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Overview
This article details the meaning of web accessibility and how UIC strives to achieve full web accessibility.
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Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can use the Web. More specifically, it means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, interact with, and contribute to the Web.
Web accessibility also benefits others, including older people with changing abilities due to aging. Web accessibility encompasses all disabilities that affect access to the Web, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities.
The Web plays an important role in many aspects of our daily lives, including education, employment, communication, and health care. Accessible websites help people with disabilities access information, use online services, and participate more fully in society.
Accessible design can benefit everyone. It helps people use websites on different devices, navigate using a keyboard instead of a mouse, and access video content through captions when they cannot hear the audio. These features benefit people with and without disabilities.
Common web accessibility practices include:
- Alternative text: Providing text descriptions for meaningful images so people using screen readers can understand their content.
- Keyboard accessibility: Allowing users to navigate and operate website features using a keyboard without a mouse.
- Captions and transcripts: Providing captions for videos and transcripts for audio content to help people access information when they cannot hear the audio.
- Clear content and navigation: Using descriptive headings, clear language, and consistent layouts to help users find and understand information.
- Color contrast: Ensuring sufficient contrast between text and its background to make text easier to read.
These practices help reduce barriers and make web content more accessible to people with a diverse range of hearing, movement, sight, and cognitive ability.
Source: Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
The Digital Accessibility Services and Engineering (DASE) team at Technology Solutions provides resources and services to support accessible websites and web content.
Visit the Digital Accessibility webpage for a curated list of resources relating to web accessibility at UIC.
For questions or assistance, please contact accessibility@uic.edu.