TO: Boulder Campus Teaching & Research
Faculty, Staff,
Deans, Directors,
Dept Chairs, System Administration
FROM: The Information Technology Council and
The Committee on Electronic
Communication
SENDER: Bobby Schnabel, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic
and
Campus Technology,
Bobbi Barrow, Executive Director, University
Communications
DATE: February 9, 2001
SUBJECT: Web Accessibility
At the University of Colorado at Boulder, the Web is an important means
of
access to academic, administrative, and social information. To ensure
that web
pages in the colorado.edu domain and affiliated web sites are accessible
to all
members of our extended community, CU-Boulder recommends that web developers
take steps to create pages that can be accessed by all, including those
with
disabilities.
If you develop or maintain a site, consider that the Web can be a source
of
freedom or frustration for users who have visual, hearing, learning,
and/or
physical disabilities. Those who can't hear may be able to follow a
speech by
reading video captions or the text of a transcription. The ALT tags
you add to
describe images will help those who read web pages by listening to
the computer
voice of a "screen reader."
By following a few simple tips, you can create more accessible web pages.
To
help you get started, Web Communications and Disability Services have
developed
an online resource, "Creating Accessible Web Pages." It is located
at
http://www.colorado.edu/webcom/access/.
In this site, you will find quick tips for accessible web sites, and
links to
tools, training, and resources for creating pages for users with disabilities.
In the next few months, the campus will provide additional resources
on
accessibility, including support for faculty creating online courses,
and
templates to assist departments in creating accessible sites. In the
meantime,
the information outlined in "Creating Accessible Web Pages" will help
you learn
more and understand the simple steps that can make your site more accessible
for all.