Often, I come across good information or resources that I want to explore later. Instead of getting lost in my bookmarks, I wanted to publicly share with others who were also interested in these topics. They are in no particular order of importance.
If you only want to look at a couple of resources, look for the ones with an asterisk (*) at the beginning.
Reports / Publications
Name of Report | Organization(s) | Year and Month | Notable Quotes |
A Hidden Market: The Purchasing Power of Working-Age Adults With Disabilities | American Institutes for Research (AIR) | April 2018 | “Discretionary income for working-age people with disabilities is around $21 billion. This is greater than that of African-American and Hispanic market segments combined. By focusing on hiring and retaining people with disabilities and creating inclusive work environments, employers open up possibilities to connect with an often-overlooked market segment and ultimately increase revenue. |
After High School: A First Look At The Postschool Experiences Of Youth With Disabilities | Office of Special Education Programs U.S. Department of Education |
April 2005 | “Thus, 40% of postsecondary students with disabilities identify themselves as having a disability and have informed their postsecondary schools of that disability” (page 4-14). |
Barriers to Students with Disabilities in Psychological Training | APA | Feb 2009 | |
Building Momentum Towards Inclusive Teaching and Learning: A good-practice guide for undergraduate physics | Institute of Physics | May 2017 | |
Digital experience insights survey 2018: findings from students in UK further and higher education | JISC UK | September 2018 | The report contains the opinions of 37,000 students (across the UK) on their digital experiences in further and higher education. |
Digital experience insights survey 2019: findings from students in UK further and higher education | JISC UK | September 2019 | The digital experience insights student survey 2019 shares information from students at 50 UK institutions. Participants describe their attitude towards technologies and their digital learning experiences. |
Digital experience insights survey 2020: findings from students in UK further and higher education | JISC UK | September 2020 | This year, 20,575 students from 28 UK universities took part in our student digital experience insights survey. The survey was conducted between October 2019 and May 2020. |
Disability Statistics Annual Report | NIDILRR | 2017 | |
ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology Slides, Transcripts, Recording of Webinar |
EDUCAUSE | October 2018 | Key Finding #10 – Accessibility – “A plurality of students who self-identify as having a physical and/or learning disability requiring accessible or adaptive technologies for their coursework rated their institution’s awareness of their needs as poor. According to students, larger and DR public institutions tend to have poorer awareness of disabled students’ needs than do smaller and AA institutions. In addition to institutional limitations, students’ fears of being stigmatized or penalized for disclosing their disabilities and engaging disability services to receive the aid they need may be contributing to low rates of awareness.” |
EU Web Accessibility Directive | Policy Connect | September 2018 | |
International Comparison on Accessible Technology in Higher Education | ATHEN E-Journal | 2009 | |
Making Digital Learning Work: Success Strategies from Six Leading Universities and Community Colleges | Arizona State University
Boston Consulting Group |
April 2018 | Online courses are associated with higher retention and graduation rates, increased access and cost savings of as much as 50 percent, according to a new study from Arizona State University. The research is built on case studies from a half-dozen institutions “with a strong track record of using digital learning to improve student outcomes,” according to information released by ASU. In addition to ASU, the other schools examined for the study include Georgia State University, Houston Community College, Kentucky Community and Technical College System, Rio Salado Community College and University of Central Florida. |
New Media Consortium’s (NMC) Horizon Report | EDUCAUSE | August 2018 | |
New Media Consortium’s (NMC) Horizon Report | EDUCAUSE | April 2019 | |
Reading Content on Mobile Devices Report | Nielsen Normal Group | December 2016 | |
The Effect of Disability Disclosure On The Graduation On Graduation Rates of College Students with Disabilities | Dissertation of Robyn L. Hudson | 2013 | |
Who Teaches Accessibility? A Survey of U.S. Computing Faculty | Shinohara, Kawas, Ko, Ladner | February 2018 | |
The Truth About Teaching to Learning Styles, and What to Do Instead? | eLearning Guild | July 2018 | |
Higher Education’s Top 10 Strategic Technologies and Trends for 2018 | EDUCAUSE | January 2018 | |
The 2018 Survey of Faculty Attitudes on Technology | Inside Higher Ed | November 2018 | Specifically, 66 percent of faculty members say their courses offer screen reader compatibility, 64 percent say they provide alternative text to visual elements and 61% say the same about both making links descriptive and captioning video and transcribing audio. |
Shifting Student Behavior: Interventions & Other Strategies to Help Colleges & Their Students | Inside Higher Ed | August 2018 | |
The Next Generation of Students | Inside Higher Ed | September 2018 | |
Learning in Three Dimensions: Report on the EDUCAUSE/HP Campus of the Future Project | EDUCAUSE | July 2018 | |
Institutions’ Use of Data and Analytics for Student Success | EDUCAUSE | April 2018 | |
Video Length in Online Courses: What the Research Says | Quality Matters | mix | links to 3 different studies |
2018 ADA Web Accessibility Recap | UsableNet | December 2018 | ADA web accessibility-related lawsuits exploded with a 181% increase in 2018 (2285 cases) over 2017 (814 cases). |
Student Perceptions of Faculty Implementation of Universal Design for Learning | Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability | 2011 | Previous research suggested that nearly 60% of students with disabilities choose not to disclose their disabilities (Wagner, Newman, Cameto, Garza, & Levine, 2005). Our data demonstrated that nearly 80% of students who indicated they had a disability did not choose to report their disabilities to the university. |
Getting to Equal: The Disability Inclusion Advantage | Accenture | October 2018 | The discretionary income for workingage persons with disabilities is $21 billion—greater than that of the African-American and Hispanic segments combined. |
National Research Results: Student Uses and Perceptions of Closed Captions and Transcripts | Oregon State University Ecampus Research Unit and 3PlayMedia | October 2016 | The discretionary income for workingage persons with disabilities is $21 billion—greater than that of the African-American and Hispanic segments combined. |
The WebAIM Million: What we learned analyzing 1,000,000 web site home pages | WebAIM | February 2019 | WebAIM has analyzed the home pages for the top 1 million web sites and collected an immense volume of accessibility data. The results provide great insight into the current state of accessibility. Unfortunately, significant and pervasive issues are present across much of the web. While there is much work to be done to improve accessibility, these research findings can help us identify patterns so accessibility efforts can be better focused. |
The WebAIM Million Update: A 6-month accessibility re-analysis of the top 1,000,000 home pages | WebAIM | August 2019 | In August 2019, WebAIM conducted a re-analysis of the accessibility of the home pages for the top 1,000,000 web sites. The initial WebAIM Million analysis had been conducted in February – 6 months prior. This report documents changes in accessibility over that 6 month time period. The same sampling techniques and methods were used during this update as were used for the original WebAIM Million. The same caveats discussed in the original research remain. |
2019 Key Issues in Teaching and Learning | EDUCAUSE | 2019 | Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) was #5 on the list. |
Top 10 IT Issues | EDUCAUSE | 2019 | #15: IT Accessibility: Adopting policies, procedures, remediations, and technologies to ensure current and future IT can be used effectively by everyone, and collaborating across institutions to influence the vendor community to provide compliant solutions |
State of Digital Accessibility 2019 | Level Access and G3ict | 2019 | Level Access and G3ict surveyed 550 professionals working in accessibility programs in organizations large and small and compiled the results into the first State of Digital Accessibility Report. |
Nucleus Research Note: The Internet is Unavailable | Nucleus | July 2019 | Nucleus conducted in-depth interviews with 73 adults who are blind to understand the realities of Internet accessibility for a subset of the larger disabled population.
With their assistance, we analyzed hundreds of Websites and found that more than 70 percent of Internet sites – from top retailers to presidential campaign sites to the sites of sitting elected officials –all have critical accessibility blockers, rendering the prime directive of that site inaccessible. |
Diamond’s First Annual State Of Accessibility Report | Diamond | May 2019 | The current state of accessibility is unacceptable. There are an average of 59.6 major accessibility errors per webpage. |
2019 Study of Faculty and Information Technology | EDUCAUSE | December 2019 | Faculty give high ratings to support services for accessibility technology, when they use them. |
Making a Difference: Prioritizing Equity and Access in CSCL | 12th International Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning | June 2017 | Teaching Accessibility in a Technology Design Course |
A11Y Wars: The Accessibility Interpretation Problem | Deque | May 2018 | |
2021 Top IT IssuesTop IT Issues, 2021: Emerging from the Pandemic | EDUCAUSE | November 2020 | Affordability and Digital Equity: Eliminating technology disparities via commitments to accessibility and mobile-first systems, increased support, and an SIS that can support more-flexible credentials, schedules, and curricula |
Dear Colleague Letter | United States Department of Education | June 2010 | ED and DOJ issued a joint Dear Colleague Letter to college and university presidents outlining the legal requirements concerning the use of electronic book readers and other emerging technology in institutions of higher education. |
National Research Study: How Colleges Are Handling Captioning | 3PlayMedia | Unknown | |
The Impact of Captions and Transcripts on Student Learning | 3PlayMedia | October 2020 | |
Verizon Media and Publicis Media Find Viewers Want Captions | 3PlayMedia | Nov 2019 | |
Helpful Presentations
- Accessible Media Training: Design Considerations for Faculty and/or Student Affairs Staff (AHG 2016)
- Tips for Delivering an Accessible Presentation (DO-IT)
- Creating accessible documents workshop (University of York)
- Designing Accessible (Written) Content (Abi James)
Global Scene
Inclusive Design/ Inclusive UX / Universal Design for Learning (UDL) / UX Design
- One Size Does Not Fit All: Exploring the Boundaries of Design & Inclusive UX (AHG 2016)
- Promoting the Universal Design Paradigm on Campus—Everywhere (AHG 2016)
- UDL & Breaking Down the Barriers at UK- a Case Study (AHG 2016)
- Usability and Accessibility have a conversation: how accessibility and UI/UX teams can collaborate for more inclusive products (AHG 2016)
- Integrating UD into a certificate program in online teaching (AHG 2017)
- Universal Design: An Intercultural Perspective (AHG 2017)
- Building a campus-wide Universal Design framework from the ground up (AHG 2018)
- Universal Design for Learning– the Hidden Chapters with Thomas Tobin (3PlayMedia, January 2019)
- CAST The UDL Guidelines
- Top 10 UDL Tips for Assessment (CAST Professional Learning)
- All UDL – The all UDL website aims to respond to the needs of faculty members and course instructors by providing resources targeted towards the implementation of Universal Design for Learning in a post-secondary context.
- Welcome to Universal Design: Places to Start
- Design Kit by IDEO.Org
- Universal Design for Learning Center at OCALI Webinars
- Inclusive Design Principles by Swan, Pouncey, Pickering, Watson
- UDL Jedi Training: Move Learners and Leaders with Only Your Mind (AHG 2018)
- Preliminary Results from a Survey to Measure the Benefits of Accessibility and Universal Design Topics in Course Curricula (University of Colorado Boulder (Oct 2019)
- Universal Design with Accessibility in Mind (Essential Accessibility)
- Design Bias is Ruining Accessibility (Vox Media)
- Designing a Future Where Everyone Counts 30-min YouTube Video (The Laura Flanders Show)
- The Designer’s Guide to Accessibility Research (Google Design)
- Accessibility Guidelines for UX Designers (UX Collective)
- The Same, But Different: Breaking Down Accessibility, Universality, and Inclusion in Design (Adobe)
- 7 Key UX Topics that Every Manager Should Understand (Interaction Design Foundation)
- The Problems with Ramps Blended Into Stairs (Nicolas Steenhout)
- Supporting Instructors Who Embrace Online Teaching and OER (Inside Higher Ed)
- Just Ask: Integrating Accessibility Throughout Design
- The role of accessibility in a universal web (MIT DSpace)
- Inclusive Design Principles: Be Consistent (The Paciello Group)
- London Accessibility Meetup #24 (May 2019)
Marketing / Buy-In / Organizational Change / Campus Change
- 5 Keys for Implementing A11y in Your Team (AHG 2016)
- Marketing Accessibility on Your Campus (AHG 2016)
- Accessibility Across the Institution: Who Needs to be Involved? (AHG 2016)
- University of Maryland IT Accessibility Plan. From design to implementation (AHG 2016)
- Digital Inclusivity: Strategies for Implementing New AT on College Campuses (AHG 2016)
- Accessibility and the California Community Colleges Online Education Initiative – Lessons Learned (AHG 2016)
- A Year of Remediation: Content and Cultural Change at a Higher Education Learning Company (AHG 2016)
- Implementing Accessibility at Your Institution – Lessons Learned at the University of Alabama (AHG 2016)
- UDL, Accessibility and Quality Assurance – Collaborations at the University of Arizona for Accessible Online Classes (AHG 2017)
- Constantly Improving: Creating an Accessible Campus (AHG 2017)
- Concurrent Development of EIT Accessibility Programs at Four Colleges in Western Massachusetts (AHG 2016)
- Year 2 Update – A Centralized Approach to EIT Accessibility at Four Colleges in Western Massachusetts (AHG 2017)
- Navigating the Path to Accessibility (AHG 2017)
- Crucial Conversations for Getting to Yes and Getting Past No (AHG 2017)
- Integrating Universal Design and Accessibility into a Distance Education Graduate Certificate Program (AHG 2017)
- Accessibility, Universal Design, and Usability: Promoting an Inclusive Campus (AHG 2017)
- It Takes a Village: Utilizing People, Systems, and Technology to Scale Online Course Accessibility (AHG 2017)
- Collaborative Efforts to Promote Access in Higher Education in the State of Iowa (AHG 2017)
- The Power of Partnerships: institutional alliances to transform accessibility for a small liberal arts college (AHG 2018)
- Accessibility Buy-In: Rubrics and Faculty Development Workshops (EDUCAUSE May 2019)
- Promoting Accessibility at Your Organization (Finalsite)
- The Business Case for Digital Accessibility (W3C WAI)
- Accessibility Culture (with examples of Statements)
- The ROI of Digital Accessibility (Deque)
- Achieving Faculty Buy-In of New Technologies (EDUCAUSE)
- The disabled community is the world’s third-largest economic power (Quartz)
- Adapting Technology and Building an Accessibility Community at the University of California (EDUCAUSE)
- “What’s your excuse?” – the question I asked at this year’s A11y Bytes (Rick Giner)
- Accessibility Participants, Managers, and Leaders (Sheri Byrne-Haber via Medium)
- Achieving Faculty Buy-In of New Technologies (EDUCAUSE)
- Using the black art of marketing to sell accessibility a future date (Intopia)
- Perkins Access Webinar: Ensuring Access Across the Student Journey (Perkins)
- LexDis Digital Accessibility – This section of LexDis collates resources that are relevant for universities and public sector organisations working toward implementing better digital accessibility into a toolkit that provides advice and templates that you may find useful.
- Accessibility – the big picture (Learning Apps UK)
- Accessibility Network (University of Cincinnati)
- CSU Accessibility Technology Initiative (ATI)
Faculty-Focused
- Faculty Professional Development for Building Accessible Online Courses (AHG 2017)
- Teaching Faculty Something, but Not TOO Much (AHG 2017)
- Seeing Disability Differently… By Design: Developing Online UDL Training for Teachers with a Disability Studies Focus (AHG 2017)
- An Evaluation of Accessibility for a Large Foundations of Engineering Course (AHG 2017)
Policy
- Creating a university policy around accessibility, Blackboard, May 2017 (1 hr 4 min video)
- Washington State Accessible IT Capacity Building Institute on Policy #188 (Dec 2018)
- Moving from a Web Policy to an EIT Standard: Success and Growing Pains We Experienced (AHG 2017)
- Higher Education Accessibility Online Resource Center (National Federation of the Blind)
- Accessibility Statements Show Commitment to All Site Users (Lainey Feingold)
- Accessibility Statement (Kent County Council)
- Writing my accessibility statement (Ethan Marcotte)
- Accessibility statement (University of Kent)
Content Remediation
Staff/Faculty Engagement
- Talking to Faculty about Accessibility (AHG 2016)
- Teaching faculty about universal design and accessibility through OSM (pronounced “awesome”) course (AHG 2017)
- Using an SLC (Staff Learning Community) to Share UDL & Accessibility Strategies (AHG 2017)
Procurement
- Building an Accessibility Procurement Process in Higher Education (AHG 2016)
- Creating a Culture of Accessible Procurement at Michigan State University: Library and College/Department Perspectives (AHG 2016)
- IT Procurement: Accessibility as a Functional Criterion (AHG 2018)
- A11y Reviews (Accessibility Reviews) – A community-driven resource to both find and share information on the accessibility of tools, services, platforms, and so on.
Web Accessibility Presentations
- Accessibility Crash Course for Web Developers (AHG 2016)
- Unwebbing Web Accessibility in Higher Ed: It’s More Than Just Web Pages (AHG 2016)
- Sustaining Web Accessibility at the Penn State University Libraries (AHG 2017)
- Balancing Automated Scanning, Manual Testing and Assistive Technology for Successful Website Accessibility Testing (AHG 2017)
- Making Websites Usable, Not Just Accessible (AHG 2018)
- Web Accessibility by Level Access
- Implementing & Evaluating Web Application Accessibility (3 PlayMedia)
Other
- Data-Driven Instructional Design: Higher Learning Student and Professor Voices (AHG 2016)
- Maintaining Accessibility in the Modern Classroom (AHG 2016)
- A Review of Apps & Strategies for Converting and Accessing Print and Digital Material (AHG 2016)
- Results & Takeaways from a National Study on Closed Captioning in Higher Education (AHG 2016)
- Digital Accessibility Trends (AHG 2016)
- Digital Accessibility Trends in Education (AHG 2017)
- Student-Created Content Counts: Making all University Content Accessible by 2020 (AHG 2017)
- What the heck is all this EPUB Hubbub about? (AHG 2018)
- The ABC’s of a11y – Creating a Common Vocabulary (AHG 2018)
- Web Accessibility In Context (Be Birchall via Smashing Newsletter)
- No Budget, No Time, No People: No Problem! Meaningful UDL on a Shoestring (Dr. Thomas Tobin)
Centralized Accessibility Efforts
Library Resources
Survey Results
- Survey of Users with Low Vision #2 Results, September 2018 (WebAIM)
- Screen Reader User Survey #7 Results, October 2017 (WebAIM)
- Survey of Users with Motor Disabilities, March 2013 (WebAIM)
- Survey of Preferences of Screen Readers Users, January 2009 (WebAIM)
- PDF and the User Experience Survey, 2015+ (Karen McCall)
Organizations
- @One (Online Network of Educations) – a collaborative, system-wide network of California Community College faculty, staff, and administrators, is coordinated by the professional development team of the CCC California Virtual Campus-Online Education Initiative (CVC-OEI). @ONE provides training and professional development to support the effective use of digital tools and platforms to make California Community Colleges a nationally recognized leader in online teaching and learning. Funding from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office ensures that @ONE’s offerings are provided for free or a very low cost.
- AccessATE – AccessATE supports the work of the NSF-funded Advanced Technological Education (ATE) projects and centers in making the materials and activities they develop more accessible for all students and faculty, including those with disabilities. The project aims to increase awareness and understanding of accessibility requirements and provide guidance, tools, and support that offers solutions and helps achieve compliance with accessibility standards.
- Access Technology Higher Education Network (ATHEN) – ATHEN is a professional association and network for Access Technology in Higher Education. The purpose of ATHEN is to collect and disseminate best practices in access technology in the higher education environment as well as present a collective voice for the professional practice of access technology in higher education.
- Accessible Instructional Materials Virginia – AIM-VA provides accessible instructional materials to eligible Virginia K-12 students who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Accessible instructional materials are alternate print materials, (e.g., braille, electronic files) used by students who are not able to use traditional print formats.
- AccessibleTech.org (National ADA Network) – Our mission is to promote full and unrestricted participation in business and society by persons with disabilities through the use of electronic information technology that is universally accessible.
- Accessible Technology Coalition – The ATC is funded by the Center for Accessible Technology located in Berkeley California at the Ed Roberts Campus. While the ATC provides an online resource that reaches across the world, the Center for Accessible Technology offers access to an office with staff who provide hands-on training; AT Consultants who do assessments; business consulting services to corporations, libraries and government entities; assistance on creating accessible websites and have a test bank of users with disabilities to test products and services.
- ACM SIGACCESS – Supports the international community of researchers and professionals applying computing and information technologies to empower individuals with disabilities and older adults. The SIG also promotes the professional interests of students and computing personnel with disabilities and strives to educate the public to support careers for people with disabilities. Our diverse membership is interested in the design, development, evaluation, and scientific investigations of technologies to support individuals with disabilities.
- AppleVis – AppleVis strives to empower the community by offering multiple pathways to access and share relevant and useful information. As a community, we seek to encourage and support people in exploring the many ways in which Apple products and related applications can offer opportunities to the vision-impaired for personal enrichment, independence and empowerment.
- Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) – The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) is a membership organization that supports and promotes a national network of university-based interdisciplinary programs. Network members consist of:
- 67 University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), funded by the Office on Intellectual Developmental Disabilities (OIDD)
- 52 Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Programs funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB)
- 14 Intellectual and Developmental Disability Research Centers (IDDRC), most of which are funded by the National Institute for Child Health and Development (NICHD)
- Axess Lab – We design and build easy to use technology together with people with disabilities. We often focus on cognitive impairments like autism and adhd, which results in technology that works well for anyone – regardless of disability.
- Benetech – Benetech continues to be a different kind of tech company—a nonprofit—with a pure focus on developing software for social good. More than two decades after our founding, we’ve grown to include multiple program areas and initiatives that provide software to improve—even transform—the lives of people all across the world. You can read more about our work through our four main work areas: Education, Human Rights, Environment and Poverty.
- California Community Colleges Accessibility Center (CCC Accessibility Center) – The CCC Accessibility center is committed to informing and supporting California community colleges in building an accessible ICT environment for current and prospective students, faculty, staff, and members of the public.
- California Online Network of Educators (@ONE) – is a collaborative, system-wide network of California Community College faculty, staff, and administrators. @ONE provides training and professional development to support the effective use of digital tools and platforms to make California Community Colleges a nationally recognized leader in online teaching and learning. Funding from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office ensures that @ONE’s offerings are provided for free or a very low cost.
- Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) – Located a short distance north of Boston, CAST is a nonprofit education research and development organization that works to expand learning opportunities for all individuals through Universal Design for Learning.
- Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities (K-12) – Our research is intended to support improvements to policy, practice, and future research. These resources are intended to support your efforts in these critical areas.
- Center on Technology and Disability – A wealth of free, high-quality resources and events on all aspects of assistive technology!
- Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol (A/RES/61/106) was adopted on 13 December 2006 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, and was opened for signature on 30 March 2007. There were 82 signatories to the Convention, 44 signatories to the Optional Protocol, and 1 ratification of the Convention. This is the highest number of signatories in history to a UN Convention on its opening day. It is the first comprehensive human rights treaty of the 21st century and is the first human rights convention to be open for signature by regional integration organizations. The Convention entered into force on 3 May 2008.
- Design Can – Design CAN: be more representative of the world it serves. Design CAN: be an industry for people of all backgrounds, abilities, ages and identities. Design CAN: be stronger with the talent that has been ignored for too long. Design CAN: disrupt the status quo, celebrate new voices and tell untold stories. Design CAN: represent us all.
- Diamond – Our services bring quality technical execution to a broad range of clients, including television studios, tech companies, robotics firms, dating apps, healthcare enterprises, travel companies and startups.
- Disability:IN – Disability:IN is the leading nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide. Our network of over 185 corporations expands opportunities for people with disabilities across enterprises. Our central office and 30 Affiliates serve as the collective voice to effect change for people with disabilities in business.
- Disability Data Advocacy Working Group – We are excited to announce that the Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities has established a Disability Data Advocacy Working Group to provide a global platform for information exchange, learning and dialogue, sharing of good practices, and collaboration on disability data collection, disaggregation, and analysis. The Working Group was created after an assessment of disability data at the national level in 2018.
- Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology (DO-IT) – The Center is dedicated to empowering people with disabilities through technology and education. It promotes awareness and accessibility—in both the classroom and the workplace—to maximize the potential of individuals with disabilities and make our communities more vibrant, diverse, and inclusive.
- EASI: Equal Access To Software & Information – EASI is a non-profit organization, committed to the belief that students and professionals with disabilities have the same right to access information technology as everyone else.
- EDUCAUSE – We are a nonprofit association and the largest community of technology, academic, industry, and campus leaders advancing higher education through the use of IT.
- Jisc UK – Our vision is for the UK to be the most digitally-advanced higher education, further education and research nation in the world.
- Karlan Communications – Karen McCall has been awarded the Microsoft MVP [Most Valued Professional] Award for Word for the past eight years. In 2014 the category of Accessibility MVP was created and 70 MVP’s were also awarded the Accessibility MVP Award. Karen was one of them.
- Interaction Design Foundation – We democratize learning by providing top-quality, online design courses at a fraction of the cost of traditional education. We collaborate with top universities and companies—Stanford, Cambridge and SAP Labs, for example—as well as noted authors like Clayton Christensen and Don Norman. This means our educational material focuses on practical relevance and is backed up with academic rigor. We share this knowledge with over half a million designers every month!
- IMS Global Learning Consortium – The mission of the IMS Global Learning Consortium is to advance technology that can affordably scale and improve educational participation and attainment. To ensure that the “Learning Impact” of technology-enabled innovation is achieved around the world, IMS’s influential community of educational institutions, suppliers, and government organizations develops open interoperability standards, supports adoption with technical services, and encourages adoption through programs that highlight effective practices.
- Inclusive Design Research Centre OCAD University – The IDRC is a research and development centre at OCAD University where an international community of open source developers, designers, researchers, advocates, and volunteers work together to ensure that emerging information technology and practices are designed inclusively.
- Inclusive Publishing – sharing knowledge to make mainstream publications accessible to all, including people with print disabilities. Find the latest definitive articles and links for the best approaches to producing, delivering and reading accessible content that can be available to everyone in the same format, at the same time and at the same price.
- International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) – Accessibility professionals from around the world come together to define, promote and improve the accessibility profession through networking, education and certification.
- International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind – The International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind is a comprehensive technology evaluation, demonstration, and training facility located at our national headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland.
- Internet Society Accessibility Special Interest Group – Over 1.3 billion people worldwide, about 15% of the world’s population, experience some form of disability. The Accessibility SIG, with a people-centric approach, is aimed at providing interested participants a platform to discuss the Internet-related accessibility issues faced by the people with disabilities and to try to find the solutions to those issues. It also aims to provide a collective voice to a community that the UN calls the world’s largest minority.
- Maxability – Digital accessibility totally relies on Inclusive designing of all digital content, so that it can be accessed and used by all people regardless of age, gefnder and disability. As we are living in a technology driven world, digitalization have evolved and intertwined with our daily lives, we are committed to ensuring that our digital environment is accessible to everyone.
- Microsoft Accessibility – At Microsoft, we understand the power of technology, and that’s why we continue to innovate, create, and design in a way that gives everyone the ability to achieve more.
- National Center on Accessible Educational Materials – We provide resources and technical assistance for educators, parents, students, publishers, conversion houses, accessible media producers, and others interested in learning more about AEM and implementing AEM and the NIMAS.
- The National Center on Disability and Access to Education (NCDAE) – exists to address issues of technology and disability in education policies and practices to enhance the lives of people with disabilities and their families. NCDAE works on policy, research, training and technical assistance, and dissemination of information. NCDAE accomplishes its purpose through an affiliate network of over 500 national and international partners in education, business and industry, and government.
- National Federation of the Blind – The National Federation of the Blind is the oldest and largest nationwide organization of blind Americans. Founded in 1940 and currently headquartered in Baltimore, the NFB consists of affiliates, chapters, and divisions in all fifty states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. Through our network of blind members, we coordinate many programs, services, and resources to defend the rights of blind Americans, provide information and support to blind children and adults, and build a community that creates a future full of opportunities.
- National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) – The NIMAS is a technical standard used by publishers to produce source files (in XML) that may be used to develop multiple specialized formats (such as Braille or audio books) for students with print disabilities.
- Network of Assistive Technologists – Founded in 2015 as an Ontario, Canada focused network connecting Assistive Technology professionals, N.O.A.T. has grown beyond the borders of Ontario. Open to all Assistive Technology and related professionals, regardless of geographic location, N.O.A.T. is a Community of Practice providing an opportunity to share, learn and grow from and with other AT professionals. As our membership is limited to the Assistive Technology profession, N.O.A.T. is a place to connect with other professionals, build resources, and share knowledge and support. All in a safe and open environment.
- Quality Matters (QM) – Today Quality Matters is a nonprofit organization comprised of a dedicated staff that works together virtually—from cities all over the United States—to support everyone’s quality assurance goals. But in order to truly achieve our mission of defining and maintaining quality assurance in online learning, we rely on our larger community of QM Coordinators, workshop facilitators, peer and master reviewers, program reviewers, conference presenters, and all the other individuals and groups who are champions for QM and help everyone deliver on the promise of online learning.
- Texas Health and Human Services Accessibility Center – Accessibility means providing equal access to information and services regardless of a user’s physical or developmental abilities or impairments. HHS staff are required by law to ensure that any electronic and information resources (EIR) they create or purchase are accessible. To help HHS staff meet the accessibility requirements for EIR, this website includes policy information, accessibility training, and other resources.
- The Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs (G3ict) – G3ict’s objectives and global outreach are aligned with the dispositions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on the accessibility of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Assistive Technologies. G3ict’s objectives are to: promote awareness, support advocates and policy makers, facilitate and share good practices, foster harmonization and standardization, define and promote the accessibility profession.
- Universal Design Institute – The Ronald L. Mace Universal Design Institute (The Institute) is a non-profit organization based in North Carolina dedicated to promoting the concept and practice of accessible and universal design. The Institute’s work manifests the belief that all new environments and products, to the greatest extent possible, should and can be usable by everyone regardless of age, ability, or circumstance.
- Universal Design for Learning Implementation and Research Network (UDL-IRN) – The Universal Design for Learning Implementation and Research Network supports the scaled implementation and research related to Universal Design for Learning. Through collaboration, we support and promote the identification and development of models, tools, research, and practices designed to foster effective UDL implementation in educational environments. We encourage and welcome participation in these discussions.
- Think College – Think College is a national organization dedicated to developing, expanding, and improving inclusive higher education options for people with intellectual disability. With a commitment to equity and excellence, Think College supports evidence-based and student-centered research and practice by generating and sharing knowledge, guiding institutional change, informing public policy, and engaging with students, professionals and families.
- Universal Design Project – Our vision is for every community across the USA to have a surplus of homes and opportunities for social participation that are universally and financially accessible.
- U.S. Access Board – The U.S. Access Board is a federal agency that promotes equality for people with disabilities through leadership in accessible design and the development of accessibility guidelines and standards. Its guidelines and standards address access to the built environment, information and communication technology, transportation, and medical diagnostic equipment. The Board also provides technical assistance and training on these design requirements and enforces accessibility standards that apply to facilities funded by the federal government.
- Utah Education Network (UEN) – UEN is part of the Utah Education and Telehealth Network (UETN) which connects all Utah school districts, schools, and higher education institutions to a robust network and quality educational resources. UEN is one of the nation’s premier education networks.
- The Viscardi Center – The Viscardi Center educates, employs, and empowers youth, adults, and veterans with disabilities or similar needs, so we can all discover the love of learning, the power of work, the freedom of independent living, and the self-confidence to fulfill our dreams.
- Web Accessibility In Mind (WebAIM) – Our mission is to empower organizations to make their web content accessible to people with disabilities.
- W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) – Strategies, standards, and supporting resources to make the Web accessible to people with disabilities.
Certification and Accessibility Testing
- Department of Homeland Security Trusted Tester Program – The Department of Homeland Security Office of Accessible Systems & Technology (OAST) is committed to the development of the common testing approach for accessibility compliance and conformity, named Trusted Tester (TT). TT provides a code-inspection based test approach for determining software and website conformance to the Section 508 standards.
- International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) Certification – The IAAP certification program aims to better define what accessibility professionals are expected to know and increase the quality and consistency of the work performed by accessibility professionals. This will not only help individuals to add to their professional qualifications, but it will also help employers of accessibility professionals to assess accessibility competence.
- Big 10 Accessibility Stuff: https://www.btaa.org/technology/increasing-it-accessibility
- https://www.btaa.org/library/accessibility/reports (see tabs)
- Here are some notes from an Educase meetup that included some lists organizations sharing information about product accessibility:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HSS13LMwfSCuFjI3refA7Ov-u8c_nDUXXVjhx1VjfhI/edit# - This platform (paid) seems to have setup a way to share some accessibility evaulations, see the bottom of this post: https://learnplatform.com/blog/edtech-management/edtech-accessibility-questions-answers-and-solutions
- HECVAT: https://library.educause.edu/resources/2016/10/higher-education-community-vendor-assessment-toolkit
Accessibility Principles
Headings
- *Web Accessibility Tutorials: Headings
- How to Structure Headings for Web Accessibility
- *University of Minnesota: Headings
- Short Reports: Section Headings (Jerz Literacy Weblog)
Alternative Text, Alt Text, Image Description
- WebAIM: Alternate Text
- *Diagram Center General Guidelines for Images
- Diagram Center Poet Training Tool – is a web based image description resource that helps people learn when and how to describe various types of images frequently found in educational books. Users of this tool have access to best practice guidelines and hands-on exercises that help cultivate skills for writing effective image descriptions for critical visual content.
- The Definitive Guide To The Alt-Text Field (Phase2)
- Example of Text Version of Charts: The Aboriginal Peoples Survey at a Glance. Be sure to look for the expandable option “view text version of this graph” to see how they made the chart content accessible.
- National Center for Accessible Media: Guidelines for Describing STEM Images
- *Examples of Different Types of Images by the National Center for Accessible Media (this will take you to the homepage).
- Writing Text Alternatives for Maps (4 Syllables)
- Long Descriptions for Images – part 1 (4Syllables)
- Long Descriptions for Images – part 2 (4Syllables)
- Alt Text (Moz)
- New PowerPoint Picture Feature – Automatic Alt Text (video) (Heather Ackmann)
- No More Excuses – The Definitive Guide To The Alt-Text Field (Phase 2 Technology)
- Making charts accessible for people with visual impairments (Elsevier and Highcharts and Lucy Greco)
- Contextually Marking up accessible images and SVGs (Scott O’hara)
- Alt-texts: The Ultimate Guide (Axess Lab)
- How to Write Alt Text and Image Descriptions for the visually impaired (Perkins School for the Blind)
Tables
- Creating Accessible Tables (WebAIM)
- Tables (PennState Accessibility)
- Why do tables make content less accessible? (Lizzie Bruce via Content Design London)
MS Office Accessibility
Word
- *WebAIM Creating Accessible Word Documents – This is a great resource with instructions for creating accessible Word docs. It also links to instructions for older versions of MS Word (which do not have the same accessibility features).
- *Microsoft Support Website on Making Documents Accessible – Microsoft provides instructions for the different platforms that you may be using for Word (Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Windows 10 app, Online).
- Accessibility Checklist: MS Word – Another resource to keep on hand to make sure you’re formatting your document correctly before distributing it.
- Creating Accessible Word Documents (KU Technology)(video)
PowerPoint
- Guides for arranging things on a slide in PowerPoint (Microsoft)
- Add or delete audio in your PowerPoint presentation (Microsoft)
Adaptive Technology
Windows
- Top 25 Keyboard Shortcuts That Save Time in Windows 10 (Nuts & Bolts Training) (video)
- The Myth of the Keyboard-only User (Joe Dolson via Accessible Web Design)
Screen Readers
- JAWS: Job Access With Speech (Freedom Scientific)
- VoiceOver (Apple)
- VoiceOver for OSX Keyboard Shortcuts (Deque)
- First-Level VoiceOver Commands (Apple)
- Second-Level VoiceOver Commands (Apple)
- Third-Level VoiceOver Commands (Apple)
- Fourth-Level VoiceOver Commands (Apple)
- A Complete List of VoiceOver Keyboard Shortcuts Available on macOS (AppleVis)
- VoiceOver iOS Gesture/Keyboard Commands & Apple Accessibility Resources (Paul J. Adam
- NVDA: NonVisual Desktop Access (NV Access)
- ChromeVox (Chrome)
Web Accessibility / Website Accessibility
- Higher Ed in 4k Project (TechPope) – An accessibility analysis of up to 100 web pages from every college and university in the United States.
- A11Y Style Guide – This application is a living style guide or pattern library, generated from KSS documented styles…with an accessibility twist. No matter your level of development or accessibility expertise, there are ways to help contribute.
- WCAG 2.1 Made Easier for Non-Accessibility Professionals 2019-03-15
- Doing a basic accessibility check if you cannot do a detailed one (Gov.UK)
- International Laws and Policies Web Accessibility Laws & Policies – This page lists governmental policies related to web accessibility, although it is not a comprehensive or definitive listing.
- Evaluating Web Accessibility Overview (W3C WAI) – This page links to resources to help evaluate web accessibility. Accessibility evaluation is also called “assessment”, “audit”, and “testing”.
- Easy Checks – A First Review of Web Accessibility (W3C WAI) – This page helps you start to assess the accessibility of a web page. With these simple steps, you can get an idea whether or not accessibility is addressed in even the most basic way.
- Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) Overview – Authoring tools are software and services that “authors” (web developers, designers, writers, etc.) use to produce web content (static web pages, dynamic web applications, etc.). Examples of authoring tools are listed below under “Who ATAG is for”.
- User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG) Overview – The User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG) documents explain how to make user agents accessible to people with disabilities. User agents include browsers, browser extensions, media players, readers and other applications that render web content. Some accessibility needs are better met in the browser than in the web content, such as text customization, preferences, and user interface accessibility. A user agent that follows UAAG 2.0 will improve accessibility through its own user interface and its ability to communicate with other technologies, including assistive technologies (software that some people with disabilities use to meet their requirements). All users, not just users with disabilities, will benefit from user agents that follow UAAG 2.0.
- Inaccessible Website Before and After Demonstration (WAI)
- *Web Accessibility Guidelines (Portland Community College)
- UW’s IT Accessibility Checklist – Great overview of web accessibility standards.
- Accessibility Bookmarklets – Accessibility of web pages can be hard to observe. These bookmarklets help web developers and designers see the “big picture” regarding web accessibility.
- AccessibilityOz Videos – The videos provide step-by-step instructions on how to code accessibly.
- JavaScript Bookmarklets for Accessibility Testing by Paul J. Adam – Bookmarklets for Accessibility Testing use JavaScript to highlight roles, states, and properties of accessibility elements on the page. They are accessible to screen reader users and work on any browser including mobile phones. Drag and drop the Install Link into your bookmarks bar to use in any browser. Most bookmarklets have an inaccessible Demo Page where you can test how the bookmarklet works live.
- A Principles-Based Approach to Web Accessibility (Jared Smith, WebAIM)
- Implementing and Evaluating Web Accessibility (Jared Smith, WebAIM)
- Introduction to Web Accessibility (W3C WAI)
- How to Meet WCAG 2 (Quick Reference) (W3C WAI)
- The Web Standards Project
- BingO Bakery: Headings, Landmarks, and Tabs YouTube Video (Microsoft)
- Performing Accessibility Reviews Survey Results, Feb 2019 (Tufts)
- Accessibility Guide (18F)
Mobile Testing
STEM Accessibility
- A Beginner’s Guide to MathML (Daniel Scully)
- A LaTeX to Braille Conversion Tool for Creating Accessible Schoolbooks in Austria (Tomás Murillo-Morales)
- Academic pipeline for scientists with disabilities (Karl S. Booksh)
- Accessibility (STEM Learning and Research Center)
- Accessible Chemical Diagrams (Progressive Accessibility Solutions)
- Accessible Content Creation in Mathematics (Portland Community College)
- Accessible Math Diagram Center (Benetech)
- Accessible Math on the Web: A Server/Client Solution (video) (Tim Arnold)
- Accessible Physics Concepts for Blind Students (OpenStax)
- Axessibility: a LaTeX Package for Mathematical Formulae Accessibility in PDF Documents (ACM Digital Library)e
- Alternate Format Production Administrative Processes (CU Boulder)
- Are there guidelines for creating accessible math? (DO-IT)
- Blind Mechanical Engineering Student (University of Colorado at Colorado Spring) (video)
- Captioning and Transcription for STEM Content (3PlayMedia)
- Connexions Guide to MathML (OpenStax)
- Creating Accessible Digital STEM Content (Colorado State University)
- Creating Documents Containing Mathematical Notation (Youngstown State University)
- Enabling Math: Web, Word & PDF, Emerging Solutions & Overcoming Issues (David MacDonald)
- Getting started with LaTeX (MathCentre)
- How can publishers create accessible math textbooks? (DO-IT)
- Interactive Simulations For Science And Math (PhET UC Boulder)
- Is MathML accessible? (Peter Krautzberger)
- Latex, Mathml, And Tex4ht: Tools For Creating Accessible Documents (Jacek Polewczak)
- LaTeX: What Is It and Why Do We Need It? (Al Maneki)
- List of LaTeX mathematical symbols (On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences)
- Making Mathematics Accessible (Design Science)
- Making Science Labs Accessible to Students with Disabilities (DO-IT)
- Making Scientific Content Accessible (Lexdis)
- Math Accessibility at Portland Community College (video) (Portland Community College)
- Math and Technical Content Guidelines (Penn State)
- MathML and MathJax (Penn State)
- MathML Best Practices (Hawkes Accessibility)
- MaxTract: Converting PDF to LATEX, MathML and Text (Volker Sorge)
- Mobile Mathematics Resources (Accessible Maths)
- Problems in Mathematics – MathJax in WordPress (Yutsumura)
- Solutions for the Accessibility Community (Design Science)
- STEM and People with Disabilities (DO-IT) (video)
- Subject Area Accessibility Study in Mathematics (Portland Community College)
- Tagged Mathematics in PDFs for Accessibility and other purposes (Ross Moore)
- The Tools of a Blind Programmer (Parham Doustdar)
- To Care & Comply: Accessibility of Online Course Content (video) (Portland Community College)
- Tools For Creating Accessible Documents: LaTeX, TeX4ht, and MathML (Jacek Polewczak)
- Tools for Creating Accessible Math (The DIAGRAM Center) (video)
- W3C Math Home (World Wide Web Consortium)
- Web Accessibility of Mathematics (Peter Krautzberger)
- Why is accessible math important? (DO-IT)
- CSUN 2018 Takeaways: Pearson’s Accessible Equation Editor Teaches Us More Than Math (Level Access)
- Positive Impacts of EPUB 3: MathML and Braille Mathematics (Dotless Braille)
- MathML Fundamentals (W3C)
- Best way to add LaTeX equations (Canvas Community)
- Math Accessibility in Word, Canvas, Conversion and More! (AHG 2018)
- MathType for Equations (Michigan State University)
- TeX/LaTeX, MathML, TeX4ht: Essential tools for creating accessible documents (CSUN)
- Mathematical Content for the Web (CSUN UDC)
- Creation of Accessible Mathematic Equations (Cal Poly Pomona)
- Preparing Accessible Math Documents using MathJax Nov 2019 (Progressive Access)
- Progress Made on Accessible STEM (AHG 2019)
- MathML in Chromium
ePub
- epubtest.org – Our accessibility evaluations are intended to answer these questions. The tests we use are developed by and with people with reading disabilities. They include consideration of various aspects that are important to different people with different needs. The summary and detailed test results are published online. This helps developers to improve their products, and consumers and institutional purchasers to select the solutions that meet their needs.
- EPUB Reading Systems for Students with Learning Disabilities (AHG 2019)
- EPUB Webinar Series (EPUB in Higher Education Working Group)
Braille
- A low-cost revolution in refreshable braille (Perkins School for the Blind)
- A Nemeth-UEB Comparison (Pearson Accessibility)
- An Introduction to the Nemeth Uniform Braille System
- Braille Embossers | Embosser Comparison (Index Braille)
- Braille Me Demo: A Smart Braille Display video (Innovision)
- Braille Me: new refreshable braille display (Perkins School for the Blind)
- Braille Printers (American Foundation for the Blind)
- Braille Research (Braille Authority of North America)
- Choices for the Future of Braille A Comparison between Unified English Braille, the Nemeth Code, and the Nemeth Uniform Braille System (NFB)
- Commonwealth Braille & Talking Book Cooperative (CBTBC)
- Duxbury Systems Inc. – Duxbury Systems leads the world in software for braille. The Duxbury Braille Translator (DBT) is used by virtually all of the world’s leading braille publishers. No one supports more languages than Duxbury Systems — DBT supports grade 1 and grade 2 translation in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Malaysian, Swedish, and other languages. Our software can produce contracted and uncontracted braille, mathematics, and technical braille.
- Embossed Braille vs. Pressed Braille (BrailleWorks)
- Executive Summary: Research on Readability of the Nemeth Uniform Braille System (NUBS) (Braille Authority of North America)
- For Professionals Working with Braille (National Library Service)
- Graphic: red star Guidance for Transcription Using the Nemeth Code within UEB Contexts
- Harry Potter books in Braille (Braille Bookstore)
- How Blind People Write Braille with Tommy Edison (video)
- Index Braille – Index Braille is the world market leader for Braille embosser production. By raising the technical level, Index Braille has made braille more accessible for blind people world wide. Since Index was founded in the early 1980’s, the company has managed to acquire increased market shares for every year with a focus on the end user.
- Low-Cost Refreshable Braille at CSUN (VisionAware)
- Nemeth UEB Comparison video (Accessibility PAC)
- Nemeth Uniform Braille System (All 4 Braille)
- NUBS or UEB: A Unified Braille Code Could Be Adopted Soon, Feb 2012 (Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired)
- Refreshable Braille Displays (American Foundation for the Blind)
- Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) – one of the UK’s leading sight loss charities and the largest community of blind and partially sighted people.
- The Braille Literacy Crisis in America (A Report to the Nation by the National Federation of the Blind, March 2009)
- The Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics and Science Notation 1972 Revision (NFB)
- The Orbit Reader 20: The Most Inexpensive Braille Display, Oct 2017 (The National Federation of the Blind)
- The Unified English Braille Code: Examination by Science, Mathematics, and Computer Science Technical Expert Braille Readers (American Foundation for the Blind)
Music Braille
- Dancing Dots – Dancing Dots Braille Music Technology, L.P., was founded in 1992 to develop and adapt music technology for the blind. In 1997 Dancing Dots released its first product, the GOODFEEL® Braille Music Translator. Bill McCann, Dancing Dots’ president and founder, sees GOODFEEL® as the first in a series of high-tech tools to harness the power of the personal computer for creative people with disabilities. McCann himself is a blind musician and programmer who has successfully competed for federal and state contracts to advance this work. In addition to selling GOODFEEL®, the company is an authorized distributor for a wide range of assistive technology and music products. Dancing Dots has customers throughout the U.S. and over forty foreign countries.
- BrailleMUSE – BrailleMUSE is offering the server as an Internet Braille music translation from MusicXML format to Braille music system with NABCC(ASCII) and/or BASE format, which has developed by Yokohama National Univ. with ten years’ research and development. You can use our BrailleMUSE server freely under the following conditions. Our hope is that this translation program is helpful for the visually impaired, Braille translators, and whom it may concern.
Tactile Graphics
- 3D Printing, Tactiles and Haptics (Diagram Center) – New technologies for creating tactiles and tactile experiences offer revolutionary ways of conveying spatial information. The work described below represents the DIAGRAM Center’s ongoing exploration of these technologies, including 3D printing and haptics.
- Touch Graphics – Touch Graphics creates products and exhibits that rely on multi-sensory display techniques and audio-haptic interactivity. Our main interest is to present spatial concepts and figures through non-visual or extra-visual means. Materials produced are used in schools, libraries, museums and other exhibit spaces and transit terminals.
- Talking Tactile Tablet 2 – The Talking Tactile Tablet, nicknamed “TTT” or “T3″, is an inexpensive, rugged and simple computer peripheral device designed for use as a “viewer” for audio/tactile materials. A hinged, weighted frame holds one of a large collection of tactile graphic sheet motionless in place against a touch-sensitive surface.
Tools, Software, Technology
- AbleData – We are the premier database for unbiased, comprehensive information on products, solutions and resources to improve productivity and ease life’s tasks.
- Stark – Baked right into the software you love to use, Stark empowers you to design with accessibility in mind from conception of brand to fruition of product.
MS Word Plug-Ins
- Document Accessibility Toolbar (Vision Australia) – An innovation that revolutionises the ease and speed of creating accessible documents in Microsoft Word, the Document Accessibility Toolbar (DAT) supports individuals and organisations to embrace accessibility as ‘business as usual’ at no cost.
Simulators
- *Colour Contrast Analyser by The Paciello Group – The Colour Contrast Analyser (CCA) helps you determine the legibility of text and the contrast of visual elements, such as graphical controls and visual indicators. Free install for both Windows and Mac users.
- Chrome High Contrast extension – with this extension you can check out grayscale to evaluate color contrast, or see how a page converts to high contrast.
- Coblis — Color Blindness Simulator – If you are not suffering from a color vision deficiency it is very hard to imagine how it looks like to be colorblind. The Color Blindness Simulator can close this gap for you. Just play around with it and get a feeling of how it is to have a color vision handicap.
- Color Contrast Tools (WebAxe) – a comprehensive list of color contrast tools.
- Color Oracle – you can download this tool in order to see how your screen looks with various types of colorblindness.
- Contrast Checker – This tool is built for designers and developers to test color contrast compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as set forth by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These calculations are based on the formulas specified by the W3C.
- Dyslexia – A friend who has dyslexia described to me how she experiences reading. She can read, but it takes a lot of concentration, and the letters seems to “jump around”. I remembered reading about typoglycemia. Wouldn’t it be possible to do it interactively on a website with Javascript? Sure it would.
- Funkify Vision – this is an interesting simulator that not only mimics vision impairments but also creates a “jumpy mouse” to mimic difficulty using a mouse.
- Leonardo – Leonardo is an open source tool for creating adaptive color palettes; a custom color generator for creating colors based on target contrast ratio. Leonardo is delivered as a Javascript module (@adobe/leonardo-contrast-colors) with a web interface to aid in creating your color palette configurations, which can easily be shared with both designers and engineers. Simply put, Leonardo is for dynamic accessibility of your products.
- NoCoffee Vision Simulator – this simulator allows you to mimic certain vision impairments and blur the text.
- Who Can Use – It’s a tool that brings attention and understanding to how color contrast can affect different people with visual impairments.
STEM Focused
- Algebra By Hand – The most advanced drag and drop algebra tool for the web.
- Equatio – Easily add equations, formulas, graphs and more to g suite for education apps and Microsoft Word.
- MathKey – MathKey translates your writing to LaTeX expressions right within your favorite text editor. You can either use your Apple Pencil or your finger to magically write LaTeX equations.
- Math Support Finder BETA (Benetech) – Math Support Finder (MSF) is an online tool that helps you identify the right combination of technologies needed to read math accessibly. Simply select your favorite tool(s) and access mode(s), then let MSF show you the unique combination of technologies required to read math using braille, audio, or however you prefer.
- MathML Cloud by Benetech – MathML Cloud is an open source tool that makes it faster, easier, and cheaper for traditional publishing houses and authoring platform providers to create math content that is accessible to all readers.
- MathType by Wiris
- MyOpenMath – MyOpenMath runs on the open source, IMathAS platform, providing free hosted use of this platform in support of free, open textbooks like the ones listed on OpenTextBookStore.com. The intent is to provide classroom use of the platform, without any required cost to students, for schools wanting a managed install of the IMathAS platform, and to provide students self-study opportunities.
- Pandoc – If you need to convert files from one markup format into another, pandoc is your swiss-army knife.
- LaTeXML – a LaTeX to XML/HTML/MathML Converter.
- GrindEQ Math Utilities – Word-to-LaTeX converts Microsoft Word documents to LaTeX, AMS-LaTeX, Plain TeX, or AMS-TeX format.
Web Accessibility
- WAVE by WebAIM – WAVE is a free evaluation tool. It provides visual feedback about the accessibility of your web content by injecting icons and indicators into your page. No automated tool can tell you if your page is entirely accessible, but WAVE facilitates human evaluation and educates about accessibility issues. WAVE has extensions for Chrome and Firefox.
- WebAIM WAVE Browser Extensions – From this site, you can download the Firefox and Chrome WAVE extensions in order to easily review websites.
- aXe is a self-contained open-source library and testing engine for accessibility. It can be customized to include specialized rules and to integrate with browsers and testing frameworks. aXe was developed to help developers take automated accessibility testing into their own hands and to avoid common pitfalls of other automated accessibility tools.
- ATBar is an open-source and cross-browser toolbar to help users customize the way they interact with web pages. ATbar allows users to change the look and feel of a page, increase and decrease font sizes, have the text read aloud, use colored overlays, and get readability assistance.
- WP Accessibility. This plugin helps with many common accessibility problems in WordPress themes. Add a toolbar to toggle between high contrast, large print, and desaturated views of your theme.
- University of Michigan List of Web Accessibility Tools. List of 11 tools.
- Siteimprove Accessibility Checker – Excellent for checking pages in combination with Chrome’s inspect tool.
Learning Management System (LMS) / Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)
- Blackboard Ally – Blackboard Ally is a revolutionary product that integrates seamlessly into the Learning Management System and focuses on making digital course content more accessible.
- Canvas File Cleanup Tool (USU CIDI) – Many courses have extra files that are no longer used in the course. If you would like to identify and clean out those files you can do so using the File Cleanup Tool in Canvas. The File Cleanup Tool helps you quickly identify and delete old, irrelevant files in your course to make the files section of your course easier to manage and more usable and accessible.
- VLE Accessibility Review Guide (University of York)
Content Remediation
- Who’s responsible for accessibility of online courses? (Portland Community College)
- How to make PDF accessible (YouTube Playlist) (Wolf Helping Hand)
- Accessible Learning YouTube Playlist
- Build a Better Book project at CU Boulder
Remediation Services / Companies
- 247 Accessible Documents – On-demand Accessible Documents. Upload a Document and receive an Accessible PDF, Accessible Word Document or an Accessible PowerPoint that meets Accessibility Standards & Guidelines 2.0 in 5 days.
- AbleDocs, Inc – AbleDocs makes document accessibility fast, easy, secure, and cost-effective. With best-in-class technology and deep category expertise, Abledocs offers solutions that are compliant every single time.
- Accessibility Insights (Microsoft) – When teams first use Accessibility Insights, they sometimes see failures that aren’t immediately clear whether they’re false positives or legitimate accessibility issues. In most cases, investigation has revealed that Accessibility Insights has identified a legitimate accessibility issue. In the few cases where an actual false positive has been discovered, the Accessibility Insights team has quickly fixed it and deployed an update.
- AccessibilityOz – We are an accessibility consultancy with offices in Australia and the United States. We test websites, mobile sites and applications. We work with small and large organisations and Government departments to meet their accessibility obligations.
- Alternate Text Production Center (ATPC) – The Alternate Text Production Center supports California Community Colleges in meeting the alternate text needs of their students with print-related disabilities. Alternate text includes Braille, tactile graphics, and electronic text. All ATPC services are performed at no charge to California Community Colleges.
- Blndspt – As one of the leading accessibility & remediation experts in the world, we believe accessibility compliance should be incorporated throughout the entire process of the product. People with Vision Impairments, Motor & Cognitive Disabilities, and Deaf or Hard of Hearing are just part of the entire audience we design for.
- BrailleWorks – Braille Works is a solution for repair or remediation of your documents so organizations can meet WCAG and 508 compliance standards. WCAG and Section 508 document compliance can be difficult and navigating these waters is not a job for the inexperienced. Elements of a document such as paragraph structure, tables, charts, lists etc, need to be properly organized and tagged to provide true accessibility.
- Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation (CIDI) – The Center for Inclusive Design & Innovation is committed to the promotion of technological innovation and the development of user-centered research, products, and services for individuals with disabilities. As a research and service center within Georgia Tech’s College of Design, we address unmet needs in higher education, government, non-profits, and corporations by providing accessible and inclusive environments for all.
- CWU Central Access – Central Access has been in the business of producing alternate formats for almost 30 years. Technology and methods have changed numerous times and we have always strived to not just keep up with this changing technology, but to be leaders in the field. We are dedicated to producing high quality alternative formats no matter what it is. Central Access specializes in producing accessible science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) content for students who have print-related disabilities, including specialized materials for students who are blind.
- CommonLook – NetCentric Technologies, a global leader in document accessibility, provides software products and professional services enabling faster, more cost-efficient, and more reliable processes for achieving compliance with the leading PDF and document accessibility standards, including WCAG, PDF/UA, and Section 508. CommonLook software makes the creation, remediation, and management of accessible PDF and Microsoft Office documents easier than ever before.
- Equidox – Equidox is an automated solution that simplifies the process of discovering, converting, and publishing PDF documents to WCAG 2.0 compliant HTML.
- eLaHub – At eLaHub we show you how to meet accessibility standards, and how to make your eLearning resources better for everyone, including people with impairments.
- inclüd – Accessible content conversion, creation, and consulting services, inclüd provides institutions with a path to accessible information, ensuring that those with exceptional needs can access content tailor made for them.
- Microassist – The entire Microassist team invests time in understanding a client’s needs and the desired outcome of their training and learning strategy. Microassist creates, delivers, and hosts custom training for our clients’ internal and external learners with a special emphasis in usability and accessibility.
- Open Access Technologies – Open Access Technologies, Inc. (OAT) is dedicated to helping organizations build fully accessible and usable digital document libraries. OAT’s suite of robust document accessibility tools helps organizations convert and remediate PDF, ePub, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents to better serve their customers and comply with mandated accessibility standards, including WCAG 2.1, PDF/UA and Section 508.
- PubCom – PubCom has been developing accessible materials since the mid-1990s, before the US Sec. 508 amendment was passed and put into effect in 2000. They offer a suite of services from custom designed accessible templates to an audit of public-facing documents.
- RoboBraille – RoboBraille is accessible 24/7 as a self-service solution and is available free of charge to individual, non-commercial user not affiliated with an institutional setting obligated to provide support (academic institution, organisation, association or similar). Users need not register in order to use the service. The objective is to support and promote self-sufficiency of people with special needs socially, throughout the educational system and on the labour market. As an additional benefit, RoboBraille helps to protect the privacy of of those who need material in alternate formats.
- SensusAccess (Powered by RoboBraille) – SensusAccess is a self-service, alternate media solution for educational institutions. SensusAccess allows students, faculty, staff and alumni to automatically convert documents into a range of alternate media including audio books (MP3 and DAISY), e-books (EPUB, EPUB3 and Mobi) and digital Braille. The service can also be used to convert inaccessible documents such as image-only PDF files, JPG pictures and Microsoft PowerPoint presentations into more accessible and less tricky formats.
- T-Base Communications – T-Base Communications takes one digital file and converts it into every accessible format you need: braille, large print, audio or accessible PDF. Guided automation and QA by our subject matter experts ensures a high-quality end product, consistently.
Remediation Tools
- ABBYY FineReader – FineReader is an all-in-one OCR and PDF software application for increasing business productivity when working with documents. It provides powerful, yet easy-to-use tools to access and modify information locked in paper-based documents and PDF files.
- Adobe Acrobat Pro DC – The defacto PDF conversion tool. Includes an Accessibility Checker to assess your PDF files.
- axesPDF QuickFix – axesPDF QuickFix is your time-saving tool to check and remediate PDF documents during the process of making them fully accessible and compliant with PDF/UA, WCAG 2 and Section 508. Accessibility issues are easily found and most of them are fixed instantly with a single click.
- Free Online OCR – Free Online OCR delivers advanced recognition technology to ensure high quality results. Simply upload a file, choose your preferred output format and click Convert. After the conversion process is complete, you will be able to download your document.
- Grackle Docs – Grackle is a cloud-based service that can convert Google Doc, Sheet, PDF and Slide into an accessible PDF. Used with Grackle’s Accessibility Checkers, Grackle Docs brings compliance, remediation and version control under one roof.
- OmniPage – OmniPage solutions offer industry-leading optical character recognition (OCR) for fast, easy, accurate document conversion. Now you can instantly turn paper and digital documents into files you can edit, search and share securely.
- PDF Accessibility Checker (PAC 2) – PAC 2 quickly tests PDF files for accessibility. PAC 2 is used to support expert and affected tests during assessment. NOTE: The company offering this software, Access for All, is based in Switzerland, you may need to use translation to understand the content.
- PDFix – Vast majority of PDFs that exist and are created daily are not tagged or are not tagged properly and provide just visual representation of the content. This makes the information invisible for screen readers used by visually impaired people or reading software for users with learning disabilities. Tagged PDF allows an easy navigation and accessible presentation of the content in PDF files reading software for users with learning disabilities.
- ScanTailor – Scan Tailor is an interactive post-processing tool for scanned pages. It performs operations such as page splitting, deskewing, adding/removing borders, and others. You give it raw scans, and you get pages ready to be printed or assembled into a PDF or DJVU file. Scanning, optical character recognition, and assembling multi-page documents are out of scope of this project.
- Unlock PDF – An easy-to-use online PDF password remover.
PDF Remediation Resources
- Acrobat DC accessibility guides (Adobe)
- Introduction to Accessible PDF Documents (Adobe at AHG 2018)
- Tips and Tricks for Accessible PDFs (Adobe at AHG 2018)
- Accessible PDFs – Creating a PDF (1/5) (University College of Estate Management)
- Accessible PDFs – Document Structure (2/5) (University College of Estate Management)
- Accessible PDFs – Tags and Reading Order (3/5) (University College of Estate Management)
- Accessible PDFs – Accessibility Checking (4/5) (University College of Estate Management)
- Accessible PDFs – Complex Tables (5/5) (University College of Estate Management)
- Accessible PDFs in Acrobat DC: Tagging Content as an Artifact (Adobe)
- Edit document structure with the Content and Tags panels (Acrobat Pro)
- The Great PDF Purge NC State University (AHG 2019)
Remediation Resources
- PDF Accessibility Basics Webinar Series Resources (Level Access) – Offers access to the PowerPoint slides, CART Transcript, and Recorded Presentations for the following:
- PDF Functionality, Part I
- PDF Functionality, Part II
- Metadata, Reading Order, and Links
- Non-Text Elements
- Data Tables
- Forms
- Page Structure
- Accessibility Checker
Accessibility Consulting and Services
- Aria.io – Using augmented reality, Aira connects people who are blind or low vision to a trained professional agent who is dedicated to further enhancing their everyday experience – completely hands-free assistance at the touch of a button.
- Deque – We help our customer’s development teams find and fix accessibility problems on their web and mobile apps, even if they have never done it before. When they are ready, our customer’s development teams use our tools and take Deque University Courses so they can build and maintain their apps, on their own, and ensure they remain accessible.
- Deque YouTube Channel
- Deque University
- Deque Webinars
- Deque Accessibility Stories
- Deque 2020 CSUN Presentations:
- “Creating an Accessible Escape Room” by Rachael Bradley
- “Digital Accessibility for Compulsive Gamblers” by Liz Certa
- “JAWS Kiosk: What is it and when would I use it?” by Ryan Jones
- “CSS Display Properties versus HTML Semantics” by Adrian Roselli
- “A Web of Anxiety: Is a Little Tension a Good Thing?” by David Swallow
- “Overcoming Obstacles to Manual Accessibility Testing” by Larry Lewis
- “Responsible Responsive Tables: Where Are We Now?” by Hans Hillen
- “Kiosk Accessibility: Understanding the Kiosk User Experience” by Rachael Bradley and Laura Miller
- “Game Accessibility Possibilities and UI Demonstration” by Matthew Atkinson
- “Be the Helvetica of Ergonomics” by Ashley Bischoff
- “Some Fundamental Concepts Underpinning Accessibility Advice” by Matthew Atkinson
- Cost of False Positives Calculator
- Accessibility in Development
- eSSENTIAL Accessibility – By combining assistive technology with web accessibility evaluation and remediation services, we’ve created the ultimate solution to make your digital properties fully accessible – helping you eliminate barriers and project a disability-friendly image.
- ICT for Information Accessibility in Learning (ICT4IAL) – The ICT for Information Accessibility in Learning project is funded with support from the European Lifelong Learning Programme. The information on this website reflects the views of the partners and the European Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
- Interactive Accessibility – Interactive Accessibility is recognized globally as a leader in accessibility and we leverage that to help you lead your industry. We offer customized Section 508, WCAG 2.0 and ADA compliance services to meet your needs.
- Knowbility – Our mission is to support the independence of children and adults with disabilities by promoting the use and improving the availability of accessible information technology.
- Level Access – Our ultimate goal at Level Access is to create a world where digital systems can be made readily accessible to users with disabilities—enabling digital technology to become a profound empowering force in their lives.
- Pearson Accessibility Team for Assessments –Pearson’s Accessibility Team for Assessments provides consultative services to product and program teams to support the development and delivery of accessible products and services. Learn more about the Assessments business, our approach to accessibility and the structure of our accessibility team.
- Simply Accessible – We’re a lean team of accessibility specialists changing the perception of accessibility on the web. Our skilled team trains, tests, and teaches you as an equal partner. We’re committed to people over compliance, which means exceeding regulations and standards. Let’s have a conversation about how to reinvent your approach to improving the digital challenges people experience every day.
- Tenon.io – For us, Tenon just “fits in” as an important piece of a much bigger puzzle: the design, development, testing, and content creation of websites and web-based application. Our philosophy of “Integration, not separation” guides everything we do as we create the single most flexible, efficient, and accurate accessibility testing systems on the planet.
- The Paciello Group – We help achieve end-to-end accessibility in your organization’s websites, applications and processes. Our consulting services include accessibility testing and evaluation, WCAG/Section 508 compliance audits, VPAT® analysis and production, training, user testing and research, design reviews and strategic planning to embed accessible user experience into all aspects of your product development lifecycle.
- UserWorks – Our team will conduct research to help you understand your users. We’ll show you how to integrate user experience principles into your business or development processes. We can even train your team on the basics of usability and accessibility to help you maintain the UX of your products into the future.
- WebAIM – WebAIM offers complete web accessibility services. Regardless of the type or size of your web site, WebAIM can help ensure that your site is accessible and usable to those with disabilities. While we specialize in developing and retrofitting web content for accessibility, our accessibility approach is one that empowers our clients to maintain that accessibility into the future. Though we are a small team, we have years of experience in accessible web design and can work with you to make your site meet the highest levels of accessibility.
Standards, Guidelines, Indicators
- Higher Education Critical Components of the Quality Indicators for the Provision of Accessible Educational Materials & Accessible Technologies (NCAEM)
- Quality Indicators for the Provision of Accessible Educational Materials and Technologies (CAST AEM Center)
- Guidelines for Accessible Information (ICT4IAL) European Guidelines
Webinar Series
- Chromebook Accessibility (EASI)
- Zoom Accessibility (EASI)
- Webinars 2018 (Inclusive Design 24)
- Webinars 2019 (Inclusive Design 24)
- Webinars 2020 (Inclusive Design 24)
- ICT Accessibility Office Hours Webinars and Videos (California Community Colleges)
- Training & Tutorials (Office of the Texas Governor)
- Accessibility and Disability Policy Webinar Series (Office of the Texas Governor)
- International Digital Inclusion Week 2018 panel (Australian Digital Inclusion Alliance)
- Accessibility video training (Microsoft)
- Kent Digital Accessibility Conference (June 2019)
- PDF Association’s Electronic Document Conference (June 2019)
- Intro to Chrome & Chrome OS Accessibility Video Series, Nov 2016 (Google)
- Blackboard’s 2018 Global Accessibility Awareness Day (Blackboard)
- Google Accessibility (Google)
- Accessibility: A Three-Part Series from Whitney Quesenbery (All You Can Learn AYCL)
Standalone Webinars
- Digital Accessibility in Higher Education, May 2018 (Inside Higher Ed)
- The CIO Minute: Textbook Costs as an Equity Issue (EDUCAUSE)
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR), eXtended Reality (XR)
- Inclusive Design for AI Webinar by Jutta Treviranus from the Inclusive Design Resource Centre (EASI)
Misc Videos
- 2017 Global Accessibility Awareness Day (video playlist) (Blackboard)
- Microsoft Super Bowl Commercial 2019: We All Win (Extended Version)
- Accessibility Journey at University of Cincinnati (Blackboard)
- *Why Accessible? (video playlist) (Portland Community College)
- A11ycasts with Rob Dodson (Google Chrome Developers)
- Universal Design (South Seattle Community College)
- eAccessibility Awareness (Mint Green Studios) – This PSA was shown on digital screens across the UC campus to raise awareness about eAccessibility for The Accessibility Network at UC. Script, graphics and direction. (Purposely does not contain sound.)
- UDL for Canvas (Zana Carver, PhD)
- *Disability Sensitivity Training Video (DC Government)
- Lose Your Readers Commercial (Alcon DAILIES Contact Lenses)
- Why Accessibility Matters (CSUN Acad Tech)
- BingO Bakery: Headings, Landmarks, and Tabs (MSFTEnable)
Video Accessibility
- BBC Subtitle Guidelines
- Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) Quality Captioning
- How to Use Automatic Captions in Google Slides (Richard Byrne) (video)
- How 3 Schools Approach University-Wide Captioning (3PlayMedia)
- How 5 Colleges Cultivated Video Accessibility at Their Institutions (3PlayMedia)
- How to Do Closed Captioning Right (3PlayMedia)
- DCMP Closed Captioning Standards (3PlayMedia)
- Audio Description using the Web Speech API (Terrill Thompson)
- How 3 Schools Approach University-Wide Captioning (3PlayMedia)
Examples of Accessible Videos
- Captioned Video
- Captioned Video with an Interactive Transcript (Light)
- Captioned Video with an Interactive Transcript (Dark)
- Captioned Video with Audio Description (Frozen Trailer)
- Captioned Video with Audio Description (Best of UW 2016)
- Captioned Video with an Interactive Transcript and Audio Description, using Able Player, a highly accessible media player (Teaching Accessibility: Including Accessibility in Your Courses)
Audio Description
Video Accessibility Tools
- Able Player – Able Player is a fully accessible cross-browser HTML5 media player. To see the player in action check out the Able Player Examples page.
- Amara – Amara’s award-winning technology enables you to caption and subtitle any video for free. For larger subtitling projects the platform makes it easy to manage teams of translators. And you can always purchase high-quality captions or translations from our passionate team of professional linguists.
- DotSub – Dotsub is a browser based, one-stop, self contained system for creating and viewing subtitles for videos in multiple languages across all platforms, including web based, mobile devices, and transcription and video editing systems. It’s easy to use, nothing to buy or download, and it’s fun. You can upload your videos, transcribe and time caption them, translate them into and from any language, and share them with the world.
- Subtitle Horse – Subtitle Horse is an online subtitle/captions editor. To translate a video simply put in the URL of your file (mp4, ogv, webm, flv, youtube) video and click the submit button. After you finished you can export your subtitles in different formats (VTT, SBV, timedText, SRT, Encore).
- Using YouDescribe (Jacqueline Wanner) (video) – This video discusses how YouDescribe, a free web-based accessibility tool, can help in solving the ill-structured problem related to assisting learners with visual impairments.
- YouTube Caption Auditor (YTCA) – YTCA is a utility to collect stats from one or more YouTube channels. It was designed to collect data related to captioning, but could be extended to support other data collection needs.
Captioning Vendors
- 3PlayMedia – We provide premium closed captioning, transcription, audio description, and subtitling solutions at very competitive prices. Our goal is to simplify the process by providing a user-friendly account system, fast turnaround, flexible API’s, and integrations with a multitude of video players, platforms, and lecture capture systems. We create closed captions and subtitles in many different formats and languages. We also develop video search plugins and a range of tools that save time and cut costs. Our commitment to innovation has led to 7 patents (granted and pending)–all of which focus on making the captioning, subtitling, and transcription process more efficient and less expensive.
- Ai-Media – Ai-Media is founded on the belief that every single person deserves equal access. From Facebook and NASA to global events and local classes, our solutions address three key needs – accessibility, engagement and analytics. With a product portfolio spanning captioning, transcription, translation, audio description and speech analytics, we help you reach your whole audience.
- Alternative Communication Services – The mission of Alternative Communication Services (ACS) is to provide the highest quality voice-to-text and sign language services possible, delivering these services to consumers throughout the world, and recognizing the unique strengths of each individual in the process. The translation of the spoken English word translated instantaneously into English text. This can be achieved through a number of methods including: CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation), Captioning and Text Interpreting (TypeWell).
- American Council of the Blind Services Involved With Audio Description – List of all the individual, organization, and corporate services that we know about in the USA that are involved with audio description, provided the organization has validated the information in the previous three years.
- Automatic Sync Technologies (AST) – Has been providing closed captioning services for over 14 years, producing more than 5 million caption files for over 5,000 customers. In 2003, AST was awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the United States Department of Education, providing the company’s initial funding. Founders Kevin Erler, Ph.D. and Brent Robertson then worked in collaboration with a team of expert advisors to develop the most cost-efficient, high quality, closed captioning service available today.
- CaptionMax – Captionmax is one of North America’s largest full-service media accessibility companies. We provide closed captioning for prerecorded media and realtime events, subtitling and localization services, description, and specialized scripts. Our clients range from the biggest names in media and entertainment, to large corporations, to education institutions and government entities.
- cielo24 – cielo24’s cutting-edge video solution technology enables us to create detailed information about the content within your videos, which in turn amplifies your video discovery, engagement, reach and compliance. This can include speaker identification, audio transcript and visual information (faces, actions, products, etc.). This information can also be used to generate video insights including topics, keywords and ad words for targeting and asset management.
- Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation (CIDI) – The Center for Inclusive Design & Innovation is committed to the promotion of technological innovation and the development of user-centered research, products, and services for individuals with disabilities. As a research and service center within Georgia Tech’s College of Design, we address unmet needs in higher education, government, non-profits, and corporations by providing accessible and inclusive environments for all.
- Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) Captioning Service Vendors – This listing was prepared from information provided by various captioning-related sources and from surveys conducted by the DCMP.
- Otter.ai – Generate rich notes for meetings, interviews, lectures, and other important voice conversations with Otter, your AI-powered assistant. Otter.ai creates technologies and products that make information from important voice conversations instantly accessible and actionable.
- Stellar Services – At Stellar we understand and deliver outstanding results across 3 key Access areas: American Sign Language Interpreting, CART Captioning and TypeWell Transcription.
- Valerie H Productions – All my life, starting in the United States and then in Canada, I’ve been writing and reading things aloud. For a couple decades, that meant working in radio as an announcer, producer and what we used to call a DJ. For more than another decade, it has mainly meant describing visual media so people who are blind, visually impaired, learning English, or just not looking to understand what’s going on.
- Verbit.ai – A VerbIT transcription process starts with an adaptive AI engine that automatically transcribes content at very high accuracy, regardless of subject matter or accent. A sophisticated algorithm distributes each file through 2-layers of human transcribers within seconds, and checks for congruence, localized spelling and other common inaccuracies. The entire process is extremely fast, and yields +99% accuracy.
- WGBH Media Access Group – As an original innovator of closed captioning and audio description, the Media Access Group (MAG) provides services across all media platforms. With offices in Boston and Los Angeles, we customize our workflow based on your content and technology needs.
Comprehensive Resources
- Accessible Web Design (MaineCite)
- Accessible Digital Documents (MaineCite)
- Types of Educational Multimedia Resources (Staff Educational Technology Guidance)
- Accessibility Best Practices for Developing Course Content (with WCAG documentation) (edX)
- GOALS Benchmarking and Planning Tool
- *The A11Y Project – Great resource including information for the following:
- Blogs
- Books
- Community Help
- Courses
- Development Tools
- Empathy Development
- Further Reading
- HTML Related
- Newsletters
- Online Tools
- PDFs
- Podcasts
- Professional Help
- Screen Readers
- Software
- Talks (Video)
- EDUCAUSE Accessibility – has some key resources and related topics.
- Council of Ontario Universities (COU)’s Accessibility Resources Website – Here you will find the latest information about accessibility at universities across the province of Ontario.
- Creating Accessible Learning Environments (Vanderbilt University)
- Framing Access: Theoretical perspectives on disability
- The struggle for access: The Disability Rights Movement, higher education, and the law
- Disability at Vanderbilt
- Strategies for Creating Accessible Learning Environments
- Boise State University Guides, Instructions, Checklists, and Tools
College’s and University’s IT Accessibility Policies
- California State University’s Accessible Technology Initiative
- California University Accessible Procurement Process
- National Association of State Chief Information Officers’ Accessibility in IT Procurement; Part 1
- National Association of State Chief Information Officers’ Accessibility in IT Procurement; Part 2
- Oregon State University’s Policy on Information Technology Accessibility
- Penn State Policy and Accessibility Guidelines
- Stanford University’s Online Accessibility Policy
- Tennessee Board of Regents’ Accessibility Initiative
- The Ohio State University Web Accessibility Standards and Purchasing Procedures
- University of California’s Technology Accessibility Policy
- University of California Berkeley Policy and Standards
- University of Colorado Boulder Policy and Standards
- University of Connecticut Accessibility Policies
- University of Montana’s Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Implementation Plan
- University of Missouri Digital Accessibility Policy
College’s and University’s Accessibility Sites
- Amherst College
- Digital Accessibility for Teaching & Learning @ Amherst
- Accessible Educational Materials- Resources & Links
- Accessibility Resources for Teaching and Learning During COVID-19
- Auburn Accessibility
- AU’s Web Accessibility Initiative
- Universal Design in Learning
- Technology Trainings
- Built-In Accessibility
- Creating Accessible Textbooks, Documents, Presentations, and Emails
- Captioning Videos
- Apple Accessibility
- Technologies to Assist with Learning
- Canvas Accessibility
- Lower Columbia College Accessibility Resources
- Accessibility Webinar Recordings
- Laws & Policies
- Why Accessibility Matters
- Access vs. Accommodation
- Terms & Concepts
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- Accessible Design Principles
- Using and Procuring Accessible Technology and Materials
- Being an Accessibility Advocate
- Creating an Action Plan: Part I
- Creating an Action Plan: Part II
- CTC Listserv
- Minnesota IT Services’ Office of Accessibility
- Training
- Documents
- Maps
- Meetings
- Multimedia
- Social Media
- Web & Apps
- North Carolina State University Accessibility
-
- For Faculty and Staff
- For IT Staff and Developers
- Training
- Procurement
-
- *Portland State Community College Accessibility
- About Online Accessibility
- Course Accessibility Review
- Designing Online Content
- Training Opportunities
- DIY Accessibility Checking
- Publisher Content Guidelines
- Subject Area Studies
- PennState University Accessibility
- Accommodations – What are the different needs for different audiences?
- Blockers – Find what items such as images, tables and headings need to be fixed to facilitate universal access.
- Courses – Issues such as course guidelines, STEM content, foreign language and other course needs are addressed here.
- Guidelines – Links to different Penn State policies and accessibility guidelines.
- Websites – Implement accessibility in different Web site components including forms, tables and CSS.
- Multimedia – Information about video captions, images and other media.
- Testing/Triage – Tools and methods for auditing your content.
- Software – Learn about accessibility in Word/PowerPoint, Canvas, Sites at Penn State and more.
- Training – Discover available training in multiple formats.
- Salt Lake Community College Accessibility
- Universal Design Basics
- Accessibility Laws
- Accessible Course Materials
- Accommodation Procedures
- Syllabus Statement
- University of Cincinnati Accessibility
- Student Resources
- Faculty/Staff Resources
- Policies and Grievance Procedure
- Electronic Accessibility
- University of Washington Accessibility
- UW Policy
- IT Accessibility Guidelines
- IT Accessibility Checklist & Tutorial
- IT Accessibility Leadership
- Progress & Plan
- Getting Started
- Creating Documents
- Creating Videos
- Developing Websites
- Designing Online Courses
- Procuring IT
- Managing for Accessibility
- Getting Help
- Events & Collaboration
- Laws, Policies & Standards
Examples of Creative Marketing Strategies Around Accessibility
- Barriers Be Gone Escape Room (University of Central Florida)
- Choose Accessible Learning Materials (C.A.L.M.) (Virginia Tech)
- 30 Days of Access Challenge (U Mass Amherst)
- Stories of Inclusive Technology: Diversity, Accessibility and Universal Design — a video curriculum for faculty and staff (Colorado State University)
- Inclusion, Diversity & Disability (14:22)
- Legislation & Disability Rights (6:02)
- Tech for Reading (14:27)
- Tech for Writing (4:39)
- Tech in the Classroom (12:51)
- Inclusive Web (11:19)
- Inclusive Video (8:56)
MOOCs and Courses
- Accessible and Usable PDF Documents (Karen McCall)
- Accessibility 101: STEM Edition (WA SBCTC and Krista Greear)
- Accessibility Badging Program (University of Illinois)
- Accessibility Courses (California @ONE)
- Accessibility to the Scenic Arts (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)
- Accessibility: Designing and Teaching Courses For All Learners (Open SUNY)
- Accessible Gamification for Business (Georgia Tech)
- Basics of Inclusive Design for Online Education (UC Boulder)
- Basics of Inclusive Design for Online Education (University of Colorado Boulder)
- Behavioral Design: Create Engaging Products with Behavioral Science (Interaction Design Foundation)
- Copyright for Educators and Librarians (Duke University)
- Designing and Teaching For Impact In Online Courses (Indiana University)
- Digital Accessibility: Enabling Participation in the Information Society (University of Southampton)
- Disability Awareness and Support (University of Pittsburg)
- Document Accessibility Course (WebAIM)
- Exploring Emerging Technologies for Lifelong Learning and Success (The State University of New York)
- Implementing UDL on Canvas for (K-12/Higher Ed) (University of Tennessee, Knoxville)
- Inclusive Learning and Teaching Environments (University of Southampton)
- Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Accessibility (Georgia Tech)
- Introduction to Web Accessibility (Ryerson University)
- Introduction to Web Accessibility (W3C)
- Making Digital Content Accessible for Learners – Digital Accessibility Certification Program (Texas Distance Learning Association)
- Professional Web Accessibility Auditing Made Easy (Ryerson University)
- Self-Paced Accessibility Courses (CCC Accessibility Center)
- Understanding Document Accessibility (Ryerson University)
- Web Accessibility (Google)
- Web Accessibility For Developers (Ryerson University)
- Web Accessibility for Product and Marketing Teams (Level Access)
- Web Accessibility MOOC for Educators (Colorado Community College System)
- Web Accessibility MOOC for Online Educators (Portland Community College) and the University of Arizona’s announcement of the same MOOC
- Digital Accessibility for Educators (DAE) (University of Illinois System Springfield)
- Online Course | Facilitating Organizational Change with the Cycles of Inquiry Model (EDUCAUSE)
- Quality by Design (QbD): Strategies for Effective Teaching and Quality Course Design (Open SUNY)
Legal Resources
- Resolution Agreements and Lawsuits (University of Washington) – The remaining sections of this page summarize resolution agreements and lawsuits that have involved IT accessibility issues in higher education.
- Legal News (Access Technology Higher Education Network (ATHEN) – Various Office for Civil Rights (OCR) complaints and resolutions in that have occurred in higher education.
- Higher Ed Accessibility Lawsuits, Complaints, and Settlements (Laura Carlson, University of Minnesota Duluth) – List of higher educational institutions face liability for inaccessible web content and technologies. Organized by higher education institution.
- Web Accessibility Related Lawsuits and Settlements in the United States (Karl Groves) – from 2000-2017. Identifies Year, Plaintiff(s), Defendant(s), and Citation link.
- EDUCAUSE IT Accessibility Risk Statements and Evidence – This document was created by the EDUCAUSE IT Accessibility Constituent Group to help identify accessibility risks that IT leaders should consider in their risk management process.
- EDUCAUSE 7 Things You Should Know About IT Accessibility – This document answers questions like What is it, How does it work, Who’s doing it, Why is it significant, What are the downsides, Where is it going, What are the implications for higher education.
Procurement
Procurement Resources
- Accessibility & Procurement: What do we need to know?
- 3 Essential Steps for Building Accessibility into the Procurement Process (3PlayMedia)
Examples of Accessible Procurement Processes
- EIT Purchasing Process (Michigan State University)
- Accessibility Reviews for Procurement (NC State University)
- CSU Accessible Procurement Process (California State University)
- A Guide to Accessible Purchasing (Temple University)
- Procuring Accessible IT (University of Washington)
Cognitive Disabilities / Cognitive Accessibility
- An Introductory Guide to Understanding Cognitive Disabilities (Deque)
- Making content usable for people with cognitive and learning disabilities (W3C WAI)
- Cognitive Accessibility 103 (Jaime + Lion)
- Cognitive Disabilities, Accessibility Standards, and Assistive Technology – Learn, Apply, Advocate (Minnesota)
User Experiences / Personas
- Ginny Owens – How I See It (Using an iPhone) (YouTube)
- Screen Reader Demo (YouTube)
- A Day in the Life of Someone Who is Blind (SiteImprove)
- Screen Reader Demo for Digital Accessibility (UCSF Documents & Media Photography)
- Google Accessibility (Google)
- Stories of Web Users (W3C WAI)
- Screen Reader User’s Experience and MS Word (Assistive Technology Showcase)
- Subject Matter Experts YouTube Playlist (Microsoft Design)
- Accessibility Personas (MGifford)
Social Media
- Best Practices for Accessible Social Media (CAST)
- Improving the Accessibility of Social Media in Government (Digital Gov)
- Golden Rules of Social Media Accessibility Infographic (Jennifer Smith)
Books
Purchased
- Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education
- A Web for Everyone – Designing Accessible User Experiences
- Accessibility for Everyone
- Digital Outcasts: Moving Technology Forward without Leaving People Behind
- Inclusive Design Patterns
- Structured Negotiation: A Winning Alternative to Lawsuits
OER
- Professional Web Accessibility Auditing Made Easy (Ryerson University and Pressbooks)
- Digital Accessibility as a Business Practice (Ryerson University and Pressbooks)
- Transforming our World Through Design, Diversity and Education (IOS Press Ebooks)
- Open Education Rising
Favorite Speakers / Professionals
- Thomas J. Tobin is a faculty member specializing in Universal Design for Learning (UDL), copyright.
- Dr. Kellie Lim is a physician at UCLA Health, specializing in Allergy & Immunology. Triple amputee.
- Tommy Edison is a blind film critic.
- Dennis E. Lembrée is a digital accessibility professional specializing in web accessibility, interaction design, and usability.
- Karl Groves for technical accessibility.
Accessibility Models
- The Digital Accessibility Maturity Model – Maturity Levels (Level Access)
- Business Disability Forum’s Accessibility Maturity Model
Places to Publish Accessibility-Related Articles
Reasonable to Ask Faculty to Do
Microsoft Word
- Run the built-in MS Accessibility Checker before publishing or sharing with students.
- Use a font size of at least 12px.
- Ensure that there is sufficient contrast between text and background. The Paciello Group Contrast Analyzer is a great tool.
- Ensure that proper heading styles are used.
- Ensure that a logical heading structure is used.
- Ensure that images have an alternative description that can convey the full meaning of the image.
- Ensure that tables are used for tabular data only.
- Ensure that all tables have column headings.
- Ensure that all lists use built-in list functionality.
- Ensure that all links have text that describes the target.
Microsoft PowerPoint
- Run the built-in MS Accessibility Checker before publishing or sharing with students.
- Use a font size of at least 12px.
- Ensure that there is sufficient contrast between text and background. The Paciello Group Contrast Analyzer is a great tool.
- Ensure that each slide has a title.
- You can use smaller text and changing the font color to “hide” the title, if the title will diminish the aesthetic of the slide but it will still be usable for screen reader users.
- Ensure that images have an alternative description that can convey the full meaning of the image.
- Ensure that tables are used for tabular data only.
- Ensure that all tables have column headings.
- Ensure that all lists use built-in list functionality.
- Ensure that all links have text that describes the target.
- Use a template when starting a new PowerPoint from scratch.
- Send publisher content back to publisher if there are substantial errors.
- Add alt text to images (if have access to Adobe Acrobat Professional).
- Ensure that all PDFs are tagged when using PDFs from publishers or library databases.
- Search for and/or work with librarians to find better source files for low-quality scanned PDFs.
May Not Be Reasonable to Ask Faculty to Do
- OCRing low-quality scanned PDFs.
Empathy Lab
VPATs
- The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) VPAT
- Vendor Accessibility Lookup Table (VALT)
- Navigating VPAT 2: A Guide for Vendors (LevelAccess)
G Suite (Google Suite)
Copyright/Fair Use
- Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries (Association of Research Libraries)
- The Law and Accessible Texts: Reconciling Civil Rights and Copyrights (Association of Research Libraries)
- Marrakesh Treaty (World Intellectual Property Organization)
Research Articles
- Evaluating Instructor Strategy and Student Learning Through Digital Accessibility Course Enhancements (ASSETS ’19: The 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, October 2019, https://doi.org/10.1145/3308561.3353795)
- Including accessibility within and beyond undergraduate computing courses (Assets ’09: Proceedings of the 11th international ACM SIGACCESS conference on Computers and accessibility, October 2009, https://doi.org/10.1145/1639642.1639670)
- Including accessibility within and beyond undergraduate computing courses (Assets ’09: Proceedings of the 11th international ACM SIGACCESS conference on Computers and accessibility, October 2009, https://doi.org/10.1145/1639642.1639670)
- The Accessibility of MOOCs for Blind Learners (ASSETS ’17: Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, October 2017, https://doi.org/10.1145/3132525.3134796)
- Dyslexie font does not benefit reading in children with or without dyslexia (US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, December 2017, doi: 10.1007/s11881-017-0154-6)
- The effect of a specialized dyslexia font, OpenDyslexic, on reading rate and accuracy, (US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, March 2016, doi: 10.1007/s11881-016-0127-1)
- Extra-large letter spacing improves reading in dyslexia (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, July 2012, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1205566109)
Remote Meetings and Events
- Hosting Accessible Remote Meetings and Events (Harvard University)
- Best video conferencing apps and software for accessibility (The Big Hack)
- A Planning Guide for Making Temporary Events Accessible to People with Disabilities (ADA National Network)