Accessibility Updates

Learn best practices for accessibility

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Join us for the 2019 Web Accessibility Summit, a conference about all things website accessibility for professionals in higher education and beyond, hosted this year by Missouri State University.

Details

When: May 29, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Missouri State University, Glass Hall
Cost: $40

Workshops and track sessions will focus on how to make your web presence more accessible with technical and non-technical solutions. Networking opportunities will encourage sharing of information and resources with colleagues from around the state.

Missouri State faculty and staff should register through My Learning Connection. You may use your noncredit fee waiver to cover conference registration costs.

Non-MSU faculty and staff can register now.

Seating is limited so don’t delay.

Organizers

Several Missouri higher education institutions are organizing this event:

University of Missouri logo.
St. Louis Community College logo.
Missouri State University logo.
Missouri State University - West Plains logo.
Truman State University logo.
Missouri University of Science and Technology logo.
A.T. Still University logo.
University of Missouri-Kansas City logo.

Learn accessibility tips at on-campus conferences

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Two events bring experts to your doorstep

You’re invited to attend two conferences happening in Glass Hall:

May 29: Web Accessibility Summit

  • Exploring digital accessibility in higher education and beyond
  • Ideal for web, digital and accessibility professionals; faculty and instructional designers

May 30-31: MO AHEAD Conference

  • Focusing on ACCESS in higher education
  • Designed for faculty and staff supporting students with disabilities online and in-person

Register through My Learning Connection

Search for “accessibility” to find the events. Get help with registration.

Presentation about Missouri accessibility standards

Why you should attend

Discover methods for supporting all students and users

Come away with strategies that improve outcomes. Learn techniques that make your online and in-person materials work for everyone.

Attend for free (lunch included)

Faculty and staff may use their noncredit fee waiver for registration. This includes lunch on all three days. Register for each event through My Learning Connection.

Learn face-to-face from experts

Access experts without having to travel. The schedules are packed with sessions, including the following:

  • Workshop with Derek Featherstone, international authority on accessibility and inclusive design
  • Keynote with Melanie Thornton, coordinator of access and equity outreach for the University of Arkansas

Document your commitment to diversity and inclusion

These events support the university’s goal for inclusive excellence. Show your support by attending.

Attendees networking at Web Accessibility Summit

Recap: Web Accessibility Summit

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Web and new media staff attended the inaugural Web Accessibility Summit last month. The conference focused on website accessibility for professionals in higher education.

Key takeaways

Universal design considers the needs of a diverse human population. We must consider these needs during every step of the project. From backbone (code) to the voice (content). It’s much easier and less expensive to design for accessibility from the beginning.

Poor heading structure and lack of video captioning trigger the most user complaints.

Alt text reminder: Context matters. Ask yourself why the image is on the page. You’ll write better alt text that way. 

An OCR (Office for Civil Rights) complaint is not a lawsuit; it’s an opportunity to resolve a complaint. Open communication between legal counsel and the OCR is key.

  • Users can request accessible document alternatives. We have five business days to provide one.
  • We should remove old/outdated, inaccessible documents from the web. We actually risk more complaints and legal issues by keeping them on your site.

Crafting strong content is as much a vital part of good accessibility as anything else.

The W3C WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices document offers examples for creating accessible widgets.

An accessible modal dialog must: 

  • Show independence from the rest of the page,
  • Trap keyboard focus within the modal only, and
  • Be closeable via a button and the escape key.

The mission of higher education and accessibility are hand-in-hand. We are making education and information usable for all people. Being passionate about one is being passionate about the other.  

Slides

The Web Accessibility Summit schedule links to the session slides.

Learn accessibility best practices

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Join us for the first Web Accessibility Summit, a conference about all things website accessibility for professionals in higher education and beyond.

Details

When: May 30, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Where: University of Missouri, Columbia
Cost: $25

Workshops and track sessions will focus on how to make your web presence more accessible with technical and non-technical solutions. Networking opportunities will encourage sharing of information and resources with colleagues from around the state.

Register today

Seating is limited. On-campus lodging is available.

Organizers

The event is organized by several Missouri higher education institutions.

St. Louis Community College
Truman State University
Missouri S&T
Missouri State University - West Plains
Missouri State University
MU