Accessible websites refer to those that adhere to the American Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).
Users with disabilities must be able to utilize web-based content. This means that they can understand, navigate, and interact with the site.
For OERs, this means making information accessible for software that can read content aloud, can be view able with the assistance of screen magnifiers, or uses voice-based input.
Accessibility may also mean creating a site compatible with users who do not use a mouse or keyboard, or utilize touch-interfaces, like the ones on a Smartphone or tablet.
Fonts
It’s important to note the contrast of the color of fonts in relation to backgrounds. The WAVE Tool below can help identify problematic colors combinations.
Links
Using terms such as “click here,” can cause confusion with screen readers since they read the site aloud. Providing links with context can be a less jarring experience for the end-user. For example:
Click here for the City Tech library website.
can be translated to:
The City Tech library website can be used for your research needs.
Tools
There are a number of tools to help design accessible websites.
Web Accessibility Imitative through the W3C
Accessibility through the U.S. Government’s Usability.gov site
The WebAim Website Accessibility Evaluation (WAVE) Tool can also be used to test the accessibility of a website.
The WAVE tool is not 100% accurate, however. The best way to evaluate your site for accessibility is through usability testing on a screen reader with a impaired users.
