General Information
Guides and Tutorials
- Introduction to Web Accessibility - W3CProvides a lot of useful general information. A good place to start.
- Introduction to Web Accessibility - WebAIMWebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind) is a treasure trove of resources.
- Improving Workplace Accessibility for Deaf/Hard of Hearing ColleaguesGoogle Doc that discusses presentations, meetings, and conversations.
- Tables TutorialA tutorial for creating different types of tables accessibly using HTML
- Images TutorialAn incredible tutorial on alternative text by WAI (Web Accessibility Initiative). Much of the text in this section came directly from here.
When reading the section about complex images, note that approach 4 is not recommended, as longdesc should not be used. - Alternative TextAn excellent guide from WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind) for writing alternative text.
- Describing Visual Resources ToolkitGuidance for describing visual resources for accessibility in Arts and Humanities publications. Includes sections for authors, editors, publishers, and organizations.
- Resources for Describing Visual ContentThis comes from the Describing Visual Resources Toolkit. It contains guidelines for image descriptions, guides for writing alt text, metadata standards, and more.
Documentation
- WCAG Quick ReferenceYou might find this really useful as a highly organized list of criteria, or you might find it overwhelming starting out, fair warning. This is the basis for most guidelines out there, and many testing tools will reference the various WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) requirements a given issue pertains to. Produced by W3C - the World Wide Web Consortium, so this is very official.
- ATAG (Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines)This is similar to WCAG, and also produced by W3C. This documentation is probably primarily useful to web developers creating any kind of authoring tool, but it may also be useful when considering the accessibility of any given authoring tool.
- COGA (Cognitive Accessibility).Also produced by W3C, this focuses on a facet of accessibility that is often neglected.
- ARIA Authoring Practices (WAI)ARIA is somewhat advanced - if you aren't a web developer, this may be quite overwhelming and unnecessary. MDN's documentation provides a broader overview.
- MDN ARIA DocumentationThis may be a better choice for a broader, more understandable overview of ARIA than the WAI ARIA documentation, but I still imagine most people would not want to go this far.
Articles and Discussion
- Library Accessibility Alliance (LAA)The LAA contracts with third-party, independent accessibility consulting companies to perform high-level accessibility evaluations based on WCAG 2.1 AA. Reports and summaries for various vendor programs are available on the LAA website.
- Knowbility Blog - AHA MomentThis post is a good intro for people unfamiliar with accessibility and the importance of it. Offers good tips for investigating it and seeing for yourself.
- Take the #NoMouse ChallengeDisconnect your mouse and try accessing websites with only your keyboard.
- Overly Accessible?Is it possible for a web page to be overly accessible?
- The WebAIM MillionAn annual accessibility analysis of the top 1,000,000 home pages. The 2021 analysis revealed 97.4% of home pages had detectable WCAG 2 errors.
- United States LawsA brief introduction to key US laws pertinent to web accessibility
- Disability Impacts All of UsOne in four adults in the United States has a disability.
Special Topics
Document Accessibility
- Convert Excel tables to HTMLA tool provided by Penn State University to make creating accessible HTML tables easier
- PDF Issues & RecommendationsShort version: Don't use PDFs for digital content.
Application Accessibility
Content Management System Accessibility
- WordPress Themes - "accessibility-ready" tag requirementsIt's important to keep in mind that just because a theme has the accessibility-ready tag does not mean that the theme is accessible. It is a good starting point for choosing a potential theme, however.
- Make WordPress AccessibleOfficial blog. You can see active tickets and submit tickets for accessibility issues.
For Instructors and Other Academics
- The Mind HearsA blog by and for deaf and hard of hearing academics.
- Now What? Adding Accessibility MidstreamIncludes a list of resources, as well as some general information and recommended steps for faculty.
- Coronavirus Resources - AHEADResources for teaching online by AHEAD (Association on Higher Education and Disability).
- Teach AccessConcepts for teaching accessibility. Provides grants to faculty and resources for creating accessible course content.
- Cait Kirby - ResourcesPromoting inclusion in STEM and Higher Ed by facilitating belonging and creating accessible education resources.
Accessibility Testing
- Evaluating OverviewMore useful information from W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative.
- Untitled on Purpose - An Inaccessible PageTo practice testing
- Sample Accessibility IssuesProvides a link to an inaccessible "before" page that can be used to practice testing. Describes the issues found and how to correct them.
Tools
- WAVEAutomated tester provided by WebAIM. Available as a browser extension for both Google Chrome and Firefox. Good for a first step and providing a quick broad overview.
- WAVE DocumentationProvides a complete list of the various items WAVE checks for.
- Accessibility Insights for WebAvailable as a browser extension for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. The Assessment option walks you through a number of manual tests and provides a useful visual helper to make them easier. Also includes an automated tester (FastPass), but WAVE is generally more useful for automated tests.
- W3C Link CheckerA free tool that will test a webpage for broken links. Some links can't be checked automatically, but it will list those out.
- SiteImprove Accessibility CheckerChrome extension
- AInspector WCAGFirefox plugin, only tests WCAG 2.0 A and AA
- ARC ToolkitHas free and paid options
Miscellaneous Tools
- Convert Excel tables to HTMLA tool provided by Penn State University to make creating accessible HTML tables easier
- PalettonColor palette picker that provides vision simulation for different types of colorblindness
- Material Design Color ToolColor palette picker that checks contrast levels
- Contrast CheckerA simple color contrast checker provided by WebAIM
- Coloring for ColorblindnessColor palette testing tool for protanopia, deuteranopia, and tritanopia
- ColorCubeA color palette contrast checker
- Contrast GridA color palette contrast checker
- VischeckA tool for uploading images to see what they look like to someone with colorblindness
Screen Reader Information
- Screen Reader User Survey ResultsThe ninth screen reader user survey conducted by WebAIM (2021). Provides a lot of information about what screen readers people are using and how they are used.
- Complete guide to NarratorNarrator is the default screen reader for Windows. It has been gaining in popularity.
- Get started on Android with TalkBackGoogle screen reader included on Android devices
NVDA
NVDA (Non Visual Desktop Access) is a free screen reader for Windows.
- Using NVDA to Evaluate Web AccessibilityAlso contains useful NVDA keyboard shortcuts
JAWS
JAWS is a purchasable screen reader for Windows.
VoiceOver
VoiceOver is a screen reader that comes built-in on Apple devices. It is typically paired with Safari.
Data Visualization
- Resources for Data Viz AccessibilityA selection of general and R-specific resources on how and why to make accessible data visualizations
- DataViz Accessibility ยท GitHubA non-exhaustive and in-progress list of people and resources in Accessibility and Data Visualization
- Accessible Data VisualizationsArticle providing general information and techniques
Get Help
Campus Resources
- Digital Scholarship Specialist (Theo Acker)Email me with questions or make an appointment
- Student Success & Engagement Librarian (Magen Bednar)Email me or schedule an appointment if you need help finding OU Libraries resources on the assistive technology computer at Bizzell Memorial Library.
- Loveridge Computer Lab in Bizzell Memorial LibraryThe Loveridge Computer Lab in Bizzell Memorial Library has an assistive technology computer that has ZoomText software and keyboard as well as JAWS and NVDA screen reader software.
Design Resources
- Design AccessiblyDesigner's guide focusing on legibility, color, flexibility, and intuitive interactions.