Accessible Education Center
Why Accessibility?
Consider these facts:
- 0-20% of the population have disabilities.
- Temporary disabilities such as Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI), or accidents can affect our ability to access the web.
- Most people become "less abled" as they age (vision, mobility, short-term memory, dexterity can decrease).
- 8% to 10% of males have some form of color blindness.
- Accessibility is a legal requirement (ADA).
Why Accessible Web Pages
- California community colleges have been an open-door institution.
- Accessible web pages provide an opportunity for student success.
- Web pages are the building blocks of a virtual classroom.
- If the building blocks are inaccessible, then the virtual classrooms will be inaccessible.
Who Cares About Web Accessibility?
- The U.S. Federal Government by applying the following laws to Web pages:
- ADA
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
- Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
- World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).
- Many countries have developed policies relating to Web Accessibility.
The following table lists the Legal Standards & Guidelines:
| Law | Application | Mandates |
|---|---|---|
| Section 504 | Anyone receiving federal funds | Opportunity for students with disabilities to participate must be effective as that provided to others |
| Title II of ADA | Public entities | Equal information access, including print and computer-based information |
| Section 508 | Federal entities | Provides students with disabilities access to electronic and information technology |
| Title 5 | Anyone receiving California state funds | Distance education courses must be accessible |
| SB 105 | California state entities | Applies Section 508 to state funds |
| AB 422 | Post-secondary textbook publishers | Must provide students with disabilities e-text of required textbooks |