Sakai Accessibility Working Group Disability Awareness Page

Disability Awareness Resources

Many wish that a simple checklist or automated accessibility evaluator is all they need to use to develop accessible products. It is important not only to know the guidelines on what to do and what not to do, but to also understand why. It is important for designers to always consider that not all users interact with their computers (and Sakai) in the same manner. The following are some links to resources which provide information essential to understanding Accessibility Issues and what life is like for people with various disabilities.

• WAI Resources on Introducing Web Accessibility
• Videos Showing How People with Disabilities Use the Web
• How People with Disabilities Use the Web
• "Surfing the Web with a Screenreader" Video (AccessIT)
• WebAIM videos on Web Accessibility:
  • WebAIM Visual Disabilities Introduction (Video is near bottom of of page 2) - Direct link to video: Kyle - Shares his perspective on accessing the web with visual disabilites
  • WebAim Auditory Disabilities Introduction (Video is on page 3) - Direct link to video: Curtis Radford shares his perspective on Deafness and web accessibility.
  • WebAIM Motor Disabilities Introduction (Video is on page 2) - Direct link to video: Gordon Richins shares his perspectives on accessing the web with motor difficulties
• Victor Tsaran - Seeing the Benefits of Accessibility
• WAI Resources on Introducing Web Accessibility
• Sun's Towards Accessible Human-Computer Interaction
• LD and ADHD user perspectives - Headstrong Nation's documentary

Technology and Accessibility

• Sakai Developer's Accessibility Guidelines
• An Overview of DHTML Accessibilty
• Widget Accessibility

Relevant Standards / Laws / Guides

• WAI Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0
• WAI ARIA Overview
• WAI Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines
• Section 508 § 1194.22
• DHTML Style Guide Working Group's DHTML Style Guide

What Does Accessibility Mean for Sakai?

The Accessibility Working Group is working to define this further, but in general, for a web application like Sakai to comply with accessibility standards, the following should be considered:

• Well formed, semantically correct markup (including WAI-ARIA markup) - valid where possible except where exceptions are necessary to make Sakai more accessible or functional
• (X)HTML Validation from the W3C for the pages content
• Compliance with Section 508 of the US Rehabilitation Act
• Compliance with the WAI's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
• The ability to create content that is itself accessible: WAI Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines
• Follow consistent and standard keyboard behavior and navigation standards (DHTML Style Guide Working Group's DHTML Style Guide, WAI-ARIA).
• Accessible User and Administrator Documentation on how to use and maintain the accessibility features