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A web accessibility assessment on the Texas public school system

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Abstract

As the World Wide Web becomes one of the main communication channels between school districts and their community of stakeholders, the need to provide equal access and equal opportunity to people with disabilities is no longer just an ethical issue, but also a legal obligation. This communication reports on testing the 1,117 entities within the Texas public school system using the Bobby Software. The results show that most of the web sites fail to meet the minimum required standards: Section 508 guidelines and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines priorities. Each violation is counted, a breakdown of the data is given, and finally a global approach for designing the web sites is proposed for the Texas public school system to enhance its web accessibility.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Houston-Victoria, Victoria, TX, USA

    Shane May & Qi Zhu

Authors
  1. Shane May
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  2. Qi Zhu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shane May.

Appendix A

Appendix A

WCAG priorities

Guideline

Brief description

Priority 1 list

 1.1

Provide alternate text for images

 1.2

Provide text links for server-side image hot spots

 1.3

Provide auditory description for visual multimedia presentations

 1.4

Synchronize alternatives with multimedia presentations

 2.1

Convey information displayed solely in color in another way

 4.1

Identify changes in the document’s language

 5.1

Identify headers for tables

 5.2

Identify clearly tables that have two or more headers

 6.1

Make sure that pages are readable without its style sheet

 6.2

Make each frame reference an XHTML file

 6.3

Provide alternate text for scripts that convey information

 7.1

Avoid causing the screen to flicker quickly

 8.1

Provide accessible alternatives for applets

 9.1

Use a client side image map in place of server-side image maps

 11.4

Provide a text only version of pages that cannot be made accessible.

 12.1

Give each frame a title

 14.1

Use straightforward easy to understand language

Priority 2 list

 2.2

Make sure foreground and background colors contrast

 3.1

Use XHTML in place of images to convey information when possible

 3.2

Use public text identifiers in the doctype statement

 3.3

Use style sheets to control layout and formatting

 3.4

Use relative sizing and positioning

 3.5

Nest headings properly

 3.6

Use list elements for lists, not for formatting

 3.7

Use blockquote element for quotations, not for formatting

 5.3

Avoid using tables for formatting text documents

 5.4

Avoid using structural markup to achieve formatting when tables are used for layout

 5.5

Provide a caption for tables not used for layout

 6.4

Make sure object event handlers do not require the use of a mouse

 6.5

Provide a no-frames section when using frames

 7.2

Avoid using the blink element

 7.3

Avoid using the marquee element

 7.4

Avoid causing a page to refresh automatically

 7.5

Avoid causing a page to redirect to another page

 9.2

Make sure all interfaces are able to be used without a mouse

 9.3

Make sure event handlers do not require the use of a mouse

 10.1

Inform the user of pop-up windows or change in the active window

 10.2

Make sure that all form controls have associated labels that are properly placed

 11.1

Make sure to use the latest technology specifications when possible

 11.2

Avoid using obsolete language features

 12.2

Use a frame description if the title is not adequate to explain the frame

 12.3

Group related elements when possible

 12.4

Associate form controls explicitly with labels using the label element

 13.1

Avoid using the same link phrase more than once per page

 13.2

Include a document title

 13.3

Provide a site map or table of contents

 13.4

Provide a consistent navigation across the entire site

Priority 3 list

 1.5

Provide redundant links for client side image maps

 4.2

Use the abbr and acronym elements were appropriate

 4.3

Identify the language of the page

 5.5

Provide a summary for tables

 5.6

Provide abbreviations for long row or column labels

 9.4

Use a logical tab order for forms

 9.5

Add keyboard shortcuts for form elements

 10.3

Provide a linear text alternative for text in layout table columns

 10.4

Use default place-holding text in text boxes and text areas

 10.5

Separate adjacent links with more than white space

 11.3

Allow users to customize the formatting of the web page

 13.5

Provide navigation bars for easy identification of navigation links

 13.6

Make sure logical groups of links are clearly identified

 13.7

Provide different levels of search if a search feature is provided

 13.8

Provide distinguishing information for headers

 13.9

Provide metadata that identifies a documents location in the collection of documents

 13.10

Provide a means to skip an ASCII art

 14.2

Use icons or graphics to help with comprehension of information. Make sure all graphics have accessible alternatives

 14.3

Use a consistent style across all pages

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May, S., Zhu, Q. A web accessibility assessment on the Texas public school system. Univ Access Inf Soc 9, 87–96 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-009-0153-4

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