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Accessible Web Design

Accessible design helps us meet federal mandates, but also helps us to reach our full audience and honor diversity.

See the training page for accessible web design and check out the resources from the State of Alaska web accessibility workshops, as well as the sections of this site designed for Web Masters, creating accessible documents, and making audio and video accessible.

Learn more about what UAA is doing to promote web accessibility.

This page outlines some of the arguments for Accessible Web Design. For more detailed information see the Web Accessibility presentation from DSS.

Legal

• According to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act it is unlawful to discriminate on the basis of disability.
• Section 508 of the Rehab Act outlines specific mandates for online content published by the federal government - many states have adopted similar rules.
• Even in the absence of a formal mandate for all web designers now, many believe that with time this need will be more clearly articulated – see related course cases.

Moral

Sites that are designed with accessibility in mind also provide a benefit for the community by honoring diversity through proactive planning. This approach provides clear benefits for:

• People with disabilities
• People learning English
• People with age related sensory declines
• People with lower comfort level with technology

Business

Sites that are designed with accessibility in mind will also provide the following benefits for the sponsor or hosting entity:

• More hits in search engines
• Ability to reach a wider market share
• Increased positive regard

Self-Interest

Sites that are designed with accessibility in mind will also provide the following benefits for the designer:

• Faster loading times
• Easier site maintenance
• Fewer requests for retroactive accommodation