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SearchModules for Web Accessibility Training
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NOTE: This information was last updated in November 2000. Some of it may be out of date.
This page provides suggested modules to address different learning objectives around Web accessibility. These can be used within a variety of curricula.
1. Why Web accessibility is important
- Present: Provide overview of Web's growing role in the "information society" and its impact on people with disabilities. Resources: online slides why is Web accessibility an issue and impact of Web on people with disabilities from Overview of WAI .
- Demo: Show video on Web site accessibility. Resource: Web Sites That Work [Web page will be provided].
2. Barriers, assistive technologies, and alternative access strategies
- Discuss: Ask people about their prior knowledge and experience with accessibility and assistive technologies.
- Present: Discuss cross-disability aspects of Web accessibility. Resource: online slide Web accessibility is a Cross-Disability Issue from Overview of WAI.
- Present: Discuss how people with different kinds of disabilities use the Web. Resource: How People with Disabilities Use the Web [document being updated.]
- Demo: Demonstrate assistive technologies and adaptive strategies for accessing the Web, for instance by using a text-only browser, a screen reader with speech output (can play an audio recording of screen reader output), a screen enlarger, speech recognition, captions, or adapted keyboards. Resource: reference links in Alternative Web Browsing; and How People with Disabilities Use the Web [document being updated.]
- Demo: Demonstrate a few popular and/or locally relevant Web sites, with their images turned off, and ask audience to discuss barriers on the sites.
- Demo: Show video on Web site accessibility. Resource: Web Sites That Work [Web page will be provided].
- Exercise: Ask people to use a text browser to explore a number of Web sites, during or after the training session. Resource: Alternative Web Browsing.
3. Business case and policy basis for accessible Web design
- Present: Provide information about disability statistics relevant to use of the Web. Resource: online slide Web accessibility is a marketplace issue from Overview of WAI.
- Demo: Demonstrate Web access via a mobile phone or hand-held device.
- Present: Provide information on the carry-over benefits of accessibility for other Web users. Resource: online slide accessibility contributes to universal design from Overview of WAI.
- Present: Discuss governmental or other policies that are relevant to the audience's context. Resource: Policies Relating to Web Accessibility.
4. Designing accessible Web sites
- Demo: Show the "Car" demo, with captions and descriptions turned on, to show how even a multimedia example can be fully accessible. Resource: Car.
- Present: Introduce the 14 general guidelines in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines as general accessibility principles, without going into detail. Resource: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0.
- Disseminate: Distribute WAI Quick Tips reference cards and discuss the ten points on the cards. Remind people they can order more from the Web site. Resource: Quick Tips for Accessible Web Sites.
- Present: Discuss the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines by priority level. Resource: WCAG Checklist.
- Demo: Introduce the Curriculum for WCAG, highlighting specific example slides, and going into the Techniques for WCAG to demonstrate some markup examples. Resources: Curriculum for WCAG; Techniques for WCAG.
- Present: Discuss technical references on accessibility features of W3C specifications. Resources: Accessibility Features of HTML, Accessibility Features of CSS, Accessibility Features of SMIL, Accessibility Features of SVG.
- Discuss: Ask which authoring tools the audience is using, and what accessibility issues arise in using those tools. Resource: Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0.
- Exercise: Ask participant teams to review sections of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, then discuss them with other participants. Resource: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0.
5. Evaluating and retrofitting Web sites for accessibility
- Discuss: Discuss the potential benefits and shortcomings of automated evaluation and manual evaluation. Resource: evaluation, repair and transformation tools resource list.
- Present: Present and discuss the review process page as a way of doing more formal Web site evaluation. Resource: [Web page will be provided.]
- Demo: Show how to use Bobby, A-Prompt, WAVE, and Lynx-Me, to evaluate and to retrofit a Web site. Resource: evaluation, repair and transformation tools resource list.
- Demo: Show the "Before and After Demo." Resource: [Web page will be provided.]
- Exercise: Download someone's page, make accessibility improvements, and discuss the changes.
- Exercise: Have people redesign their own Web sites to make them more accessible; then have other course participants give feedback.
- Exercise: Ask people to try several evaluation tools on before and after versions of the same set of Web sites. Resource: evaluation, repair and transformation tools resource list.
6. Designing accessible browsers and authoring tools
- Discuss: Ask audience about the software they are using, and discuss accessibility issues which arise. Resource: Checklist for User Agent Accessibility; Checklist for Authoring Tool Accessibility.
- Present: Discuss general principles and specific checkpoints for accessibility of browsers, multimedia players, and interface with assistive technologies; and for design of accessible authoring tools that support production of accessible content. Resource: User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0.
7. Promoting Web accessibility
- Discuss: Discuss involvement opportunities in WAI interest and working groups. Resource: [link to be added].
- Demo: Demonstrate use of WAI logos. Resource: WCAG logos, ATAG logos.
8. Finding additional resources on Web accessibility
- Discuss: Discuss additional WAI resources available. Resources: Resource section of WAI home page; Getting Started: Making a Web Site Accessible; WAI Reference page.