ERIC Number: EJ1040525
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Monitoring for Accessibility and University Websites: Meeting the Needs of People with Disabilities
Solovieva, Tatiana I.; Bock, Jeremy M.
Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, v27 n2 p113-127 Sum 2014
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), people with disabilities are guaranteed access to all postsecondary programs and services. The purpose of this study, conducted by the Center for Excellence in Disabilities, was to evaluate the current status of a major university's web accessibility. The results indicated that in 2011 only 51% of 509 web pages (sample) at a large public university in the northeastern United States passed automated web accessibility tests with Cynthia Says for Section 508 compliance (WCAG 1.0). Only 35% passed using the WAVE Accessibility Tool for the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0 Level A) Priority 1 compliance, which is a more rigorous evaluation level. The stricter the level of testing, the more university web pages failed. Stricter web accessibility requirements may be legally imposed instead of Section 508 in the future. Universities will succeed in meeting an important mandate of the ADA by making institutional websites accessible to current and future students and employees with disabilities.
Descriptors: Disabilities, Postsecondary Education, Universities, Web Sites, Accessibility (for Disabled), Access to Information, Compliance (Legal), Court Litigation, Error Patterns, Content Analysis, Measures (Individuals), Visual Impairments, Learning Disabilities, Psychomotor Skills, Barriers
Association on Higher Education and Disability. 107 Commerce Center Drive Suite 204, Huntersville, NC 28078. Tel: 704-947-7779; Fax: 704-948-7779; e-mail: ahead@ahead.org; Web site: http://www.ahead.org/publications/jped
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Postsecondary Education; Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Americans with Disabilities Act 1990; Rehabilitation Act 1973; Rehabilitation Act Amendments 1998
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A