Localized resources

The following web pages and other downloadable materials were developed with WIU web managers in mind. While they may be useful for other contexts, they contain specific references to WIU (and will contain more as we further develop training resources at Western).

Better web accessibility today: an introduction

Here are the materials for my presentation, "Better web accessibility today," delivered as part of Disability Awareness Week 2008.

Annotated bibliography

Maximum Accessibility John Slatin and Sharon Rush: From its large-type printing to its careful discussion of the practice of creating electronic resources which are accessible, this is a terrific book. Slatin and Rush argue convincingly that designing with accessibility in mind is not just a matter of devoting some resources to it at the beginning or end of a project. They cover both WCAG and Section 508 standards. But on the other hand, their extensive catalog of best practices—which takes up the second half of the book—shows that achieving accessible web sites can be done without compromising content or functionality.
Dive Into Accessibility Mark Pilgrim: This great online book offers a 30-day program which promises a more accessible web site. Dive Into Accessibility begins with case studies and continues with techniques which promise a more accessible web site. Many of its suggestions are included in IWAS (for example, not opening new browser windows). If you want to quickly improve the accessibility of your site, this book can help.
Building Accessible Websites Joe Clark: Clark’s book (full text online) includes excellent discussion of web accessibility theory (though I think he’d hate to hear it called that). At times, Clark is a bit snarky about terminology, but his content is quite well thought out. He goes into depth about images and tables, but doesn’t touch JavaScript or PDF accessibility. He focuses on WCAG exclusively, mentioning Section 508 in an appendix only.

Examples of compliant sites

The following WIU web sites are designed with accessibility in mind:

This site: While not extensive, this site has been designed with accessibility in mind. Server-side includes are used for content management.
WIU Libraries: Redesigned in Fall 2004, the WIU Libraries’ site uses databases to manage the considerable amount of resources it provides.
Department of English & Journalism: English & Journalism’s site uses carefully designed page architecture, CSS, XHTML 1.1, and other techniques to improve accessibility.
Student Services: Student Services’ many web sites are built using databases and careful templating, which gives the site a consistent look, but also ensures that accessibility is built into the site from the ground up.

Getting more help

To learn more about web accessibility, visit the following sites, or contact the following individuals or organizations. I can also assist WIU web managers with accessibility concerns, as time permits.

Web Support Services: As part of University Relations, Web Support Services maintains many WIU web sites, and provides assistance to all web publishers at WIU.
Disability Support Services (DSS): DSS provides assistance to students with disabilities, including conversion of web sites to alternative formats. They can also provide assistive software such as ZoomText or JAWS for use in computer classrooms.

How-to documents

The items in this list were developed by my Spring 2004 ENG 381 class: Melissa Quint, Chiponda Chimbelu, David Styburski, Darryl Driver, Jeremy Wiebenga, Jody Zscheck, Jason Kline, and Jason Sarna. While written with the now-outdated Illinois Web Accessibility Guidelines (IWAS) in mind, they remain useful.

IWAS made easy (PDF, 3/4/2005): This condensed version of IWAS groups similar standards to simplify achievement of IWAS-compliant sites. The most important guidelines appear at the start of the document.
Checklist (PDF, 3/4/2005): Site managers can use this checklist to determine if their sites are compliant with IWAS. Follow up with the standards themselves, or IWAS made easy, to plan changes to your site.
Glossary (currently offline): Definitions for terms which are associated with web accessibility.
Using validators (PDF, 1/18/2005): Validators are used to verify that web page source code is formatted properly, which is critical for accessibility. This document describes that process.
Techniques for accessibility (1/25/2005): A list of specific techniques for improving site accessibility, developed with the WIU web server and IWAS in mind.