The University of Washington is committed to providing programs, services, and resources that are accessible to all qualified participants, including those with disabilities. But what does that mean for you? What do you need to know?
What is digital accessibility?
People who use websites and web applications, digital documents, software, online videos, kiosks, and other digital resources have a growing variety of characteristics. As people who are responsible for digital resources, we can not assume that all our users are the same or are accessing our content using similar tools and methods. Consider these user characteristics:
- Unable to see. People who are blind use either audible output (products called screen readers that read web content using synthesized speech) or tactile output (a refreshable Braille device).
- Has dyslexia. People with learning disabilities such as dyslexia may also use audible output, along with software that highlights words or phrases as they’re read aloud using synthesized speech.
- Has low vision. People with low vision may use screen magnification software that allows them to zoom into all or a portion of the visual screen. Many others with less-than-perfect eyesight may enlarge the font on websites using standard browser functions, such as Ctrl + in Windows browsers or Command + in Mac browsers.
- Has a physical disability. People with physical disabilities that affect their use of hands may be unable to use a mouse, and instead may rely exclusively on the keyboard or use assistive technologies such as speech recognition, head pointers, mouth sticks, or eye-gaze tracking systems.
- Unable to hear. People who are deaf or hard of hearing are unable to access audio content, so video needs to be captioned and audio needs to be transcribed.
- Using a mobile device. People who are accessing the web using a compact mobile device such as a phone face accessibility barriers, just like people with disabilities do. They’re using a small screen and may need to zoom in or increase the font size, and they are likely to be using a touch interface rather than a mouse. Also, both Apple and Android mobile devices offer a wide variety of accessibility features, which users may have enabled.
- Limited bandwidth. People may be on slow Internet connections if they’re located in a rural area or lack the financial resources to access high-speed Internet.
- Limited time. People who are very busy may have too little time to watch an entire video or audio recording, but can quickly access its content if a transcript is available.
An accessible website works for all of these users, and countless others not mentioned.
How do I make my technology accessible?
This website provides an extensive body of how-to pages for making particular types of content accessible. To learn more about accessibility of particular technologies, consult the pages that are most relevant for the technologies you’re using or are especially concerned about.
Where do I get help?
The UW has an active digital accessibility community, and its members are eager to help and support one another. See Events for opportunities to connect with and learn from others in the community, or seek Help from UW-IT Accessible Technology Services for more specific needs.