Accessibility Books

• Making Online Teaching Accessible: Inclusive Course Design for Students with Disabilities by Norm Coombs (2010)—This is a short book aimed for instructors. It covers policy, Word, PowerPoint, math and multimedia basics. No HTML needed.
• Web Accessibility: Web Standards and Regulatory Compliance by Jim Thatcher et al (2006)—This is a comprehensive book for Web developers and covers policy, WCAG 2.0 and includes code samples for a variety of commonly encountered accessibility issues.
• Universal Design for Web Applications by Wendy Chisholm and Matt May (2009)—This is also aimed for Web developers and includes information on mobile design, JavaScript and ARIA.

Implementing Accessibility

Penn State Accessibility

This Section: Policy | Assistive Technology Labs

Penn State Accessibility

• World Campus Accessibility Information
• Office of Disability Services

Assistive Technology Labs

• Library Services for Persons with Disabilities—Includes a wide range of assistive technology options
• Assistive Technology in Student Computing Labs
• Boucke 115—This facility is only available to students who are registered with the Office of Disability Services.

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Accessibility Tutorials

This Section: In-DepthAccessibility | Tool Demos | University Tutorials | Software Vendor Tutorials

In-Depth Tutorials

In-depth accessibility tutorials aimed for Web masters

• Jim Thatcher Accessibility— Excellent examples of issues and solutions
• WebAIM—Tutorials and demos on all aspects off accessibility
• Jim Thatcher Com
• Accessify Com— Focuses on more advanced issues such as forms and pop-up windows
• A List Apart Accessibility Topics—Tests the latest proposed techniques

Assistive Tech Tool Demos

Sites which provide demos of screen readers, text zoomers and other accessibility hardware and software.

• WebAim Simulations
• University of Wisconsin User Videos—Videos in which real users explain how they use their tools
• W3C: How People with Disabilities Use the Web—Narratives of issues faced by people with different disabilities.

University Tutorials

Aimed for instructors and Web masters.

• University of Minnesota
• University of Wisconsin Accessibility
• Ohio State University—Includes Flash, PDF, JavaScript
• University of North Carolina: Accessible Electronic Content
• University of Washington Access IT—Articles on specialized topics
• University of Maryland Universal Usability in Practice—Also covers age and cultural differences

Tutorials from Software Vendors

• Microsoft MSDN Developer
• Apple Developer

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Accessibility Guidelines

This Section: WCAG 2.0 Guidelines | Section 508 Guidelines |Outside the U.S.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (W.C.A.G.)

Comprehensive recommendations developed by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium). They are divided into three priority levels ranked from most crucial (AA) to least crucial (AAA). Penn State Policy A.D. 69 mandates A and AA compliance.

• WCAG 2.0 Guidelines
• WebAIM: WCAG 2.0 Checklist

Section 508 Checklists

Section 508 is still the official standard for sites built by the U.S. federal government. Although most Section 508 and WCAG 2.0 guidelines, there are are some minor differences in what Section 508 requires. Note also that the first section of the guidelines applies mainly to the development of custom software applications for the federal government, not necessarily to Web sites.

• Web AIM Section 508 Checklist
• Section 508 Guidelines
• ADA Gov Accessibility Guidelines

Outside the U.S.

If you are working with agencies or organizations outside the U.S., this information may be useful.

• W3C Policy Links Page
• WebAim Policy Links Page
• ICDRI Global Legal and Policy Resources
• Canada (Treasury Board of Canada)—A concentration of W.C.A.G. and other recommendations different from Section 508
• Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (Ireland): 7 Principles of Universal Design—Based on W.C.A.G. Priority 1

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Verification Services

This Section: Online Verification Services | Firefox Browser Plug Ins

Verifications should be used as only one of several accessibility tests. See the Suggested Testing Protocol for suggested guidelines on screen reader tests, color tests and zooming tests.

See Also: Lynx Browsers | Color Blindness Simulators

Online Testing Services

• FAE (Functional Accessibility Evaluator, U of Illinois)
• A Checker
• WAVE (WebAim)—Graphical reports shows layout of accessibility tags. Can be installed into a browser toolbar.
• See also WebAim Evaluation & Repair Tools List for a more detailed list.

Firefox Browser Plug Ins

These plug ins and tools allow you to easily view sites without images or stylesheets.

• Accessibility Evaluation Toolbar
• Jim Thatcher Favelets (includes ARIA testing)
• WAVE Firefox Plugin
• Juicy Studios - Includes color contrast
• Web Developer
  Note: This allows you to disable images, CSS and can enhance accessibility testin

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Different Audiences

Screen Reader Issues

This Section: Lists of JAWS Commands | Screen Reader Vendors | Lynx Downloads | Advocacy Groups

Lists of Jaws Commands

JAWS is one of the most commonly used screen reader programs. It not only reads Web sites, but reads all text within the Windows system (application menus, document text, help screens, and so forth).

• Jaws Screen Reader Headquarters
• California Community Colleges

Screen Reader Vendors

• JAWS (from Freedom Scientific)
• NVDA (Non-Visual Desktop Access)
• VoiceOver (from Apple)
• Emacs for Linux—Supports Aural stylesheets. Author is a visually disabled programmer.

See Also: Tools Demos

Lynx Text Browser

Lynx is an open source application much as in the Linux model. There are lots of sources for downloading Lynx, but some "installs" require more effor to set up than others.

• Delorie Lynx Emulator
  A Web service which simulates Lynx

• Windows NT/2000/XP—csant.info/lynx.htm
  This is one of the easier versions to install.

• Macintosh OSX–GNU O.S.X Archives
  Once installed, you must go to Applications > > Utilities > > Terminal, then type "/usr/bin/local/lynx" (note all the slashes) to open Lynx.

• Other Lynx Installs – Lynx Open Source Project

Advocacy Groups

• Lighthouse International
• Royal National Institute for the Blind (U.K.)

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Low Vision Users

This Section: Zooming Simulations | Design Tips   

Low Vision Design Tips

• Lighthouse Org: Designing for People with Partial Sight

Zooming Simulations

• Lighthouse: Low Vision Simulator
• WebAim Low Vision Simulations

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Color Blindness Issues

This Section: Color Blindness Simulators | About Color Blindness

Color Blindness Simulators

• Wickline Color Filter—Lets you toggle between different forms of color blindness once you designate a Web address.
• Visicheck Color Blindness Tester—Allows you to test images and live Web pages for red-green and blue yellow color deficiencies.
• Pixy Color Wheel & Color Blindness Checker—Generates basic color schemes and shows them in different color blindness filters below color blocks
• Color Vision (Cal Henderson)—Test color schemes with almost all forms of color blindness
• Hans Brettel—Examples only

About Color Blindness

• Lighthouse Org Color Contrast—General tips on how to combine colors.
• University of Minnesota Duluth Color Links—Includes a variety of color blindness resources.
• Joe Clark—A very accessible description of the different types of color blindness.
• Colors for the Color Blind—An informative yet wry look at color blindness from an actual "user". Includes links to utilities for the color blind.
• Firelily
• WebAIM Color Blindness
• Visibone—Scroll down for color blindness information

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Captioning Options

This Section: Captioning Software | Captioning How-tos

Captioning Software

• MAGPIE (WGBH)—freeware for Quicktime. Beta Flash captioning version available.
• C.Caption and MacCaption—commercial product for RealPlayer and Quicktime
• Macaw—Macintosh freeware for Quicktime

Captioning How-tos

• WebAIM Captioning Tutorials
• Joe Clark Best Practives in Online Captioning
• See also the Multimedia Section for specific tools

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Mobility Impairments

Mobility Impairment Links

• WebAim Mobility Impairments
• ATRC Technical Glossary of Adaptive Technologies
• Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows—From Microsoft
• A.C.E. Centre North (See "Downloads" Section)

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Cognitive Disabilities

Cognitive Disability Links

• Aware.Org—Points out that graphics can facilitate comprehension for many audiences.
• WebAim Visual versus Cognitive Disabilities

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Other Issues

Plug-ins and Other Documents

This Section: P.D.F Files | Microsoft Office | Flash Files

P.D.F. File Accessibility Links

• WebAIM: Acrobat X Tutorial
• Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Training Resources
• Adobe: Preparing InDesign Files for Accessibility
• University of Wisconsin: Making PDF Files Accessible
• A List Apart: Facts and Opinions About PDF Accessibility
• NC State: Accessible PDF Forms
• Planet PDF: Accessible PDF

Microsoft Office Accesibility Links

• WebAim PowerPoint Accessibility
• WebAim Word Accessibility

Flash Accessibility Links

• Adobe Flash: Accessibility Best Practices
• Adobe Flash CS 5.5 Accessibility
• WebAIM: Creating Accessible Flash Content
• V.A. Accessible Flash Course

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External C.S.S. Tutorials

• I.T.S. Web Developer Resources
• Web Reference—Understanding the Visual Box Model
• Web Reference—Making Headlines with Style Sheets
• HTML Goodies: Stylesheet Tutorial
• Web Site Tips—Stylesheets

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Advanced Javascript Issues

This Section: Pop-Up Windows

Pop-Up Windows

These Websites provide advanced tips for implementing Javascript pop-up windows in an accessible fashion. Testing on multiple platforms is recommended.

• A List Apart: Pop-Up Links
• Javascript and Accessibility Part 1

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