Why create accessible web pages?
- Not only is it the right thing to do, but it is a way for everyone, including students with disabilities, to have access to and to make use of all the resources the internet has to offer.
- Because it is the law, as outlined in Section 508, Section 504, and The Americans with Disabilities Act, federal legislation.
- Both Section 504, for entities that receive federal funding, and Section 508, via the Assistive Technology Act and state law, of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 require that reasonable accommodations be made for people with disabilities.
- The Americans with Disabilities Act, generally requires that state and local governments provide qualified individuals with disabilities equal access to their programs, services, or activities unless doing so would fundamentally alter the nature of their programs, services, or activities or would impose an undue burden.
Benefits of Accessible Web Pages
Who benefits from accessible web pages?
- By opting to follow the above, design standard, our students, parents, prospective students, and the Rio Hondo College community, as a whole, will have equal access to our web pages which should incorporate principles of both, Accessible and Universal Design Principles.
- Adopting Accessible and Universal Design Principles will help to bring about an increase in student learning and should help meet the needs of most, if not every student in a classroom. It cannot be emphasized enough how this can be helpful for students with learning and attention issues.
Please visit the WebAIM.org website for more, specific, information on accessible web content and technologies as well as an Introduction to Web Accessibility which includes a section on Accessible Design.
Do you need to evaluate your site to see if it meets WCAG best practices? If the answer is yes, the following tools should help…
