Web usability guru Jakob Neilsen's site, which includes an archive of his Alertbox column on web usability, along with summaries of various research reports, links to other usability resources, and lots of tips.
    http://www.useit.com
  • STC Usability Web Site
    This web site is a forum to share information and experiences on issues related to the usability and user-centered design. It is the home of the Usability Special Interest Group of the Society for Technical Communication.
    http://www.stcsig.org/usability/>
  • Usability.gov
    A portal site hosted by the U. S. Department of Health, including information on how to build usability considerations into the web site planning process.
    http://www.usability.gov/

Validating Your Web Site

  • The Bobby Online Free Portal
    Bobby, one of the most widely-known web page validators, was initially developed by CAST, a not-for-profit education research and development organization that uses technology to make education more flexible and accessible for all students, especially those with disabilities. It was subsequently sold to Watchfire, which now markets it as a commercial product. There is still a free component to Bobby, however, which you can access using the link below.
    http://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/index.jsp
  • The Cynthia Says™ Portal
    Cynthia is a web content accessibility validation solution, it is designed to identify errors in design related to Section 508 standards and the WCAG guidelines. The main purpose of this portal is to educate web site developers in the development Web Based content that is accessible to all. This online test only validates one page at a time.
    http://www.contentquality.com/
  • Validating Websites for Accessibility Using Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004
    New reporting tools for accessibility and valid code, designers and developers may quickly identify problems on a single page, a collection of pages-even an entire site. Dreamweaver MX 2004 checks the selected pages for compliance with Section 508 standards or W3C Web Accessibility Initiative Guidelines, then generates a list of problems, so you can quickly find and repair the areas needing attention.
    http://www.macromedia.com/devnet/dreamweaver/articles/validate.html
  • Evaluation, Repair, and Transformation Tools for Web Content Accessibility
    A collection of information about evaluation, repair, and transformation tools useful for Web content developers and Web users who wish to make the Web more accessible.
    http://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/existingtools.html
  • The Digital Divide: Understanding and Addressing the Challenge
    White paper on the implications — including the literacy implications — of the "digital divide."
    http://www.nysfirm.org/documents/html/whitepapers/nysfirm_digital_divide.htm
  • HTML Tidy
    A full-featured text editor designed to help HTML, XML, and script authors to edit, format, validate, preview, and publish Web pages. Newcomers to HTML coding can benefit from the program's error-catching abilities. Experts can save time spent on common tasks, using the customizable and extendible editor, while maintaining full control over the code. Free download from CNet.com
    http://download.com.com/3000-2048-4687625.html

Accessible Multimedia

  • "Accessible Multimedia" — Article on the Sun/Java web site, with significant discussion of accessible multimedia in a classroom setting. Also includes links to some other Sun/Java articles on accessibility at the bottom of the article.
    http://java.sun.com/features/2000/03/accessibility.mm_ns.html
  • Online Course in Accessible Multimedia (FEE) — $350 (discounts available)
    Course is provided by EASI - Equal Access to Software & Information, the organization founded by Professor Norman Coombs.
    From the class information page:
    "Educational and other information providers on the Internet are increasingly using multimedia as a means to disseminate information. Multimedia poses special problems but also unique opportunities for reaching people with disabilities. Providing transcriptions, captions and descriptive video synchronized with the media is a real challenge. This course will give step-by-step instruction in how and when to provide transcriptions and synchronized captions. This course will be good for web masters, information technologists, instructional technologists, disabled student staff, librarians and more. (This course is optional for the EASI/USM certificate.)"
    http://www.easi.cc/workshops/mmedia.htm
  • Jim Thatcher's Section 508 Web Accessibility Tutorial on Audio and Multimedia
    "Multimedia content on the Web, by its definition - including or involving the use of several media - would seem to be inherently accessible or easily made accessible.

    "However, if the information is audio, such as a RealAudio feed from a news conference or the proceedings in a courtroom, a person who is deaf or hard of hearing cannot access that content unless provision is made for a visual presentation of audio content. Similarly, if the content is pure video, a blind person or a person with severe vision loss will miss the message without the important information in the video being described."
    http://www.jimthatcher.com/webcourse6.htm

  • Accessible Multimedia from the Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison's Web Accessiblity 101 Tutorial
    "Multimedia includes video, audio, and animations. Multimedia that isn't accompanied by an accessible alternative can be major obstacle to an individual that is not able to see or hear. Two Section 508 standards relate to multimedia. Section 508 - Standard (b) presents requirements for making multimedia accessible. Section 508 - Standard (m) indicates that designers using multimedia need to provide users with a location to download a plug-in to run the multimedia file."
    http://www.doit.wisc.edu/accessibility/online-course/standards/multimedia.htm
  • Enhancing Education: Creating Accessible Digital Multimedia — WGBH/NCAM
    "An accessible digital multimedia presentation should always contain the following features:
    • Captions, which provide a textual equivalent for all audio
    • Audio descriptions, which describe important visual elements of the presentation
    • A transcript, so braille users can read the contents of the presentation, and so anyone can scan the contents of a presentation prior to viewing it."
    http://enhancinged.wgbh.org/research/access/digi.html
  • Making Flash Accessible — WebAim
    "Macromedia Flash and Shockwave have changed the way many developers create content for the Web. These technologies enable developers to create highly interactive, multimedia rich experiences for their site's visitors. Movies created with Flash and Shockwave can include graphics, text, video and sound all packaged in a bandwidth friendly file."
    http://www.webaim.org/techniques/articles/flash
  • Creating Accessible Multimedia — WebAim Course
    "Focus is on creating accessible multimedia that is:

    "Perceivable.  Perception takes place through one or more of our five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. Neither smell nor taste are of much use for Web browsing, but sight, hearing and touch are. These perceptions are very much influenced by Web multimedia. Because Web multimedia is primarily audible and visual, we are going to focus on ways to make this content accessible to those who may not have full use of sight and sound.

    "Operable.  Physical motion of some sort is required to operate a computer to access the Internet. Some people use a mouse and the keyboard. Some can only use the keyboard. Some cannot use either of these devices. Web multimedia often requires much user interaction and control. Strategies will be discussed to allow multimedia to be operable by people with disabilities.

    "Navigable.  Multimedia on the Web often relies on programs or applications such as plug-ins, players, or readers that may have varying levels of navigability.

    "Understandable.  The content itself must be presented in a way that can be comprehended by the user. Sometimes this means supplementing your content with additional materials, media formats, or versions.

    "Web technologies.  Included in the idea of Web technologies are HTML, XHTML, XML, Flash, PDF, Quicktime, and any other technology that can be accessed via the Internet. This week's training focuses specifically on the many multimedia technologies that are being utilized on the Web.

    "Within Web technologies:  If the content is being presented within the Web browser, you have to check for cross-browser and cross-platform compatibility, along with backward compatibility.

    "Across Web technologies:  When using non-browser applications, such as plug-ins, players, and readers, choose technologies that have accessibility features, and take full advantage of those features. When using a technology which does not have accessibility features, provide an accessible alternative.


    http://www.rh.cc.ca.us/dsps/Web%20Aim/week4/index.htm

Back to Resources HOME