Web Accessibility

Web Accessibility is Not Only the Law...It's Good Practice

As a public institution and a member of the California State University system, CSU Channel Islands is required by law to ensure that its web sites are accessible to all its users.

More importantly, the principles of web site accessibility espouse industry-standard "best practices" in web design and facilitate web site usability.

Here you will find resources and tools to help you learn about web accessibility and how to make sure your web site is accessible.

How to Start Building Accessible Web Sites

Follow these 5 steps to build accessible web sites:

1. View the "Keeping Web Accessibility In Mind" video from WebAIM.
2. Read the Section 508 Guidelines 
3. Read the Guide to Section 508 Standards for Web Sites
4. View any/all of the web sites in the "Learn About Web Accessibility" section.
5. Check your pages using any/all of the tools in the "Accessibility Check Tools" section.

Contact Web Services with any questions.

Web Accessibility Presentation Materials

• Creating Accessible Word Documents
• Creating Accessible PowerPoint Presentations
• LecShare version
• Virtual508 Wizard version
• Accessible PDF's Part I
• Accessible PDF's Part II
• Web Accessibility Workshop Part I

Learn About Accessibility

• Jim Thatcher Section 508 Tutorial
• Dive Into Accessibility
• WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind
  • WebAIM Techniques and Concepts
• CSU Fresno Web Accessibility Learning Modules
• www.joeclark.org

Accessibility Law

• Guide to Disability Rights Law, U.S. Department of Justice, August 2004
• Section 508
  • Section 508.gov
  • The Access Board
• Section 504
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

U.S. Government Web Accessibility Sites

• GCN Government Computer News Section 508 Information
• BuyAccessible.gov

Discussion Listservs

• WebAIM Accessibility Listserv
• CATS Accessibility Listserv

Technology-Specific Web Accessibility Resources

Macromedia Dreamweaver

• Macromedia Dreamweaver Accessibility Web Site

Adobe Acrobat PDF

• Adobe Accessibility web site
• "Defining Acrobat PDF Accessibility" at WebAIM
• "Facts and Opinions About PDF Accessibility" by Joe Clark
• PDF Accessibility Links

Microsoft Office

• Microsoft Office Accessibility Tutorials

HTML

• Creating Accessible Tables

Captioning Information

• 2005 CMP Captioning Key: Guidelines and Preferred Techniques  (PDF, 1.32MB)
• Captioned Media Program Captioning Resources
• NCAM Rich Media Accessibility Captioning Resources

Web Accessibility Guidelines

• W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
  • HTML Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
• Section 508 standards

Accessibility Check Tools

Free Tools (web-based)

• HiSoftware Cynthia Says - checks Section 508 or WCAG
• Watchfire WebXACT Accessibility Check Tool - checks Section 508 or WCAG
• WAVE 3.0 Accessibility Tool - checks page reading order
• JuicyStudio Color Contrast Analyzer - checks page color contrast
• Firefox - a web standards compliant web browser
  • Firefox Web Developer Toolbar - a toolbar for Firefox to help perform quick accessibility checks
  • Evaluating Web Sites for Accessibility with the Firefox Web Developer Toolbar (from WebAIM)

Commercial Tools

• HiSoftware AccVerify
  • CSUCI has a license for campus use of AccVerify. Please contact the Help Desk for assistance with obtaining and installing the software.
  • AccVerify Instructions (CSU Bakersfield)
• LIFT Accessibility Suites for Dreamweaver

Web Accessibility @ CSUCI

Contact Information

Peter Mosinskis
Supervisor of Web Services
805-437-8587

Office Hours & Location

9:00am - 5:00pm Monday - Friday
University Hall Room 1644

Related Links

• Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI)
• Disability Resource Programs
• Human Resources