A Quest for website accessibility in higher education institutions

Submitted by mlb78 on Fri, 09/16/2016 - 17:24
TitleA Quest for website accessibility in higher education institutions
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2008
AuthorsHarper, Kelly A., and DeWaters, Jamie
JournalInternet and Higher Education
Volume11
Issue3
Pagination160-164
ISSN Number1096-7516
KeywordsAccessibility, higher education, universal design, W3C guidelines, Web accessibility, Web design, world wide web
AbstractResearchers increasingly suggest that accessibility remains a prominent issue across the World Wide Web (www). This study raises awareness about issues of access in higher education. This qualitative research design utilized a listserv that invited university based webmasters to use freeware to evaluate the overall accessibility of their institutions' homepage website. Participation was voluntary and evaluations were gathered electronically. Our sample indicated that most universities' homepages were non-compliant with the www.WorldWideWeb Consortium guidelines. One particular institution, however, satisfied all W3C guidelines earning a perfect Triple A. Simply stated, this exemplary website serves people of all exceptionalities. Studying this institution's implementation process, we propose that other institutions might emulate this exemplary model to achieve greater website accessibility for all constituents. (c)2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
NotesThis qualitative study examined website accessibility of main university website homepages against the W3C. Results indicated that most universities under examination were not compliant with the guideline. However, an institution did a outstanding job and acted as an examplary model for other institutions.
URLhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2008.06.007
DOI10.1016/j.iheduc.2008.06.007