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accessED

 

What is accessED?

accessED - accessibility tool image

accessED is a tool that allows you to test your site for conformance to W3C accessibility guidelines.

accessED allows you to:

  • test your website and content in one place
  • check that your site has passed international accessibility guidelines in minutes.

It provides:

  • an easy to read user interface that lets you know which parts of your site have passed (or failed)
  • helpful instructions on how to make your site meet the requirements. 

Why use accessED?

  • accessED ensures your online content is accessible, compliant, and legal
  • accessEd works on secure pages in learning management systems, such as WebCT and Blackboard, as well as on websites
  • accessED tests for individual accessibility checkpoints and provides results in plain English.

What makes accessED different?

accessEd features plain English descriptions of the W3C accessibility guidelines thus diagnosing potential problems much quicker and easier.

many other accessibility checkers can test publicly available sites, but this is not the case with accessEd. Its built-in validation engine allows it to test private websites like university courses, intranets, or any other pages that require secure access.

It is possible that content within a learning management system may not comply with W3C accessibility guidelines, even though the system itself is compliant. accessED can test both, learning management systems and the content within them. 

Who can use accessED?

accessED can be used by an array of web users, ranging from content authors and editors to website creators. This can inlcude:

  • librarians
  • course administrators
  • lecturers
  • system administrators
  • web developers 

Download accessED

To download accessED go to: http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/course/view.php?id=1593
and click on 'Download the Panel'.

Instructions for installing the Panel are provided at the download site. 

The Accessibility Panel has been designed to operate in Firefox v1.0.5.10 or greater.

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About web accessibility

An accessible website is flexible enough to meet the needs and preferences of users in all situations, including:

  • people with and without disabilities
  • users with slow internet connections or older computers
  • people who use assistive technologies such as screen readers, screen magnifiers and Braille displays
  • users who are colour blind.

The international guidelines for accessibility are set out by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative. These guidelines ensure that people who use adaptive and assistive technologies can access information provided online. For further information about website accessibility visit: W3C Web Accessibility Initiative.

Why make your online learning content accessible?

In Australia, the Disability Standards for Education (2005) apply to education providers under section 32 of the Disability Discrimination Act (1992). The purpose of the standards is to ensure that persons with disabilities have the same rights in education and training as the rest of the community. This includes access to online learning content, both within learning management systems and on the web.

By law, online learning content should be accessible to all, but there are additional benefits to be gained from providing accessible content, including:

•    helping to eliminate the digital divide
•    reducing site development and maintenance time
•    compatibility with advanced web technologies
•    attracting more visitors to your website
•    reducing server load and potential slow responses on your site
•    increasing resource findability and usability.