Module 7 Learning Goals

Most people today can hardly conceive of life without the Internet. It provides access to information, news, email, shopping, and entertainment. The Internet, with its ability to serve out information at any hour of the day or night about practically any topic conceivable, has become a way of life for an impatient, information-hungry generation. Some have argued that no other single invention has been more revolutionary since that of Gutenberg's original printing press in the mid 1400s. Now, at the click of a mouse, the world can be "at your fingertips"--that is, if you can use a mouse . . . and if you can see the screen . . . and if you can hear the audio--in other words, if you don't have a disability of any kind.

Who does it benefit?

An estimated 20 percent of the population in the United States (40.8 million individuals) has some kind of disability, and 10 percent (27.3 million individuals) has a severe disability. The 27.3 million individuals with severe disabilities are limited in the way that they can use the Internet. The saddest aspect of this fact is that the know-how and the technology to overcome these limitations already exist, but they are greatly under-utilized, mostly because Web developers simply do not know enough about the issue to design pages that are accessible to people with disabilities. Unfortunately, even some of the more informed Web developers minimize the importance of the issue, or even ignore the problem altogether.

The Web can present barriers to people with different kinds of disabilities. Once you complete this module you will:

• Understand of the laws related to accessibility on the web.
• Understand the key considerations when designing a web page.
• Review and use the tools necessary to evaluate websites for accessibility