Web Accessibility

Accessibility is the responsibility of everyone at Smith College.

What is Web Accessibility?

From the W3C [>https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-intro/]

Web accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them. More specifically, people can:

• perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web 
• contribute to the Web

Web accessibility encompasses all disabilities that affect access to the Web, including:

• auditory
• cognitive
• neurological
• physical
• speech
• visual

Web accessibility also benefits people without disabilities, for example:

• people using mobile phones, smart watches, smart TVs, and other devices with small screens, different input modes, etc.
• older people with changing abilities due to ageing
• people with “temporary disabilities” such as a broken arm or lost glasses
• people with “situational limitations” such as in bright sunlight or in an environment where they cannot listen to audio
• people using a slow Internet connection, or who have limited or expensive bandwidth

The Six Core Skills

1. Headings and document structure
2. Hyperlinks
3. Bullets and numbered lists
4. PDFs?
5. Images (alt-text, text in images)
6. Video captions