Web Accessibility Portal

Accessibility Guidelines

W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
The WCAG sets the standards for web content to insure that it is accessible to people with disabilites. This set of guidelines is directed towards web content developers.

Section 508 Guidelines
Section 508 is a section of the Rehabilitation Act sets the standards for federal websites

Accessibility Evaluation Tools

Cynthia Says
Cynthia Says is an accessibility evaluation tool which will check for Section 508 compliance as well as WCAG.

W3C HTML Validator
While not strictly an accessibility evaluation tool, many basic accessibility issues can be resolved by writing HTML code written to current standards.

WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluator
WAVE 3.0 is a comprehensive accessibility tool developed by WebAIM to help developers evaluate their sites. It provides a variety of different access options including the WAVE toolbar.

Accessibility E-books

Building Accessible Websites by Joe Clark
An excellent introduction to the issues of web accessibility written by accessibility guru Joe Clark. This book was originally published in 2002, so some of the information is outdated.

Understanding Web Accessibility
Shawn Lawton Henry's introduction to Web Accessibility issues and the different perspectives that the issues may be approached by.

Testing for Web Accessibility
Jim Thatcher's examination of different accessibility testing programs. This chapter also sheds light on when human testing is helpful and what accessibility tests CAN tell you about your website.

Creating Accessible Content
This pdf provided by Friends of Ed publishing is a great place to start if you want to create accessible content on your site.

Beyond ALT Text: Making the Web Easy to Use for Users With Disabilities
This Nielsen Norman Group Report is a free pdf and is based on usability studies of assistive technology users.

Accessibility Resources for Content developers

General Resources

Introducing Web Accessibility
The WAI's introduction to web accessibility and the issues related to creating an accessibile site.

WebAIM
WebAIM is an organization dedicated to "expanding the web's potential for people with disabilities. This is a great site to for locating articleswritten by leaders in the field dealing with accessibility issues.

A list apart: accessibility
A list apart is an online magazine "for people who make websites." Not only can you view each issue seperately, but you can also browse topic areas, including accessibility.

Web Accessibility Resource Planner
"WebAIM has found that few teacher training and certification institutions across the U.S. teach the issues and strategies of Web accessibility. Instructors of these courses may be more likely to embed accessibility if they have access to content, simulations, assignments, and evaluation tools. The Web Accessibility Resource Planner (WARP) is designed to provide these, and to aid in any other teaching opportunities that involve Web accessibility."

A step by step usabilty guide provided by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

IBM Human Ability and Accessibility Center
"Accessibility at IBM means enabling IT hardware, software and Web application products so they can be used by more people, either directly, or in combination with assistive technology products."

Microsoft Enable
Microsoft's guide to "Discover accessibility settings that are already on your PC, and make your computer more comfortable, and easier to see, hear, and use."

Application Specific Resources

Adobe Accessibility Resource Center
The Adobe Accessibility Resource Center provides information on how to make Adobe products more accessible for people using adaptive technologies and of varied abilities.

How to Make Your AJAX Applications Accessible -40 Tutorial and Articles
A list guide to AJAX and accessibility resources on the web.

Main Navigation Menu