Body
Objective
This article provides information and promotes awareness about web accessibility standards, particularly the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and their relevance to higher education.
Audience
Environment
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
Procedure
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) serves as the main international standards organization for the World Wide Web (World Wide Web Consortium, March 3, 2021) and was started in 1994. [The WWW was started in 1989.] A stated goal of this organization is to ensure a truly global WWW to benefit all of humanity.
WCAG Rules
One of the technical standards that W3C puts out is the Web Content Accessibility Guide (WCAG), pronounced wi-cag colloquially. WCAG 2.0 guidelines were officially incorporated into the Section 508 (1998) part of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 2018 in the Section 508 Refresh. WCAG 1.0 originated in 1999, 2.0 in December 2008, WCAG 2.1 in 2018, and the next iteration, dubbed WCAG 2.2 is expected to be finalized and distributed in late 2021. These standards have been affirmed by various national governments around the world. Web accessibility, as in other parts of accessibility, is a civil rights issue and a human rights issue. Having an accessible Web means that large swaths of humanity are not presented with barriers to access for everything that the Web has to offer. A more inclusive (non-exclusionary) and full-participatory Web may mean the evolution of more just societies, with the integration of those with more divergent abilities.
Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust
The standards are informed by principles that are applied to extant (and anticipated) Web technologies. The four main principles for Web accessibility include the following: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.
In the introduction section to WCAG 2.1, the organization writes:
Perceivable - Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.
This means that users must be able to perceive the information being presented (it can't be invisible to all of their senses)
Operable - User interface components and navigation must be operable.
This means that users must be able to operate the interface (the interface cannot require interaction that a user cannot perform)
Understandable - Information and the operation of the user interface must be understandable.
This means that users must be able to understand the information as well as the operation of the user interface (the content or operation cannot be beyond their understanding)
Robust - Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies. (Introduction to Understanding WCAG 2.1, 2021] [https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/intro#understanding-the-four-principles-of-accessibility]
The principles are seen as relevant to the past, present, and future of the Web, no matter how the technologies evolve. They serve to empower all users of the WWW and the Internet. The standards are set at various tiers, with Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA. Ideally, all sites would meet at least the Level A standards.
How is this relevant to higher education?
The WCAG technical standards are designed for the following:
- Web content developers (page authors, site designers, etc.)
- Web authoring tool developers
- Web accessibility evaluation tool developers
- Others who want or need a standard for web accessibility, including mobile accessibility
- Related resources are intended to meet the needs of many different people, including policymakers, managers, researchers, and others. [Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Overview, 2021]
Faculty and staff do contribute to the Web presence of the university; they design web content on the learning management system (LMS) and the content management system (CMS) and on social media and elsewhere.
These standards maintain respect for all users of the Web and Internet by reducing barriers to access, ensuring equal experiences from accommodations (not lesser ones), ensuring equal informational provision (not lesser ones), and so on. In the same way that the user experience (UX) informs Web designs, the learner experience (LX) is suggested to inform the design and development, and deployment of teaching and learning content. This is so no matter the modality: face-to-face, blended/hybrid, and fully online. The universal design for learning is considered a foremost model for such builds. �
Essential Components of Web Accessibility
Multiple research studies of the current Web in 2021 found that approximately 98% of websites do not meet some of the basic standards for accessibility.
This organization's Essential Components of Web Accessibility is a good place to start. [https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/components/] For those who do not directly build web content, this article and the links may be useful to be passed along to those who do.
Notes
References
Essential Components of Web Accessibility. (2021). W3.org. https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/components/.
Introduction to Understanding WCAG 2.1. (2021). W3.org. https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/intro#understanding-the-four-principles-of-accessibility.
WCAG Quick Reference. (2021). W3.org. https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/quickref/.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Overview. (2021). W3.org. https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/.