Introduction
The goal of this training is to present techniques that a web developer/designer can use to make a site accessible for people with disability. The theme throughout this lesson is “Comprehensive MITIGATION (reducing issues in the front end) will prevent excessive REMEDIATION (fixing issues in the back end).”
A secondary benefit is not only will these techniques make a web site accessible to people with disability but they will also make them more useable to people without disability.
WHY? It is important to note that Assistive Technologies (AT) like screen readers (i.e., JAWS), rely heavily on a web site structure and format in order for them to read it correctly. Some of these elements include:
- Alternative text for non-text elements (i.e., graphics)
- Proper headings and headings order
- Proper listings and nesting of lists (i.e., number or bullet list)
- Proper table headings and format
- Proper color contrast
NOTE: It is important to note that you do not need to know HOW to use an AT application like JAWS in order to prep a web site for accessibility. What is more important is that you know WHAT structures and formats JAWS is looking for in a web site that will help to make them more accessible.
Another benefit of learning these techniques is that they are transferable skills. Once you learn about them for web pages, you can apply the same or similar techniques for other type of documents (i.e., PDF, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.)