In an online context, the term ‘accessibility’ refers to making content equitably available to all users. An accessible document is created to be as easily readable by a low vision or non-sighted reader as a sighted reader or to readers with Dyslexia or color-blindness. Accessible documents are easier to understand and read for all of your users, not just users with disabilities. This means that the information should be accessible to people regardless of their level of education, speed of internet access, or any disabilities that they may have.
For example, asking students to “take a look” at an image is an example of not considering accessibility, as it excludes people with visual impairments. A person who is blind can’t “take a look”. Where images are used, they should include alternative text (alt-text). Inclusive terminology should also be used - instead of “take a look”, we could use “visit, “check” or “consider.”
Accessibility benefits everyone. Accessibility isn’t just about altering existing things to help a specific group of people; it’s about changing how we do things on a structural level to remove barriers that could affect anyone. Making digital content accessible makes them easier for everyone to use.
At a global level, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognizes access to information and communications technologies, including the Web, as a basic human right. While designing content for e-learning, both the content and the platform used to deliver the material should be accessible and support accessibility, reachable to diverse group of learner. who should be able to access the content as regular learners.
In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to require federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology (EIT) accessible to people with disabilities. The U.S. Access Board is responsible for developing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) accessibility standards to incorporate into regulations that govern federal procurement practices. On January 18, 2017, the Access Board issued a final rule that updated accessibility requirements covered by Section 508 and refreshed guidelines for telecommunications equipment subject to Section 255 of the Communications Act. The final rule went into effect on January 18, 2018.
The State of Wisconsin accessibility policy requires sites to meet a set of accessibility requirements based on Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act.
