Guide to Web Accessibility

The World Wide Web has become a necessity in today’s world. With access to the Internet people now can learn more about the news of the world the moment it happens, interact immediately with people a half a world away and use the web to shop for any item that they want without leaving home. The Internet has changed the way we live our lives and the way that we gain knowledge. However, Internet access presents barriers to people with disabilities.Disabled people have different barriers to overcome in order to have access to the Internet. The barriers are based on the degree of their disability and web accessibility is a big concern with all websites. There are set guidelines which must be followed by websites, and evaluations can be done to see how accessible they are and what can be done to correct the deficiencies. Here are some websites which discusses web accessibility, and information on what can be done so that all users can have access:

• rel=”nofollow” target=”_blank”>Disabled Barriers – Article providing an overview of the barriers to online access that disabled people face.
• Disabled Overview – Information on the web barriers that the disabled face on a regular basis.
• Breaking Down Barriers (PDF) – Article outlining accessibility issues and how those barriers are being broken down.
• Working Together – Information on how people with disabilities and computer technology can work together.
• Barriers to Online Study – Useful article from the New York Times on overcoming barriers to online study for disabled students.
• Web Accessibility – Website providing general information on accessibility on the Internet.
• Introduction to Web Accessibility – Informative page with a wide range of information on web accessibility.
• What is Web Accessibility? – Page which describes what web accessibility is and why it is important for disabled users.
• Accessibility Information – Useful page with a check list and other information on web accessibility.
• Web Accessibility Defined – Helpful site providing a definition and information on web accessibility.
• Accessibility Guidelines – Informative page from MIT providing general guidelines for web accessibility.
• Accessibility Standards – Helpful site giving standards that should be followed for web accessibility for disabled students.
• Creating Accessible Websites – Page from the American Foundation for the Blind on how to create websites that are accessible.
• Designing Usable Websites – Useful information that web designers can use to make their sites more usable.
• ADA Guidelines – Tool kit from the American Disability Act providing information on how to create accessible sites for the disabled.
• Accessible Regulations – Article providing information on the accessibility of websites for the disabled.
• Understanding Web Accessibility – Publication which discusses many aspects of accessibility and how they can be solved.
• Accessible Design – Information on providing accessible web sites.
• Disabled and Accessibility – Informative page with information on the availability of the web for the disabled.
• Web Guide – Useful guideline for disabled on how they can use the web.
• Web Access and the Disabled (PDF) – Report on the disabled having access to the World Wide Web.
• Evaluating Tools – Collection of resources and information on tools which can be useful in evaluating sites.
• Web Design Evaluation – Article providing ten tools which can be helpful in evaluating website design.
• Evaluating Web Sites – Helpful page which presents several suggestions on how web sites can be evaluated, along with useful tools to use.
• Evaluating Website Accessibility – Article which lists seven steps that can be used to evaluate how accessible a website might be.
• Web Resources – Informative collection of resources dealing with website accessibility.
• Accessibility Resources – Useful page from Purdue University which deals with a number of parts of accessibility.
• Resources for Web Accessibility – Collection of websites to understand the problems of accessing the web.
• Resources on Accessible Web Design – Information and resources on creating web pages with an eye for accessibility.
• Web Accessibility Toolkit – Cornell University toolkit providing a useful collection of resources and information.

 Author: Michael Leng