Web Accessibility : Beginning
Course Outline
Understanding Web Accessibility: Accessibility and Why It Matters
- Why is accessibility on the web important?
- Types of disabilities
- Accessibility Myths
- Activity - Identifying accessibility problems
Standards and Laws
- Introduction to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
- W3C's WCAG
- HB 2819
- Activity – Compare laws and guidelines around the globe
Assistive Technology
- What are assistive technologies?
- How does a screen reader work?
- Software and hardware
- Activity - Exploring assistive technology with developer tools and simulations.
Writing Valid, Well-formed, Syntactically Correct Code
- The importance of well-formed, syntactically correct code
- Introduction to validation services
- Activity - Testing pages using validators, suggesting and making changes to code to promote validity.
Creating Accessible Content: Images, Links, Color
- Text equivalents for images, image maps
- Graphs and Charts
- Links, navigation and the ability to skip navigation
- Use of color
- Activity - Addressing accessibility issues by applying proper structure and valid code.
Pitfalls to Creating Accessible Content
- Pop Up Windows
- Scripting
- Applets and Plugins
- Timed Responses
- Flickering
- Activity – Find examples of these issues on existing sites
Creating Accessible Content – Tables
- What makes a table accessible?
- Content linearization: Data tables versus using tables for format
- Using tools to test the readability of tables
- Simple data tables vs. Complex Tables
- Applying the scope, id, and headers attributes.
- WAI WCAG Priority 1 & 2 checkpoints for tables
- Activity - Design an accessible page based on WAI WCAG Priority 1 & 2 checkpoints for tables
Creating Accessible Content – Forms
- Accessibility issues surrounding forms.
- Using the Input, fieldset and legend elements, and the label, id, title, and value attributes.
- The difference between must, should, and may for the web developer.
- Activity - Testing and retrofitting an existing forms-based page.
Separating Content from Presentation
- Making websites accessible with CSS: Separating content and structure.
- Activity - Design or retrofit an accessible page by applying CSS.
Accessibility Testing 1 hour
- Explore testing options
- Compare free vs. paid options
- Creating an Accessibility Testing Plan
- Activity – Practice using accessibility testing tools; Prepare an accessibility testing plan