Web Accessibility Theory and Practice: An Introduction for University Faculty

Web accessibility is the practice of making Web sites accessible to all, particularly those with disabilities. As the Internet becomes a central part of post-secondary instruction, it is imperative that instructional Web sites be designed for accessibility to meet the needs of disabled students. The purpose of this article is to introduce Web accessibility to university faculty in theory and practice. With respect to theory, this article first reviews empirical studies, highlights legal mandates related to Web accessibility, overviews the standards related to Web accessibility, and reviews authoring and evaluation tools available for designing accessible Web sites. With respect to practice, the article presents two diaries representing the authors’ experiences in making their own Web sites accessible. Finally, based on these experiences, we discuss the implications of faculty efforts to improve Web accessibility.