table of contents - improv web viewict accessibility resource guide. approved for public release....

ICT Accessibility Resource Guide

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASEDistribution Unlimited

June 2, 2017

Prepared for the Washington Health Benefit Exchange By Sarah Carnes, Johanna Jacobsen Kiciman, & Kathleen Sullivan

University of Washington Master of Library and Information Science candidates June 2017

Table of Contents

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE: distribution unlimited.

Table of Contents 2

Project Overview 5

Overview of Methodology 6

Compliance: Regulations & Requirements 7

Accessible ICT Best Practices: Checklists & Tools 9Standards and Toolkits 9Accessible ICT Examples & Illustrations 11Model Websites 11Automated Accessibility Feature Checkers 12

Overall WCAG 2.0 Compliance 12Color Contrast Checkers and Color Blindness Simulators 12Screen Readers, Screen Reader Emulators & Magnification Tools 13Photosensitivity Checker 14

Accessibility Policy Creation & Planning 15Organizational Best Practices: A Summary 15Accessibility Policy & Practice Toolkits 17Step by Step: Targeted Resources for Best Practices 17

Create an accessibility policy 18Assign responsibilities 18Determine budget and resources 19Review environment 19Establish monitoring framework 19Address use of various platforms and avenues of delivery 19Require accessible practices from vendors and contractors 20Engage with stakeholders 20

U.S. and Other Insurance Exchange Policies 21

Engaging with Stakeholders 23General Resources on Working with Stakeholders 23Working with Stakeholders: Best Practices & Resources 24

Include people with disabilities throughout the development process. 24Notice the role of users. Seek out user-generated content. 24Make it easy for users to suggest ideas or flag what isn’t working. 25Gather information on user experience, conduct user testing often and well, and integrate results. 25Partner with organizations that work with people with disabilities. 26

Appendices 27Appendix A: Short-Term Steps 27Appendix C: General Reference Resources 30

MAY 31, 2017 2


Additional Toolkits and Resource Guides 30Resources for Particular Users 31

Older Adults and Disability 31Statistics on Disability 31Guides to Assistive Technology 31Glossaries of Terms 32Resources on Accessible Etiquette and Language 32Exhibits and Collections on Disabilities 32The Future of Accessible Technology 33Corporate Accessibility Efforts 33

Appendix D: Training and Continuing Education 34Training Resources 34Resources for Staying Current about Accessibility 35

Appendix E: Highlights of Remarks by Experts 37Experts interviewed 37Remark highlights 37

Appendix F: Disability-Related Advocacy Organizations 39National Organizations 39In Washington State 39

Appendix G: Detailed Methodology 41Literature review 41Outreach to providers 41Outreach to experts and advocacy groups 42

Appendix H: Bibliography of Reviewed Literature 43

MAY 31, 2017 3


Many thanks to the dozens of individuals and organizations that spent time helping us to

assemble this guide. We are indebted to you.

For a complete list of acknowledgments and further information about the project,

please visit our website at www.improvinginformationaccess.org

MAY 31, 2017 4


Project Overview

In 2010 and 2016, the Department of Justice issued notices about the Americans

with Disabilities Act (ADA), requiring that government-entity websites meet information

communication technology (ICT) accessibility standards such as the World Wide Web

Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. The Washington

Health Benefit Exchange (WAHBE) is a quasi-government agency subject to ADA as

well as Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

WAHBE does not gather information about disabilities among users, since

disability status is protected information. However, approximately 12.8 percent of

Washington State’s 7.1 million residents report having a disability, according to a

Cornell University Yang-Tan Institute analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s

2015 American Community Survey.

WAHBE plans to develop a Disability Access Plan. This Resource Guide is

intended to kickstart that process by creating a set of accessibility policies and practices

to align with ADA Title II, Section 508, WCAG 2.0 and identified best practices. This

online -- and thus adaptable -- Resource Guide pulls together regulations and

standards, tools to support accessible websites and accessibility policy development,

and tips on involving stakeholders in the process. Appendices include ideas for short-

term improvement, free training and continuing education resources and other material

to complement the primary guide.

MAY 31, 2017 5


Overview of Methodology

This Resource Guide was created by three University of Washington Master of Library

and Information Science students as a 10-week Capstone project.

The Capstone team conducted research in three parts:

● A literature review of nearly two dozen scholarly and popular press databases,

which yielded more than 100 sources on accessibility practices.

● Outreach to other insurance exchanges, including all 13 state health

exchanges as well as Healthcare.gov, and several European health insurance

exchanges. Altogether, we retrieved information from 14 agencies about their

accessibility statements, practices and policies.

● Outreach to experts and advocacy organizations who work directly with

disabled users or themselves have a disability. These conversations helped

ground our research and recommendations in the experience of users and

practitioners.

We then synthesized material and selected final resources for the guide, based on

WAHBE’s needs and our own findings.

A more detailed description of our methods (including a list of resources, organizations and people contacted) is found in the Appendices.

MAY 31, 2017 6


Compliance: Regulations & Requirements

WAHBE is subject to the following federal regulations and standards, which also drive

accessibility best practices in government and other organizations throughout the U.S.

● Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 lays out accessibility standards for

all ICT procured by the U.S. federal government. (As discussed in the

“Accessible Website Best Practices” section, a website in line with WCAG 2.0

standards is almost entirely in line with Section 508.)

○ This January 2017 final rule from the U.S. Access Board updates Section

508 and Section 255 of the Communications Act, in response to market

trends and innovations.

● Section 1557 of the 2010 Affordable Care Act prohibits discrimination on the

basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. WAHBE was created

by state statute under the ACA. The d isabilities-specific section of 1557 requires

ICT to be accessible, short of undue financial or administrative burden.

● Title II of the A mericans with Disabilit ies Act (ADA) lays out standards for

accessible design. A May 2016 rule from the U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services requires state-based marketplaces to meet ADA Title II.

o An April 2016 statement by the U.S. Department of Justice clarified that

ADA Title II nondiscrimination applies to web information. This built on an

earlier 2010 DOJ notice of proposed rulemaking on accessibility standards

to ICT.

o The DOJ statement specifically references web accessibility standards

under Section 508 and the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content

Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 (discussed in the next section,

“Accessible ICT Best Practices’’).

MAY 31, 2017 7


o The U.S. Access Board provides this helpful comparison of WCAG 2.0

and Section 508 standards.

The following are other significant regulations or guidance that drive accessibility

expectations.

● The 2010 Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act

(CVAA) includes requirements for modern communication devices such as

mobile web browsers, and requires closed captioning and other support disabled

users of video communication.

● Washington State’s Office of the Chief Information Officer also issued this

guidance on web accessibility standards in March 2017 that applies to state-

agencies.

MAY 31, 2017 8


Accessible ICT Best Practices: Checklists & Tools

The 2008 Web Accessibility Content Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, developed by the

Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C), are considered the canonical standard for website

accessibility best practices by governments, industry and organizations. Most experts

and advocacy organizations contacted said meeting WCAG 2.0 AA standards would be

outstanding. A website that meets WCAG 2.0 AA is also meeting all but a handful of

Section 508 guidelines.

This section includes comprehensive toolkits, as well as free automated tools for

reinforcing accessible website features.

Standards and Toolkits

● The Web Accessibility Content Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 provide explanation for

each guideline, including the target audience and intended outcome; detailed

technical instructions for particular content, specifications and languages; signs

of technical success and failure; text descriptions of hypothetical examples; and

additional hyperlinked resources. W3C’s WCAG overview page provides a

gateway to guideline-by-guideline instructions for meeting WCAG 2.0, along with

additional guidelines and resources for authoring tools, user agents and mobile

tools. This is the indispensable resource for web accessibility.

● Web Accessibility In Mind (WebAIM) is an essential companion to WCAG 2.0,

routinely recommended by accessibility resource guides. WebAIM’s pages walk

through web accessibility with text, videos, detailed illustrative examples and

style tips (e.g., the best form of alt-text for images). The site also models a user-

centered approach, featuring disabled users in videos, avoiding assumptions

about website visitors (“if you are sighted…”) and organizing web accessibility

challenges by sensory, motor or cognitive difference. The nonprofit WebAIM, MAY 31, 2017 9


based at Utah State University, offers on-site training and consultation, but

developers can also sign up for free to WebAIM’s blog RSS, newsletter, email

discussion groups or Twitter feed.

● The IBM Accessibility Checklist pages helpfully distinguish between WCAG 2.0

and the very few non-WCAG elements of Section 508. IBM’s checklists also

identify Section 508 requirements that are slightly different or more specific than

WCAG 2.0, and discuss guidelines by web-based, mobile and other applications.

● The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) page on making

particular files accessible includes tips for products such as Microsoft Office

(Word, Excel, PowerPoint) products, Adobe PDF and HTML or multimedia files.

Each section includes a checklist of standards to meet, specific instructions on

meeting them, as well as links to videos and corporate support pages.

● The Swiss government’s statement about additional accessibility guidelines

(provided in original Swiss German, as well as translated English) explains why it

matters to provide sign language content (recommended in WCAG 2.0 only at

the AAA level) and provides some technical guidance.

● The Social Security Administration Accessibility Best Practices Library offers a

user-friendly kit for addressing some of the most urgent web accessibility

features, such as forms, navigation and images. Each page provides technical

instructions (“Build it”), as well as Basic and Advanced tests for evaluating

success. This is an excellent first-step tool.

● The European Commission’s Frequently Asked Questions about Web

Accessibility breaks standards down into 38 short, easy-to-read and informative

questions and answers. This format (which models the clear, simple-language,

short-sentence format favored by accessibility guidelines) is an excellent entry

point on accessibility. See Question 36 for especially helpful pointers on how to

handle inaccessible PDFs. (The EU’s 10 golden rules in accessible design is also

an outstanding succinct checklist.)

MAY 31, 2017 10


Accessible ICT Examples & Illustrations

Following are select examples or illustrations of accessible ICT features. WebAIM

provides many illustrative examples in its accessibility support pages, while the Social

Security Administration’s Accessibility Best Practices Library provides detailed

instructions and code examples, such as this one on alt-text for images . (Both

resources are featured in the previous section.) WebAIM also uses a few illustrative

“bad” examples of inaccessible web features, and experts interviewed suggested

pairing occasional “positive” searches for accessible ICT examples with “negative”

searches for inaccessible ICT examples.

● WebAIM’s illustrative examples of alt-text for images .

● WebAIM’s illustrative examples on accessible tables .

● WebAIM’s example of a bad hyperlink leading to nowhere.

● WebAIM’s sample code for Skip Navigatio n . (The page itself demonstrates a

Skip Navigation feature. See the Note for instructions.)

● WebAIM’s illustrative examples on the roles of color and contrast .

● WebAIM’s examples of clear, accessible language .

● This Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure video demonstrates various accessible

features, including audio description of images combined with captioning, and

accessible language.

● Gallaudet University’s website provides informative videos that incorporate

captioning and signing, along with audio for hearing users.

Model Websites

● "A ccessible U" is a mock website created by the University of Washington to

demonstrate web accessibility features (as well as inaccessible features).

● The Canadian Museum for Human Rights puts accessibility at the center of all its

practices, including its website.

MAY 31, 2017 11


● The travel website Expedia strives to provide an accessible website to

customers, in line with WCAG 2.0 standards.

● Social media site Facebook also takes these steps to make its services

accessible.

Automated Accessibility Feature Checkers

A number of automated tools help catch inaccessible code, absent alternative text and

other inaccessible website features. Experts interviewed emphasized that these are a

support -- not a substitute -- for accessibility best practices.

Overall WCAG 2.0 Compliance

● WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool). Widely used by various organizations

and recommended in resource guides, WebAIM’s WAVE is a free tool that

identifies WCAG 2.0 A and AA accessibility problems. For any given URL, WAVE

shows a marked-up version indicating issues and offering comments on HTML5

and ARIA.

● FAE (Functional Accessibility Evaluator). This free tool, created by the University

of Illinois, checks websites against WCAG 2.0 A and AA, and generates a

summary of issues. Reports can also be emailed and shared with others.

Color Contrast Checkers and Color Blindness Simulators

Appropriate use of color (which should never be the exclusive source of information)

and adequate color contrast are hallmarks of accessible websites, especially for users

with low vision or color blindness. Web developers should also verify contrast on

different monitors, as color can vary significantly.

● WebAIM Contrast Checker : This user-friendly tool allows a user to type in a

foreground or background color using HTML color codes, to see if the

MAY 31, 2017 12


combination will pass WCAG 2.0 AA/AAA. Clickable “lighten” or “darken” links

can help adjust until the color combination reaches compliance. This tool would

also be challenging to use this tool with only a keyboard. An alternative used by

the California Health Benefit Exchange is ColorSafe.

● Color Oracle: This color blindness simulator tool from the European

Commission’s Accessibility Kit “takes the guesswork out of designing for color

blindness by showing you in real time what people with common color vision

impairments will see.”

Screen Readers, Screen Reader Emulators & Magnification Tools

Many web accessibility best practices are aimed at supporting users who use screen

readers. (See WebAIM’s “Designing for Screen Reader Compatibility.) Using these tools

(or emulators) can assist developers in optimizing sites for this technology.

● NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA) : Listed in many accessibility toolkits and

resource guides, NVDA is a free, open-source screen reader that many

developers use to ensure that web content can be understood and navigated

easily by a screen-reader user.

● Orca , created by Sun Microsystems, is another free, open source, web-based,

extensible screen reader that works in UNIX-like environments, is continually

updated and provides extensive documentation.

Readability Tools

Simple, clear language eases access to information for multiple audiences, including

users listening to screen readers, those whose first language is not English (including

some users who sign as a first language), and people with cognitive differences.

Readability graders evaluate text according to scales such as the Flesch Reading Ease

Score, Gunning Fog Index (GFI), Dale-Chall Score and others.

MAY 31, 2017 13


● Jellymetrics is a user-friendly and graphically appealing checker that rates text

according to the Flesch-Kincaid readability scale.

● Online-utility-org includes recommendations for sentences that need to be

rewritten for readability. (Distracting ads on the site are a drawback.)

Photosensitivity Checker

● Photosensitive Epilepsy Analysis Tool (PEAT) helps identify flashing website

content that can trigger seizures. WCAG 2.0 guidelines and Section 508

standards both discourage such seizure-triggering visual stimuli.

MAY 31, 2017 14


Accessibility Policy Creation & PlanningAccessibility is not a one-and-done process. Bringing websites, mobile applications and

other ICT tools into line with standards -- and keeping them that way -- often involves

substantial adjustment to everyday practices, not only among designers and

developers, but throughout an organization. However difficult at first, these changes

also yield multiple benefits, starting with improved usability for all users (not just those

with disabilities), better aligned practices across the organization and often greater

satisfaction among staff.

Accessibility standards and assistive technology change quickly. Training, continuing

education, and partnerships with users help organizations to stay current.

We have compiled best practices found in our research, including select toolkits for

creating comprehensive accessibility policies and a step-by-step breakdown of

resources that support specific best practices.

Organizational Best Practices: A Summary

The following summarizes best practices enshrined in reviewed literature, expert

interviews and the essential W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) toolkit, which is

discussed in more detail in the next sections. The list mainly follows the WAI framework,

with a few additions, for planning for and establishing a comprehensive accessibility

program.

● Create an accessibility policy that makes the case to customers and the public,

as well as to organization employees. Public-facing statements of policy should

be easy to find, clearly identify standards and a timeline for meeting them, and

provide multiple channels for seeking support services or filing complaints. (Even MAY 31, 2017 15


better: accessibility statements signed by senior leadership.) Internal policy

should work in harmony with other key organizational policies, such as those on

hiring or customer service.

● Assign responsibilities and designate champions. Accessible culture needs

to be built top down and bottom up. Leadership (the more senior, the better) sets

priorities that create accountability, and must provide adequate resources to

support training, testing and quality assurance. Designers and developers need

the support of a comprehensive accessibility team with champions designated

throughout the organization, especially legal, procurement, marketing, quality

assurance, hiring and any department maintaining common tools such as code

libraries.

● Determine budget and resources. Training, continuing education, user testing

and improvement are planks of accessible culture. Leadership must prioritize

time and adequate funding for these activities.

● Review the environment. Bringing ICT into line with accessibility standards

requires baseline and iterative assessments, which not only identify

shortcomings but also identify resources, processes and tools to support

accessibility. Accessibility must be built in from the start of any design and

development to avoid costly and frustrating retrofits -- or having to scrap a design

entirely.

● Establish a monitoring framework. Establish how to measure success in

meeting goals (including well-designed and properly timed user testing), as well

as evaluate the goals themselves. On the technical side, continuous integration

can help developers maintain accessible sites once they’re established.

● Address multiple platforms. Content created for a website may also be used

on a tablet, phone or other communication device. Accessibility means creating

robust content that works with multiple platforms.

● Require accessible practices from vendors and contractors. Third-party

content and purchases should be assessed for accessibility. Contractors also

need to demonstrate a track record of meeting accessibility standards.

MAY 31, 2017 16


● Engage with stakeholders. At a minimum, organizations must set aside time

and budget for regular user testing and improvement based on user feedback.

Ideally, people with disabilities are involved throughout the development process,

as partners -- or as employees. (See the Engaging with Stakeholders section.)

Accessibility Policy & Practice Toolkits

The following toolkits support creation of organizational accessibility best practices and

address both public statements to users and behind-the-scenes practices within the

organization.

● The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) provides guidance about establishing

a comprehensive web accessibility program, including not only steps to

understanding ICT standards but also a sequenced framework for planning web

accessibility improvements and policies. WAI addresses evaluation methods and

engaging with stakeholders (discussed more fully in the last section of this

guide), and provides technical guidance along with links to further support tools.

This is an essential and encyclopedic resource for policy creation.

● The Irish National Disability Authority Accessibility Toolkit includes examples of

policies, as well as a customer charter. The user-friendly, easily navigated pages

provide succinct guidelines for organizational accessibility practices.

● The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) Framework for Designing

and Implementing Accessible ICT Strategic Plans is especially useful for the

development of workplace accessibility programs that support employees and

applicants. Action Step 5 is also applicable to accessibility practices that

support customers, such as policies and accessible websites.

Step by Step: Targeted Resources for Best Practices

The following provides examples and targeted resources for specific best practices

identified by the W3C WAI framework. The WAI toolkit addresses virtually all of these MAY 31, 2017 17


practices, but we note specific WAI pages as appropriate, as well as targeted advice

from other sources.

Create an accessibility policy

A policy announces the organization’s commitment to a culture of inclusivity and can

influence not only accessibility, but also other areas such as process improvement. The

following links specifically address policy creation and statements to the public.

● WAI’s Developing Organizational Policies on Web Accessibility and Policy

template.

● The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) explanation of its

Section 508 compliance policies is particularly robust and well organized.

● The Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT) provides

guidance on communicating with different audiences, from the general public to

job seekers and existing employees.

● The Irish National Disability Authority provides specific guidance on committing to

providing accessible services, along with these more detailed suggestions:

○ Irish NDA Guidelines Customer Charter (what customers can expect)

○ Accessibility Statement template from Irish NDA

○ Example from the Irish NDA website

Assign responsibilities

● PEAT’s toolkit provides these helpful pages on how to identify accessibility

leaders and create an accessibility initiative team, as well as ensure that

champions have appropriate training.

● Newly designated accessibility champions need training, sources for continuing

education and interaction with people with disabilities. See the final section,

Engaging with Stakeholders, and Appendix D: Training and Continuing Education

Resources for links to multiple resources.

MAY 31, 2017 18


Determine budget and resources

● WAI provides a useful list of budget considerations such as tooling and external

support, as well as links to further information about costs.

Review environment

● In addition to other advice, WAI provides specific recommendations on assessing

authoring tools.

● PEAT’s TechCheck provides a quick accessibility assessment tool .

Establish monitoring framework

● PEAT provides straightforward guidance on monitoring and reporting progress.

● WAI provides multiple recommendations on evaluation tools and procedures.

Address use of various platforms and avenues of delivery

These resources aid accessible design in non-website ICT, such as mobile applications.

● The UK Accessibility Code of Practice’s statement on the importance of

designing for multiple platforms.

● W3C’s Mobile Web best practices .

Require accessible practices from vendors and contractors

● The U.S. Digital Services Playbook provides this guidance on working with

contractors and recommends the TechFAR Handbook to make purchasing and

contracts support organizational goals.

● The U.S. General Services Administration provides this toolkit on accessible

procurement.

MAY 31, 2017 19


● The Irish NDA toolkit includes guidelines for evaluating expenditures to ensure

they support accessibility.

Engage with stakeholders

People with disabilities must be at the heart of any successful accessibility policy -- as

customers, users, partners and design team members. This element is discussed more

fully in the last section, Engaging with Stakeholders.

U.S. and Other Insurance Exchange Policies

WAHBE is a state-based marketplace (SBM). There are 12 SBMs across the country.

SBMs are distinguished from other Marketplace types, because they perform all

marketplace functions. In non-SBM states, the marketplace is state-run but relies on the

federal IT platform, is run jointly by the state and the federal government, or is run

exclusively through the federal government through healthcare.gov (more information

on Marketplace types available here).

MAY 31, 2017 20


We reached out to 11 SBMs, two non-SBMs, the federal marketplace (Healthcare.gov)

and to authorities in Switzerland, Ireland and the European Union, to learn more about

their accessibility policies and practices. The following entities provided internal

information about their accessibility policies and practice with the understanding that it

would only be shared with WAHBE. This information has been shared with our

sponsors to inform that ongoing accessibility work. Links to the gateway websites for

most U.S.-based insurance exchanges and two European organizations are below.

HEALTHCARE.GOV/ CMS.GOV

CALIFORNIA

COLORADO

CONNECTICUT

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

IDAHO

MARYLAND

MASSACHUSETTS

MINNESOTA

NEW MEXICO

NEW YORK

RHODE ISLAND

VERMONT

EUROPEAN UNION

IRELAND

MAY 31, 2017 21


Engaging with Stakeholders

People with disabilities -- the key stakeholders in any accessibility effort -- must be at

the heart of an organization’s design and development process. At a minimum, such

users should be engaged through well designed and properly timed user testing, with

sufficient time and resources for integrating user feedback into improved ICT tools.

However, experts and literature urged even greater involvement with people who are

blind, deaf, motor-impaired or have other disabilities. People with disabilities can be

consultants, co-designers and employees. Such partnership leads to better outcomes

and products not only for disabled users, but all users, as well as greater satisfaction for

the organization’s development team.

Following are general toolkits for working with users with disabilities, as well as key best

practices and supporting resources.

General Resources on Working with Stakeholders

● The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative’s "Involving Users in Web Projects’’

explains why it’s important to work with users early and often, and provides

support pages on user testing, user evaluation and other best practices.

● The Irish National Disability Authority’s “Consult customers with disabilities’’

pages cover essential elements for effectively consulting people with disabilities.

● The U.S. Digital Services Playbook’s “Understand What People Need” , although

not specifically focused on users with disabilities, provides a checklist of broad

user-centered best practices and benefits of user-centered approaches.

MAY 31, 2017 22


Working with Stakeholders: Best Practices & Resources

Include people with disabilities throughout the development process.

Working directly with disabled users not only leads to more effective (and efficient)

solutions for them, but tends to boost usability and good practices across the board.

Interacting with users also motivates designers and other staff, as they connect

accessibility best practices with real people.

● Design for User Empowerment (2015). This brief, plain-language paper by

University of Washington Computer Science Professor Emeritus Richard Ladner

makes the case for involving users throughout the design and development

process, and provides a quick history of accessibility approaches, including

universal design, ability-based design and human-centered design. Ladner is a

nationally recognized leader in empowering people with disabilities and

encouraging them to pursue careers in information technology. This is a succinct

and essential starting point.

● W3C Web Accessibility Initiative’s “Involving Users’’ overview lays out

fundamental ethics and benefits of the user-centered accessibility approach.

Notice the role of users. Seek out user-generated content.

Are people with disabilities present in the resources or organizations you consult, or in

oversight or advisory groups? Does the experience of disabled users inform

recommendations about design of services? Do people with disabilities speak for

themselves, or is someone speaking for them?

● Web Accessibility in Mind (WebAIM) models a user-centered and inclusive focus ,

featuring disabled users in videos, avoiding assumptions about website visitors

(“if you are sighted…”) and organizing web accessibility challenges by sensory,

motor or cognitive difference.

MAY 31, 2017 23


Designers and other accessibility champions should Include user-generated content

among sources they consult regularly, such as the following:

● The National Federation of the Blind’s Voice of the Nation’s Blind blog.

● The Hearing Loss Association of America’s forums

● Storytellers from the American Association of People with Disabilities

Make it easy for users to suggest ideas or flag what isn’t working.

Establishing clear channels for feedback, and designating staff to respond to such

feedback, are among best practices of accessible organizations.

● See the “Organizational Best Practices’’ subsection of Accessibility Policy

Creation & Planning section of this guide.

Gather information on user experience, conduct user testing often and well,

and integrate results.

This means consulting a range of users, using a mix of effective quantitative and

qualitative methods, timing testing properly and integrating user testing results with

accessibility standards. Printed resource are starred (*).

● W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative support pages include advice on recruiting a

diverse range of users, timing for different types of user input, and combining

user input with accessibility standards compliance. Additional sections of W3C’s

WAI address user evaluation.

● Martin, B., & Hanington, B. (2012). Universal Methods of Design. (*) Beverly, MA:

Rockport Publishers. This guide succinctly describes 100 user-centered research

methods, and filters them by qualitative/quantitative nature, stage of development

process (e.g., planning, prototyping) and other key qualities.

Partner with organizations that work with people with disabilities.

Support organizations -- especially those led by people with disabilities themselves --

can offer providers feedback and advice that is grounded in the experience of real

MAY 31, 2017 24


users. As partners, they can also be an invaluable source of practical assistance to

disabled customers or patrons.

● See Appendix F for a list of national and Washington State advocacy groups for

people with various disabilities, a good starting point for finding advisors and

partners.

● Appendix A (“Short-Term Steps”) includes recommendations to form

partnerships with community-based advocacy groups and public libraries, who

provide assistive technology and support to patrons with disabilities.

MAY 31, 2017 25


AppendicesThe following appendices expand on and complement the resource guide’s primary

topics. The more detailed Methodology and Bibliography appendices also provide

documentation of resources already reviewed or consulted, both to illustrate our

process and avoid redundancy in future efforts.

Appendix A: Short-Term StepsBringing websites and mobile applications into line with WCAG 2.0 AA guidelines takes

time, as does forming a comprehensive set of organizational policies and procedures.

Following are ideas for immediate steps that cost little to nothing, and may be done

more quickly.

● Quick fixes: Many of the most urgent website accessibility features can be done

relatively quickly in-house. These include ensuring that page titles and hyperlink

texts are clear and informative; images, forms and other elements are labeled

with alt-text; underlying semantic structure distinguishes between headings and

text, and web pages work with keyboard-only.

○ W3C’s Web First Aid includes tips for getting started, easy checks to

perform on a website, and advice about identifying high-impact corrections

and low-hanging fruit (“Consider the Scope”).

○ The Social Security Administration’s Accessibility Best Practices Library

also provides excellent, brief explanation and technical support for the

most urgent accessibility issues.

● Add an Accessibility link to the footer material on each web page. The link

should at least lead to the website’s notice of nondiscrimination, and provide

information about support services and a contact point for grievances.

MAY 31, 2017 26


● Add American Sign Language to language-access pages, where ASL users

may search for interpretive services.

● Start building accessibility culture. Create in-house meet-ups of staff

interested in accessibility. Designate accessibility champions in each department.

Point all designers and other champions to this resource guide, and especially to

free training, newsletters and continuing education resources (included in

resources in Appendices C & D).

● Partner with libraries and community organizations. Public libraries with

assistive-technology and accessibility programs, and community-based

organizations that support people with disabilities, can help engage people with

disabilities. For example, if these institutions host outreach and enrollment

events, people with disabilities could receive practical assistance, as well as

moral support and connection to community. If such institutions host usability

testing events, people with disabilities could help directly inform system design.

● Tap existing accessibility expertise among current contractors and vendors. The request also affords these third parties an opportunity to

demonstrate a commitment to accessibility that is fast becoming an expectation.

MAY 31, 2017 27


Appendix B: Calls to Action and Statements of Rights The following are examples of non-binding but influential calls to action or statements of

rights that frame accessibility as a social justice issue. Printed resource are starred (*).

● The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons : The Guiding

Principles of the Convention provide a brief list of the principles underpinning the

convention and each article. The principles frame the right to equitable

accessibility in terms of respect, dignity, non-discrimination, inclusion, and

equality.

● European Union Statement on Web Accessibility : This page summarizes the EU

directive on making the websites and mobile apps of public sector bodies more

accessible and explains that it is not merely about meeting technical standards

but is also a matter of “political will and of moral obligation” to provide access on

an equal basis for everyone.

● Ellcessor, E. (2010). Bridging disability divides. Information, Communication & Society, 13(3), 289-308 (*): An exploration of the history of accessibility

standards that is grounded in trends of increasing acknowledgement of the rights

of people with disabilities. The author also explains how initial accessibility

standards, including Section 508, are difficult to fulfill.

● Elliott, D. (2015, Jul 27). The challenges of surfing while blind. Wall Street

Journal, A-11 (*): The author describes how a lack of accessibility affects her

ability to live a life equal to people who do not have disabilities like her visual

impairment.

● Swiss Federal Office for Equality of Persons with Disabilities: Accessibility

Checklist for Adobe Experience Manager (AEM): Section 1.1-1.4 offers a

succinct explanation of the social justice and equity aspects of accessibility for

people with a variety of disabilities.

MAY 31, 2017 28


Appendix C: General Reference Resources

The following resources are mostly available online. Printed resource are starred (*).

Additional Toolkits and Resource Guides

Various other organizations, such as universities and government agencies, maintain

excellent accessibility toolkits and resource guides, which are regularly updated and can

serve as continuing resources for accessibility champions. We recommend the

following.

● Accessible Technology Tools & Resources from the University of Washington , a

leader in providing accessible technology and developing assistive technologies.

These pages pull together technical tools and instructions for every kind of

media, along with training resources and informative blogs.

● The related University of Washington DO-IT Resources on the Internet maintains

a current, accessibility-friendly website of resources on various disabilities and

accessibility issues. DO-IT’s other pages provide copious resources for training

and education, as well as tip sheets on accessible design.

● The U.S. General Service Administration’s Section508.gov toolkit not only covers

essential content about Section 508 compliance, but includes tools to ease

finding accessible-compliant vendors and contractors, lists of major advocacy

organizations or academic disability centers, as well as a regularly updated news

feed on accessibility.

● Penn State’s Website Accessibility resources bring together tools and technical

support for making various media accessible, in a clean, simple format.

● Accessible Technology at the University of Colorado at Boulder brings together

technical support, tools and advice, along with information about Universal

Design and other academic accessibility-support centers.

● The National Center on Disability and Journalism’s Resources pages includes

expert lists, guidance on appropriate language and etiquette tips.

MAY 31, 2017 29


● Harper, S., & Yesilada, Y. (2008). Web accessibility: A foundation for research.

London Springer. (*) Available for loan at e.g., Evergreen State College and at

the University of Washington. This edited volume offers comprehensive coverage

of web accessibility through an examination of evaluation, methodology,

appraisals of disabilities, web accessibility guidelines, assistive technologies, as

well as client-side applications.

Resources for Particular Users

Older Adults and Disability

● Web Accessibility Initiative’s Web Accessibility and Older People specifically

addresses the needs of older people with age-related impairments.

Statistics on Disability

● Disability Statistics provides sortable data on disability by various demographics

(age, gender, etc.) and regions, based on American Community Survey results

that have been analyzed by the K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on

Employment and Disability at Cornell University.

● Compiled by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research

(NIDRR), the Annual Disability Statistics Compendium report (available as a pdf)

may offer an alternative format on disability statistics for people who prefer the

information in one downloadable document. Calculations here are based on the

U.S. Census Bureau, the American Community Survey, as well as public use

microdata sample.

Guides to Assistive Technology

● Gallaudet University’s Technology Access Program Resource List : Gallaudet

University, “the world’s only university designed to be barrier-free for deaf and

hard of hearing students,” pulls together links about assistive technology for

deaf/hard of hearing people in one place. Last updated in 2013.

MAY 31, 2017 30


● National Federation of the Blind’s Technology Resource List pulls together the

latest products and services that are accessible and usable by the blind. Most

recently updated in 2017.

● National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped Reference

Materials may be a useful springboard to learn about topics including accessible

mobile reading apps, assistive technology products for information access, audio

description, and Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD).

Glossaries of Terms

● Glossary of ADA Terms focuses on technology, disability, and the law, covering

the legal side of disability terminology.

● University of Washington DO-IT Glossary of Disability Related Terms provides

definitions for a range of accessibility-related terms, including assistive

technology.

Resources on Accessible Etiquette and Language

● The National Center on Disability and Journalism (NCDJ) provides these

etiquette tips for interviewing or interacting with people with disabilities.

● NCDJ’s additional Resources on disability about include this disability language

style guide.

Exhibits and Collections on Disabilities

● The Disability History Museum is a virtual collection of images and artifacts about

people with disabilities, their families and their communities over time.

● Everybody: An Artifact History of Disability in America is a collection of the

Smithsonian.

MAY 31, 2017 31


The Future of Accessible Technology

● University of Washington Information School Associate Professor Jacob

Wobbrock’s Videos page showcases cutting-edge user-centered assistive

technology that he and UW doctoral students are developing. Wobbrock’s ability-

based design approach aims to generate assistive technology that adapts to

individual users’ abilities, rather than providing standardized responses to

disabilities.

● Global Public Infrastructure (GPII) would provide consistent, adaptive access

features anywhere, over any device. GPII is one of the major projects of the

Trace Research and Development Center (previously at the University of

Wisconsin and now at the University of Maryland), a pioneering research

institution on disability and technology, and a frequently referenced resource in

accessibility guides.

Corporate Accessibility Efforts

Many businesses lead government in championing best practices. Following are

companies recommended by experts interviewed:

○ Apple

○ Google

○ Microsoft

○ Expedia

○ Facebook

MAY 31, 2017 32


Appendix D: Training and Continuing Education

Training Resources

Professional and regular training is a plank of accessibility best practices, but staff can

also take advantage of many free training materials.

Professional organizations and certification

● The International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) provides

ongoing education, as well as possible certification for accessibility-trained

employees.

● The California State University Northridge (CSUN) Assistive Technology

Applications Certificate Program (ATACP) focuses on teaching a practical

approach to evaluating and employing assistive technologies. The fall and

summer sessions are delivered online.

Free training and continuing education ● National Federation of the Blind tips on creating accessible documents cover

HTML, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as design considerations, tables

and document structure.

● Accessibility consultant SSB BART Group offers free webinars on web

accessibility topics. About half of the client services staff at SSB BART Group,

have disabilities, and many staff have worked as contractors for Section 508

compliance teams in federal government agencies. Webinar topics include law,

policy, and digital accessibility trends.

● The United States Access Board Webinar and Audio Conference Series offers

free webinars and audio conferences on web accessibility as well as accessible

facilities, and include an open-Q&A-format webinar.

MAY 31, 2017 33


● Userite’s free text-based tutorials on various accessible-ICT feature s cover

accessible text, page semantics, style, fonts and spacing, tables and frames,

images and image maps, multimedia, forms, navigation, and site testing. London-

based Userite’s technical department is led by a W3C web-accessibility-

evaluation task force member.

● The Irish National Disability Authority’s suggested curriculum for disability

equality training aims to help staff interact more confidently and effectively with

customers with disabilities.

● The Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology provides advice and

resources for training staff on basic and more advanced accessibility issues.

Resources for Staying Current about Accessibility

Accessibility and assistive technology are constantly evolving. (See “The Future of

Accessible Technology under Appendix C.) Once designers and accessibility

champions have received initial accessibility training, they need to stay abreast of the

latest developments. The following are resources to support continuing education.

● ABILITY Magazine focuses on health, disabilities, civil rights and issues of

accessibility from stakeholders’ perspectives.

● The Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) Transactions on Accessible

Computing (TACCESS), a quarterly journal, publishes research about computing

and information technologies related to accessibility.

● The ASSETS conference brings together scholarly researchers in design,

evaluation, and use of computing and technology to provide accessibility. The

conference is sponsored by the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM)

Special Interest Group on Accessible Computing (SIGACCESS).

● The California State University Center (CSUN) Assistive Technology Conference

focuses primarily on assistive technology. CSUN also publishes the Journal on

Technology & Persons with Disabilities.MAY 31, 2017 34


● The Web For All (W4A) Conference focuses on digital accessibility and universal

access in ICT, assistive technology, and accessible workplace environments.

● The Partnership on Employment and Assistive Technology lists further resources

for professional development training and professional assistance, along with

opportunities for newsletters and alert subscriptions.

These blogs, recommended by experts and other resource guides, are good starting

sources to keep accessibility champions up-to-date. Accessibility champions can add to

these by exploring RSS feed, newsletter subscriptions and other alert features from

accessibility-related organizations, institutions and groups. (Champions should also

include user-generated content among their regular sources. See the Engaging with

Stakeholders section.)

● WebAIM’s blog

● Nonprofit accessible technology consultant Knowbility’s blog

● Microsoft’s accessibility blog

● EasterSeals’ accessibility and assistive technology podcasts

MAY 31, 2017 35


Appendix E: Highlights of Remarks by Experts

Experts interviewed

● Sina Bahram , founder, Prime Access Consulting. Bahram is an accessibility

consultant, computer scientist and former scholarly researcher, who is also blind.

● Cleo Brooks & C.J. Glenn, staff of Seattle Public Library’s Library Equal Access

Program (LEAP). LEAP supports patrons with any kind of disability, including

sensory, motor, emotional and cognitive. LEAP provides assistive technology,

personal support and programs to patrons, as well as accessibility support to

fellow staff and other public agencies.

● Dan Comden , manager of the University of Washington Access Technology

Center, who has worked in accessible IT at UW for 25 years.

● Richard Ladner , UW computer science and engineering professor emeritus, a

leader in empowering people with disabilities and encouraging them to pursue

careers in information technology. Ladner has worked primarily with people who

are deaf, blind and deaf-blind, as well as those with other disabilities.

● Martez Mott , UW Information School PhD student, who develops adaptive

assistive technology for (and with) motor-impaired users.

● Annuska Perkins , UW Information School PhD student, who worked in

accessibility for 13 of her 15 years at Microsoft Corp. She was also part of a

working group that contributed to WCAG 2.0.

Remark highlights

Experts reinforced themes found in the literature review, as summarized below.

● Involving users in the design/development process is essential to any meaningful accessibility effort. Users can be testers, co-designers or

MAY 31, 2017 36


employees. User participation leads to better services more quickly, and builds

commitment to accessibility among the development team.

● Accessibility leads to better overall usability in products and broad organizational benefits, such as healthier coding and other practices.

● Accessible culture and commitment helps organizations avoid falling behind, since assistive technology is constantly evolving.

● Leadership must establish that accessibility is a priority, a core value, and a

measure of accountability.

● But accessible culture must also be built ground-up and across departments, not only throughout the design team, but harmonized across

departments: legal, hiring, marketing, and especially purchasing and any

department that influences common tools such as coding libraries.

● Accessibility must be the starting point in the design process, not a later

checklist item. It is much less costly and less frustrating to build in accessibility

from the start than to retrofit or start over later.

● Accessibility must apply to vendors and contractors, which becomes

complicated when third-party content is offered free of charge. Contractors need

to demonstrate a proven record of accessibility, not just say they’re committed.

● Web accessibility has substantial room for improvement. Keyboard-only

functionality, good semantic structure (headings, etc.), clear labeling and

alternative text, and consistent captioning and audio description are essential

accessible features -- which are nevertheless often missing from websites.

Forms and navigation can be particularly frustrating.

● WCAG 2.0 AA is the clear standard to meet. However, even these excellent

standards don’t generate perfect accessibility for everyone. Both standards and

assistive technology continue to evolve.

MAY 31, 2017 37


Appendix F: Disability-Related Advocacy Organizations

The following disability-related advocacy organizations may be good points of contact to

support partnerships with stakeholders.

National Organizations● Blind/low vision

○ National Federation of the Blind

○ American Foundation for the Blind

● Deaf/hard of hearing

○ National Association of the Deaf

○ Hearing Loss Association of America

● Mobility

○ United Cerebral Palsy

● Developmental & Cognitive Disabilities

○ Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities

● Disabled persons overall

○ American Association of People with Disabilities

○ EasterSeals

● The U.S. Access Board also maintains this list of public and private accessibility-

related organizations.

In Washington State

● Washington State Developmental Disabilities Council

● Self Advocates in Leadership (SAIL)

● Disability Rights Washington

● The Lighthouse for the Blind

● National Federation of the Blind - Washington

● The Hearing, Speech & Deaf Center (Locations in Seattle, Tacoma &

Bellingham)

● Hearing Loss Association of Washington

● The Deaf-Blind Service Center (Seattle)

MAY 31, 2017 38


● Provail (Seattle)

● Spinal Cord Injury Association of Washington

● Washington State Independent Living Centers

● National Alliance on Mental Illness - Washington

● The Seattle Public Library’s Library Equal Access Program (See next section for

specific contact information.)

● City of Seattle Commission for People with DisAbilities

● People First of Washington

● The University of Washington’s DO-IT Center also maintains this list of regional

advocacy organizations for various disabilities .

MAY 31, 2017 39


Appendix G: Detailed Methodology

Following is more detailed information about our research process, to avoid redundancy

in future efforts. We also include suggestions for next steps.

Literature review

● We searched the following scholarly databases: Academic Search Complete,

Web of Science, Education Source Complete, ERIC, Health Technology

Assessment, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Campbell Collaboration Library, CDC

WONDER, DoPHER, Library and Information Science Source, PubMed, Scopus,

Social Explorer, Social Science Research Network, SOcial Services Abstracts,

WHOLIS. We also searched the popular press databases GeneralOne File,

National Newspapers Online, and ProQuest.

● We conducted additional web searches using Google.

● We searched until we reached saturation (repetition of concepts), a sign that we

had sufficient depth of coverage.

Outreach to providers

● Policies (US): We reached out to 11 state-based marketplaces (SBMs), two non-

SBMs, the federal marketplace (Healthcare.gov), using e-mail. We solicited for

information at the provided email addresses (twice, if no response), or by calling

posted telephone numbers (usually customer service). In some instances, we

contacted the Marketplace via their Facebook “contact us” chat interface; this

proved more effective than calling or emailing. Overall, cold emailing was more

effective than cold calling. Overall, we were able to retrieve information from 10 state exchanges, plus Healthcare.gov, either via direct communication or

website.

MAY 31, 2017 40


● Policies (Other): We identified several European countries that had successful

online insurance portals and robust online presences (Van Ginneken, Swartz, &

Van Der Wees, 2013; Van de Ven., Van Kleef, & Van Vliet, 2015). We contacted

numerous governmental organizations such as health ministries, insurance

exchanges, and disability authorities in seven different countries as well as the

European Union via email and phone.

Outreach to experts and advocacy groups

● We reached out to experts suggested by user-centered design students and

faculty at the University of Washington, a leader in accessibility research,

programming and support. We interviewed experts by telephone or in person,

recording interviews for accuracy. See Appendix E: Remarks by Subject Matter

Experts for more details on expert comments.

● We also contacted the following advocacy groups by email and phone and asked

a standardized set of questions about the experience of disabled users and

particularly helpful web accessibility features: National Federation of the Blind,

American Foundation for the Blind, Hearing Loss Association of America,

National Association of the Deaf, United Cerebral Palsy, Provail in Seattle, the

Northwest ADA Center, the U.S. Access Board and the American Association of

People with Disabilities.

MAY 31, 2017 41


Appendix H: Bibliography of Reviewed Literature

Each item in our list of resources consulted is tagged with an informative piece of

metadata, describing what area of accessibility the resource is commenting about. The

tags are listed below. This enables targeted searching for information on, e.g., sources

about Website Content & Design.

TAGS: Accessibility Policy, Plans, Website Evaluation, Website Content and Design,

Training, Evaluation & Assessment, Outreach, SMEs/Advocacy Groups to Contact,

Current Research on Accessibility, Equipment

Abou-Zahra, S. (2008). Web accessibility evaluation. In Harper, S., & Yesilada, Y.,

Web accessibility: a foundation for research. Human-Computer Interaction

Series, vol. 7. pp. 79-106. London: Springer.

● Metadata tags: website evaluation; website content and design

Access for All. (2017). Accessibility. Retrieved from

http://www.access-for-all.ch/ch/barrierefreiheit.html

● Metadata tags: Accessibility Policy, Plans, Website Evaluation, Website

Content and Design, Equipment

ADA. (2017). Accessible technology. Retrieved from https://www.ada.gov/access-

technology

● Metadata tags: Accessibility Policy, Plans, SMEs/Advocacy Groups to

Contact, Current Research on Accessibility, Equipment

Administration for Community Living. (2017). Home. Retrieved from https://acl.gov/

● Metadata tags: Plans, Website Content and Design, Outreach,

SMEs/Advocacy Groups to Contact

MAY 31, 2017 42


Administration for Community Living. (2017). People with disabilities. Retrieved from

https://acl.gov/Get_Help/Help_Indiv_Disabilities/Index.aspx

● Metadata tags: Accessibility Policy, Plans, Evaluation & Assessment,

Outreach, SMEs/Advocacy Groups to Contact

Adobe. (2017). Accessibility resources. Retrieved from

http://www.adobe.com/accessibility/resources.html

● Metadata tags: Training

American Foundation for the Blind. (2017). The American Foundation for the Blind’s

commitment to web accessibility. Retrieved from

http://www.afb.org/info/programs-and-services/technology-evaluation/creating-

accessible-websites/afbs-commitment-to-web-accessibility/1235

● Metadata tags: website content and design; SME; Advocacy Group;

training

ASHA.org. (2016). Redesigned NIDCD website offers responsive design, spanish-

language materials. ASHA Leader, 21(5), 10.

● Metadata tags: Website Content and Design, SMEs/Advocacy Groups to

Contact, Current Research on Accessibility

Assistive Technology Industry Association. (2017). Webinar directory. Retrieved from

https://www.atia.org/webinars/webinar-directory-search/

● Metadata tags: training

Balas, J.L. (2012). There are always possibilities. Computers in Libraries 32(3), 31.

● Metadata tags: tools for improving accessibility

Bernard, R., Sabariego, C., & Cieza, A. (2016). Barriers and facilitation measures

related to people with mental disorders when using the web: A systematic review.

MAY 31, 2017 43


Journal Of Medical Internet Research, 18(6), Journal Of Medical Internet

Research, 2016 Jun, Vol.18(6).

● Metadata tags: Accessibility plans

Beukelman, D., & Mirenda, Pat. (2013). Augmentative and alternative communication:

Supporting children and adults with complex communication needs (4th ed.).

Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Pub.

● Metadata tags: Current Research on Accessibility

Beyond transparency. (2013). Building a smarter Chicago. Retrieved from

http://beyondtransparency.org/chapters/part-1/building-a-smarter-chicago/

● Metadata tags: Accessibility Policy, Website Content and Design,

Equipment

Booth, C. (2010). E-texts for all (even Lucy). Library Journal 135(13), 26.

● Metadata tags: current research on accessibility

Brajnik, G. (2004). Comparing accessibility evaluation tools: A method for tool

effectiveness. Universal Access in the Information Society, 3(3), 252-263.

● Metadata tags: website evaluation, website content and design, evaluation

and assessment

Charski, M. (2015). Web accessibility: is your content ready for everyone? EContent

38(2), 22.

● Metadata tags: Website Evaluation, Website Content and Design,

Equipment

Clarke, M. A., Moore, J.L., Steege, L.M., Koopman, R.J., Belden, J.L., Canfield, S.M.,

Meadows, S.E., Elliott, S.G., Kim, M.S. (2016). Health information needs,

sources, and barriers of primary care patients to achieve patient-centered care: A

literature review. Health Informatics Journal, 22(4), 992-1016.

MAY 31, 2017 44


● Metadata tags: Plans, Website Evaluation, Website Content and Design,

Training, Outreach, Current Research on Accessibility

Drupal. (2017). Accessibility. Retrieved from

https://www.drupal.org/about/features/accessibility

● Metadata tags: Website Evaluation, Website Content and Design

Ellcessor, E. (2010). Bridging disability divides. Information, Communication & Society,

13(3), 289-308.

● Metadata tags: Accessibility Policy, Current Research on Accessibility

Ellcessor, E. (2016). Restricted access : Media, disability, and the politics of

participation (Postmillennial pop). New York: New York University Press.

● Metadata tags: Accessibility Policy, Website Content and Design, Outreach, Current Research on Accessibility

Elliott, D. (2015, Jul 27). The challenges of surfing while blind. Wall Street Journal, A-

11.

● Metadata tags: SME, website content and design, user perspective

Environments for Humans. (2016). Accessibility summit. Retrieved from

http://environmentsforhumans.com/2016/accessibility-summit/#.WLeoTBiZNmA

● Metadata tags: Website Content and Design, SMEs/Advocacy Groups to

Contact

Equality and Human Rights Commission. (2017). Accessibility statement. Retrieved

from https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/accessibility-statement

● Metadata tags: accessibility policy

European Commission. (2017). Accessibility FAQ. Retrieved from

http://ec.europa.eu/ipg/standards/accessibility/faq/index_en.htm

● Metadata tags: website content and design

MAY 31, 2017 45


Foley, A. (2011). Exploring the design, development and use of websites through

accessibility and usability studies. Journal Of Educational Multimedia &

Hypermedia, 20(4), 361-385.

● Metadata tags: website evaluation

Galvez, R. A., & Youngblood, N. E. (2016). E-government in Rhode Island: What effects

do templates have on usability, accessibility, and mobile readiness? Universal

Access in the Information Society, 15(2), 281-296.

● Metadata tags: Website Content and Design

Government Digital Service. (2017). Blog. Retrieved from https://gds.blog.gov.uk/

● Metadata tags: Accessibility Policy, Plans, Website Content and Design,

Evaluation & Assessment, SMEs/Advocacy Groups to Contact,

Harper, S., & Yesilada, Y. (2008). Web accessibility : A foundation for research

(Human-computer interaction series). London: Springer.

● Metadata tags: website evaluation; website content and design; training;

current research on accessibility

Hakobyan, L., Lumsden, J., O'Sullivan, D., & Bartlett, H. (2013). Mobile assistive

technologies for the visually impaired. Survey of Ophthalmology, Survey of

Ophthalmology, 2013.

● Metadata tags: Current Research on Accessibility

Health and Human Services. (2017). Delivering accessible products and services.

Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/grants/contracts/delivering-accessible-

products-services/index.html#Resources


MAY 31, 2017 46


Herther, N.K. (2016). Design standards take federal websites to new levels of usability.

Information Today, 33(1), 1-29.

● Metadata tags: website content and design; design standards

Hinds, R., Danna, N., Capo, J., & Mroczek, K. (2016). Foot and ankle fellowship

websites: An assessment of accessibility and quality. Foot & Ankle Specialist,

Foot & ankle specialist, 10 November 2016.

● Metadata tags: website content and design; website testing and evaluation

IBM. (2017). Web resources. Retrieved from http://www-03.ibm.com/able/resources/

● Metadata tags: SMEs/Advocacy Groups to Contact

Jaeger, P. T. (2008). User-centered policy evaluations of section 508 of the

rehabilitation act: Evaluating e-government web sites for accessibility for persons

with disabilities. Journal Of Disability Policy Studies, 19(1), 24-33.

● Metadata tags: Website evaluation

Kirkpatrick, K. (2016). Existing technologies can assist the disabled. Association for

Computing Machinery. Communications of the ACM, 59(4), 16.

● Metadata tags: Equipment

Knowbility. (2017). About us. Retrieved from https://www.knowbility.org

● Metadata tags: training; website evaluation (testing)

Lynch, N.P., Lang, B., Angelov, S., Mcgarrigle, S.A., Boyle, T.J., Al-Azawi, D., &

Connolly, E.M. (2017). Breast reconstruction post mastectomy - Let's Google it.

Accessibility, readability and quality of online information. The Breast, 32, 126-

129.


MAY 31, 2017 47


MassMATCH.org. (2017). Massachusetts initiative to maximize assistive technology

(AT) in consumer’s hands. Retrieved from http://www.massmatch.org/

● Metadata tags: Accessibility Policy, SMEs/Advocacy Groups to Contact,

Equipment

Medium. (2017). [Search for “accessibility’]. Retrieved March 16, 2017

https://medium.com/search?q=accessibility

● Metadata tags: Website content and design

Molly.com. (2017). Who is my family? Retrieved from http://www.molly.com

● Metadata tags: Accessibility Policy, Outreach, SMEs/Advocacy Groups to

Contact

National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research. (2013). About the

national center for the dissemination of disability research (NCDDR). Retrieved

from http://www.ncddr.org/about.html

● Metadata tags: Outreach, Current Research on Accessibility

National Disability Authority. (2017). Accessibility toolkit. Retrieved from

http://nda.ie/Resources/Accessibility-toolkit/


Content and Design, Training, Evaluation & Assessment

National Forum on Education Statistics. (2011). Forum guide to ensuring equal access

to education websites: Introduction to electronic information accessibility

standards. NFES 2011-807 Retrieved from

https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2011/2011807.pdf

● Metadata tags: website content and design, accessibility

policy/compliance

National Public Website on Assistive Technology. (2013). ATWiki. Retrieved

http://atwiki.assistivetech.net/index.php/ATWiki_HomeMAY 31, 2017 48


● Metadata tags: Outreach, Current Research on Accessibility, Equipment

National Rehabilitation Information Center. (2017). Disability resources from NARIC.

Retrieved from http://www.naric.com/?q=en/node/27


National Rehabilitation Information Center. (2017b). REHABDATA connection

subscription form. (Stay in the know). Retrieved from http://www.naric.com/?

q=en/RehabdataConnection


Navarette, R. & Lujan-Mora, S. (2017). Bridging the Bandwidth Gap in Open

Educational Resources. Universal Access in the Information Society, DOI

10.1007/s10209-017-0529-9.

● Metadata tags: Accessibility Policy, Training, Current Research on

Accessibility, Equipment

Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability; Accessibility of web information and

services of state and local government entities, 28 CFR Part 35, [CRT Docket

No. 128], RIN 1190-AA65. (2016). Retrieved from

https://www.ada.gov/regs2016/sanprm.html

● Metadata tags: accessibility policy

Olalere, A., & Lazar, J. (2011). Accessibility of US federal government homes pages:

Section 508 compliance and site accessibility statements. Government

Information Quarterly, 28(3), 303-309.

● Metadata tags: accessibility policy, plans, website evaluation, evaluation

and assessment

Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology. (2017). About. Retrieved

from http://www.peatworks.org/about

● Metadata tags: training

MAY 31, 2017 49


Peterson, A. (2016). How facebook is helping the blind 'see' pictures their friends share

online. Washington: WP Company LLC d/b/a The Washington Post. Retrieved

from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/04/05/how-

facebook-is-helping-the-blind-see-pictures-their-friends-share-online/?

utm_term=.c35cfd26e96a

● Metadata tags: current research on accessibility

Politi, M. C.; Kaphingst, K. A.; Kreuter, M; Shacham, E.; Lovell, M. C.; & McBride, T.

(2013). Knowledge of health insurance terminology and details among the

uninsured. Medical Care Research and Review, 71(1).

● Metadata tags: Accessibility Policy, Plans, Website Content and Design

Raths, D. (2012). Access denied. Campus Technology, 26(3), 10-15.

● Metadata tags: accessibility policy, accessibility plans; training

Riley-Huff, D. (2012). Web accessibility and universal design: A primer on standards

and best practices for libraries. Library Technology Reports, 48(7), 29-35.

● Metadata tags: website content and design; website evaluation; evaluation

and assessment

Royal National Institute of Blind People. (2017). Technology. Retrieved from

https://rnib.org.uk/practical-help/technology-hub


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● Metadata tags: website content and design, current research on

accessibility

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Siddhanamatha, H.R.; Heung, E.; Lopez-Olivo, M. de L.A.; Abdel-Wahab, N.; Ojeda-

Prias, A.; Willcockson, I.; Leong, A.; Suarez-Almazor, M. E. (2017). Quality

assessment of websites providing educational content for patients with

rheumatoid arthritis. Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism.


Sieben-Schneider, J., & Hamilton-Brodie, V. (2016). Doing the right thing: One

university's approach to digital accessibility. Journal Of Postsecondary Education

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● Metadata tags: accessibility plans, training

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painHEALTH website: A Western Australian policy-into-practice initiative to

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%202015%20WCPT%20Congress%202015.pdf

● Metadata tags: Accessibility Policy, Website Content and Design, Outreach, Current Research on Accessibility

Sligar, S., & Zeng, X. (2008). Evaluation of website accessibility of state vocational

rehabilitation agencies. Journal of Rehabilitation, 74(1), 12-18.


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● Metadata tags: website content and design;

Southwell, K. L., & Slater, J. (2013). An evaluation of finding aid accessibility for screen

readers. Information Technology and Libraries (Online), 32(3), 34-46.


Content and Design

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http://www.getstreamline.com/web/


Udesky, L. (2015, Dec 22). The State: Let down by high-tech upgrades; Tools aimed at

making tests more accessible for disabled students had the opposite effect for

some. Los Angeles Times, p. B4.

● Metadata tags: equipment

US Department of Health and Human Services. (2006). The research-based web

design & usability guidelines. Washington, D.C.: US Government Printing Office.


Userite. (2017). Home. Retrieved from http://www.userite.com


UNHIOD. (2016). A beginner’s guide to creating accessible documents. [YouTube

video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=_OOT9N3KUNI&feature=youtu.be

● Metadata tags: Accessibility Policy, Plans, Website Content and Design

United States Digital Service. (2017). Digital services playbook. Retrieved from

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● Metadata Tags: Accessibility Policy, Plans, Website Evaluation, Website

Content and Design, SMEs/Advocacy Groups to Contact

University of Washington. (2017). Accessible technology. Retrieved from

http://www.washington.edu/accessibility/web/tools-and-resources/

● Metadata Tags: Accessibility Policy, Plans, Website Evaluation, Website

Content and Design, Training, Evaluation & Assessment

MAY 31, 2017 52


Vanderheiden, G. (2006). Over the horizon: Potential impact of emerging trends in

information and communication technology on disability policy and practice.

National Council on Disability.

● Metadata tags: Accessibility Policy, Plans, website content and design

Van de Ven, W., Van Kleef, R., & Van Vliet, R. (2015). Risk selection threatens quality

of care for certain patients: Lessons from Europe's health insurance exchanges.

Health Affairs (Project Hope), 34(10), 1713-20.

● Metadata tags: Accessibility Policy, Plans, Current Research on

Accessibility

Van Ginneken, E., Swartz, K., & Van Der Wees, P. (2013). Health insurance exchanges

in Switzerland and the Netherlands offer five key lessons for the operations of US

exchanges. Health Affairs (Project Hope), 32(4), 744-52.


Content and Design, Current Research on Accessibility

Vision Internet. (2017). Vision digital accessibility checklist. Retrieved from

http://info.visioninternet.com/accessibility-checklist


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accessibility-checklist-300254210.htm l

● Metadata tags: website content and design; training

Waight, M., & Oldreive, W. (2016). Accessible websites -- what is out there? British

Journal Of Learning Disabilities, 44(2), 122-129.

● Metadata tags: website evaluation; website content and design;

evaluation and assessment

MAY 31, 2017 53


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options/


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● Metadata tags: Website Content and Design, Equipment

WebAIM. (2016). Keyboard accessibility. Retrieved from

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● Metadata tags: Website Content and Design, Equipment

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Retrieved from https://webprofessionals.org/web-accessibility-matters-now-ever/

● Metadata tags: Plans, Website Content and Design, Training, Evaluation

& Assessment, Equipment

Wilson, D. E. (2015). Web content and design trends of alabama academic libraries.

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● Metadata tags: Website Evaluation: Website Content and Design:

Evaluation & Assessment

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● Metadata tags: Website Content and Design, Evaluation & Assessment,

SMEs/Advocacy Groups to Contact

Yesilada, Y., Brajnik, G., & Harper, S. (2011). Barriers common to mobile and disabled

web users. Interacting with Computers, 23(5), 525-542.

MAY 31, 2017 54


● Metadata tags: website evaluation, barriers to access

Yong, J.Y. (2015). Compliance of Section 508 in public library systems with the largest

percentage of underserved populations. Government Information Quarterly,

32(1), 75-81.

● Metadata tags: current research on accessibility; website content and

design

Yoon, K. K., Dols, R., Hulscher, L., & Newberry, T. (2016). An exploratory study of

library website accessibility for visually impaired users. Library & Information

Science Research (07408188), 38(3), 250-258. doi:10.1016/j.lisr.2016.08.006

● Metadata tags: website content and design, website evaluation, current

research on accessibility

Zhang, J., Purgathofer, P., Brereton, M., Fitzpatrick, G., & Güldenpfennig, F. (2016).

Handle the way. Proceedings of the 2016 ACM Conference Companion

Publication on Designing Interactive Systems, 117-120.

● Metadata tags: Accessibility Plans, Website Evaluation, Website Content

and Design, Equipment

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table of contents - improv web viewict accessibility resource guide. approved for public release....

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