An Assessment of Web Accessibility Knowledge and Needs at Oregon Community Colleges

Abstract

A needs assessment determined Oregon community college staff knowledge of (a) accessible information technology (IT) guidelines, (b) IT-related disability laws, (c) legal obligations regarding Web accessibility, and (d) perceived level of current Web accessibility. Training needs were assessed and training suggestions were solicited. IT staff demonstrated higher levels of Web accessibility guidelines knowledge, and disability/student services staff best understood disability laws. At most schools, knowledge of disability issues and IT were not integrated. Needs identified included provision of: comprehensive resources about accessible Web design, hands-on trainings in accessible technology topics, strategies for fulfilling legal accessibility obligations, training for students and staff regarding their responsibilities in the area of accessible IT, and a Web site accessibility testing service.

HBCUs Online: Can Students With Disabilities Access Historically Black College and University Websites?

“…Second, similar to the findings of Wisdom et al (2006), HBCU leadership should consider providing professional development for their faculty and staff focused on web accessibility. As previously stated, many of the web accessibility errors in this study are relatively simple to fix.…”

“…Their study found information technology (IT) professionals and disability/student services staff members were the most knowledgeable about disability laws—including web accessibility standards—yet IT professionals and disability staff members rarely collaborated to ensure web accessibility across campus. This finding led Wisdom et al (2006) to encourage communication between IT and disability/student services departments to collaboratively publish web-accessible websites and provide professional development for those unfamiliar with web accessibility.…”

“…Years after Thompson et al’s (2003) study, Wisdom et al (2006) assessed the knowledge of web accessibility held by staff working in Oregon community colleges. Their study found information technology (IT) professionals and disability/student services staff members were the most knowledgeable about disability laws—including web accessibility standards—yet IT professionals and disability staff members rarely collaborated to ensure web accessibility across campus.…”

“…In the years since the original Section 508 amendment in 1998, educational researchers have examined institutional websites to learn whether these websites are Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant per Section 508 guidelines. Extant research has examined web accessibility at 4-year (Bradbard, Peters, & Caneva, 2010; Hackett & Parmanto, 2005; Harper & DeWaters, 2008; Kelly, 2002) and 2-year institutions (Erickson et al, 2013; Flowers, Bray, & Algozzine, 2011; Taylor & Bicak, 2019; Wisdom et al, 2006), with these studies finding postsecondary websites are rarely compliant with WCAG standards. However, no extant research has examined the web accessibility of historically Black college and university (HBCU) websites, although HBCUs have been found to be incredibly important institutions of higher education (Anderson, 2017; Camera, 2017; Freeman & Thomas, 2002), responsible for educating the majority of Black postsecondary students in the United States (Gasman & Samayoa, 2017; McRae, 2016).…”

Transitioning Students With Disabilities

“…The use of the Internet and other web-based technology can provide time unlimited access; however, for some, access barriers are created because of its use. Many students with disabilities face challenges when using computers and accessing electronic formats, including the Internet (Erickson et al, 2009;Stoneham, 2005;Wisdom et al, 2006). Erickson et al (2009) investigated the use of the Internet to deliver information and services to community college students with and without disabilities.…”