What is Accessibility?
“Accessible” means a person with a disability is afforded the opportunity to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as a person without a disability in an equally effective and equally integrated manner, with substantially equivalent ease of use. The person with a disability must be able to obtain the information as fully, equally and independently as a person without a disability.
Accessibility is the degree to which a product, device, program, service, resource, or environment is available to a given user. If a building has a wheelchair ramp leading to its main entrance, that entrance is accessible to wheelchair users. If a lecture includes sign language interpreters, that lecture is accessible to attendees who are deaf or hard of hearing and who understand sign language. (Credit: University of Virginia)
Who needs it?
Everyone needs accessibility. To read text in light yellow font on a white screen or white paper is difficult. So, invariably everyone needs resources to be accessible. People with disabilities also need resources to be accessible and often it takes more learning and tools to make resources accessible for them.
Types of Disabilities
As defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a disability is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Types of Disabilities (University of North Carolina Web page).
My Body Doesn't Oppress Me, Society Does
Learn first hand experience from Patty Berne and Stacey Milbern who present a social model of disability, explaining how universal design, adaptive devices, and meeting people’s access needs can limit the social, economic, and physical barriers that render physical impairments disabling in an ableist society. This video is powerful. My Body Doesn't Oppress Me, Society Does (YouTube 5:08).
Why Accessibility Matters
SiteImprove (Website Tool from UCOP)
Can everyone utilize your message? The importance of digital accessibility goes beyond legal regulations. With nearly 15% of the world's population living with a disability, web accessibility [and other products] has become a major focus for organizations worldwide. Watch this video to find out what digital accessibility is and why it matters. (SiteImprove Web; 2:00 video).
UC Global Accessibility Awareness Day
View this recording for an introduction to the UC Electronic Accessibility Committee. Topics discussed are why accessibility matters, simple steps for improving accessibility, legal considerations, what you can do, and more. UC Global Accessibility Awareness Day (video) (1:18 UCOP Global Accessibility Awareness Day).
Global Awareness Accessibility Day (GAAD) Q&A
Read the questions and responses from the 2021 GAAD to learn about UC accessibility policy, differences between alternative text, captions, and descriptions for images; differences between video audio descriptions, captions, subtitles, and transcripts; best practices for providing demographic details in alt text and audio description about the people in images and videos and more. Global Awareness Accessibility Day (GAAD) Q&A (UCOP Web page).
Digital Products to make accessible:
Website, web applications
Documents such as PDF, Word, Excel
Emails and newsletters
Social media content
Presentations
Videos
Audio content
Forms and surveys
Infographics and charts
Mobile applications
Software and desktop applications
Printed material
Material review options & ADA Compliance
Communications Advisory Board recommends that every product created by UC ANR personnel be reviewed by other experts before being disseminated to the public. Material review options & ADA Compliance (UC ANR Web).
Accessible webpages
What is an accessible website
Website Accessibility allows for universal access enabling people with disabilities to access, navigate and use websites effectively. Website Accessibility guidelines produced by W3C WAI cover the importance of providing access to people who may have difficulty accessing information on a website due to: visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities. It is essential that the Web be accessible in order to provide equal access and equal opportunity to people with disabilities. What is an accessible website (UC ANR Web page).
Accessible online instruction
National Standards for Quality Online Teaching (NSQOL Web)
The NSQOL is an ongoing project to continuously revise national standards for online courses, programs and teaching, led by a partnership between, Quality Matters, the Virtual Learning Leadership Alliance, and the Digital Learning Collaborative with widespread community support. National Standards for Quality Online Teaching (NSQOL Web page).
Accessible Microsoft applications
Best practices for making PowerPoint presentations accessible
Learn how to unlock your PowerPoint presentation content to everyone, including people with disabilities. You’ll learn, for example, how to work with the Accessibility Checker to tackle accessibility issues while you're creating your presentation. You'll also learn how to add alt texts to images so that people using screen readers are able to listen to what the image is all about. Best practices for making PowerPoint presentations accessible (Microsoft Web page).
Best Practices for Making Word Docs Accessible
Learn how to make your email messages accessible and unlock your content to everyone, including people with disabilities. You learn, for example, how to work with the Word Accessibility Checker to tackle accessibility issues while you're writing your email message. Best Practices for Making Word Docs Accessible (Microsoft Web page).
Check accessibility while you work in Outlook
In Outlook, the Accessibility Checker runs automatically in the background when you're composing an email. If the Accessibility Checker detects accessibility issues, a MailTip will provide a convenient nudge to review and correct the issues before sending your email. Check accessibility while you work in Outlook (Microsoft Web page).
Top of page.
Accessibility regulations
Digital.gov
Usability describes how easily and effectively people can accomplish their goals using a product or system, while having a positive experience. Learn how to implement 21st Century IDEA to design and deliver better websites and digital services. The 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act, otherwise known as 21st Century IDEA, was a bipartisan act signed into law in December 2018. Digital.gov (Gov. Web)
Accessibility resources
The History of Digital Accessibility
Learn from Lucy Greco, web accessibility evangelist with Campus IT Experience at UC Berkeley. The History of Digital Accessibility (UC Berkely presentation, YouTube, 59 min.)
Electronic Accessibility
The University of California is committed to providing an electronic environment that is accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities. Electronic Accessibility (UCOP Web page).
Recommended Accessibility Resources
Use this page to find color contrast checkers, alt-text decision tree, creating accessible PDFs, Office of Civil Rights videos, and much more. Recommended Accessibility Resources (UCOP Web page).
Website Accessibility Slide Deck
Learn what accessibility is, who it's for, best practices, and how to test it. Website Accessibility Slide Deck (UC Davis Box Web)
Accessibility Testing for Websites and Software
Web designers, developers, and content managers play a key role in ensuring websites and digital tools are accessible, and conform to the Revised 508 Standards and the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA. Accessibility Testing for Websites and Software (Gov Web page).
Accessibility Unleashed: Online Courses & Webinars
Video by ANR Employees Tunyalee Martin, Stephanie Parreira-Zweir, and Cheryl Reynolds, sponsored by ACE. Accessibility Unleashed: Online Courses & Webinars (ACE Web page).
Image credits:
Image by succo from Pixabay
Image by veerasantinithi from Pixabay