When making software procurement decisions, educational entities need to look critically at which products in a given software category will best serve the needs of all students, without excluding some on the basis of disability. To determine whether a software application is accessible, the application should be evaluated according to a set of guidelines or standards that defines software accessibility.
Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI™) is one of four domains of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C®). W3C was created in 1994 to develop common protocols that promote the evolution of the World Wide Web and ensure its interoperability. The HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) specifications are two of the most familiar outcomes of W3C's work. W3C has more than five hundred member organizations worldwide. Its domains are Architecture, User Interface, Technology and Society, and WAI, which works across the other three domains.
The term rich media was coined to describe a broad range of digital interactive media. Rich media can be downloadable or may be embedded in a web page. If downloadable, it can be viewed or used offline with media players such as Real Networks' RealPlayer, Microsoft Media Player, or Apple's QuickTime, among others.
The defining characteristic of rich media is that it exhibits dynamic motion. This motion may occur over time or in direct response to user interaction.
Audio description is a term used to describe the descriptive narration of key visual elements in a video or multimedia product. This process allows individuals who are blind to access content that is not otherwise accessible simply by listening to the audio. In audio description, narrators typically describe actions, gestures, scene changes, and other visual information. They also describe titles, speaker names, and other text that may appear on the screen.
No. In a study conducted by Diane Cordry Golden of Missouri Assistive Technology in 2001, twenty-five "award winning" companies who produce instructional software for K-12 students (preschool through high school) were surveyed regarding the accessibility of their software to students with disabilities. Nineteen companies responded. Two reported that they were aware of accessibility issues and specifically Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. One of these two was beginning work on accessibility issues; the other had developed a planning committee.
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a web markup language, developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). CSS accompanies HTML and gives both developers and users more control over how pages are displayed. CSS allows web developers to separate the appearance of a page (CSS) from its structure and informational content (HTML). This is a good idea since users access content using a wide variety of devices and media. The presentation of a document should therefore not be the same for everyone, but content and structure should be.
An often-cited rule in web design is "Test your website." Typically this involves reviewing your site in multiple web browsers and at multiple screen resolutions, as well as checking spelling and links. An accessibility check should also be included in this process.
Web Accessibility in Mind (WebAIM), an organization funded by the U.S. Department of Education, recommends the following seven-step process in its document titled The Planning, Evaluation, Repair and Maintenance Process:
Educators utilize a wide variety of authoring tools to create web sites. In virtually every category of computer software, if content can be created, it can be saved or exported as HTML. Many web authors simply export the content of their word processing files or of files they've created using graphics applications. Unfortunately, much of this web content is inaccessible to users with disabilities.
According to the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG) 2.0:
A user agent is any software that retrieves, renders and facilitates end-user interaction with web content. User agents include web browsers, media players, add-ons (plug-ins & extensions), and web applications that help in retrieving, rendering and interacting with web content.
Information technology accessibility discussions in education tend to focus on the accessibility of content, whether it is delivered on the web or in computer software applications. The accessibility of computer hardware, however, is equally critical, since even if content is accessible, an inaccessible computer can pose a barrier that denies a student or employee access to that content.