UIT’s Iannucci shares best practices for web accessibility during U’s Day of Disability & Neurodiversity

In her virtual self-introduction, Angela Smith, Ph.D., shared her pronouns (she/her); described her appearance and environment (“a white woman with straight dark hair and bangs, wearing a dark blue shirt, against a virtual background of the U’s Gartner Commons”); and conveyed the information on each of her slides.

She also noted that the online event included auto-captioning, live transcription, and American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation.

These actions may seem small, but they completely transform the events and communications experience for the 26% of U.S. adults who have a disability. 

“Ideally, we can take these actions consistently and proactively, while also understanding that accessibility work is ongoing, responsive, and sometimes messy,” said Smith, who moderated “Making it Accessible: Actions for Accessible Events, Presentations, Social Media, and Basic Web Design” during the University of Utah’s inaugural Day of Disability & Neurodiversity, held December 1, 2022, via Zoom.

The event featured a series of presentations and discussions highlighting best practices for fostering accessibility, including basic web accessibility by Barb Iannucci, director for UIT Content Management & Accessibility.

Iannucci said she strives to ensure that her university partners understand why web accessibility is not only the right thing to do but necessary and beneficial. First, web accessibility is the law (Americans with Disabilities Act), and organizations can be — and have been — sued for noncompliance. Second, inclusive design creates a better user experience. Third, web accessibility improves search engine optimization (SEO).

“[Web accessibility] impacts the general usability of your website and lends itself to better SEO,” Iannucci said. “… Screen readers read [web]pages very similarly to search engines, so if you improve things for screen readers, you automatically improve things for search engines.”

She said it’s also important to understand and account for the various disabilities web users may have, such as visual, motor, cognitive, and vestibular impairments. HTML markup, CSS styling, colors, contrast, alternate text, and hyperlinks are among items that can make or break web accessibility. Iannucci said best practice is to follow at least Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2 AA and test your websites without a mouse/using only keyboard, screen reader, and voiceover/speech controls.

“You want to make sure that the experience is similar for everyone,” she said, adding that people should not rely on automated tools to test and fix their websites. "You need to manually test your sites because automated tools uncover only a fraction of problems and third-party plugins, or accessibility overlays, aren't a magic fix.” 

For more information about accessible websites, please visit the Content Management & Usability team’s web accessibility webpage. For a copy of Iannucci’s presentation, please visit the team’s blog.

For more information about the “Making It Accessible” webinar, including a recording of the event, please visit the Division of Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion (EDI) website. 

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'Making It Accessible'

The U’s Day of Disability & Neurodiversity “recognizes the year-round importance of promoting understanding and inclusivity on campus and facilitating discussions on ways to improve access for all,” according to the Division for Equality, Diversity, & Inclusion (EDI) website.

“Making It Accessible” presentations included:

• Student perspective: Lillian Duong, a U psychology major with visual impairment
• Basic web accessibility: Barb Iannucci, director for UIT Content Management & Accessibility
• Social media accessibility: Andy Thompson, social media manager for University Marketing & Communications
• Video captioning: Chris Green, associate director for Assistive Technology & Alternative Formats for the Center of Disability & Access
• Events accessibility: Eunice Contreras, event manager for Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion
• Design accessibility: Jen Rosio, graphic designer for Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion
• Accessible presentations/ableist language: Angela Smith, director for Disability Studies Program and associate professor for English and gender studies

For more information about the “Making It Accessible” webinar, including a recording of the event, please visit the EDI website.

 

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