Accessibility

The 1EdTech Accessibility workgroup activities focus on adapting or personalizing resources, interfaces, and content to meet individuals' needs. The group believes the best way to make a system or resource accessible to an individual is to meet an individual's particular needs immediately within the learning context. Doing so decreases exclusion and increases usability. It is an effective way to meet legal accessibility requirements in many jurisdictions and has many business advantages for expanding the market of potential customers and users.

 Overview

Authors and web developers need to be aware of a myriad of parts when it comes to accessibility. This simple graphic shows a construct from content creation to the laws that govern accessibility standards.

1. Legal requirements and International standards
   Accessibility legislation seeks to remove barriers to the online learning experience. Legislation is based on the W3C WCAG 2.0 guidelines and informed by independent international standards experts.
2. Accessibility Settings and Assistive Technologies
   Accessibility settings ensure access through native internal browser settings and external access through a user's assistive technology device (e.g., screen readers).
3. Platforms, Third Party Software, and Digital Products
   Websites can be designed to be more accessible by their conformance to standards and best-practice design principles. This may include accessibility features such as tabbing. navigation and alternative text for images.
4. Interoperability and Personal Needs and Preference
   Interoperability is the ability of a system or a product to interconnect with other systems and products. 1EdTech's EPUB 3 establishes an accessible, open ecosystem for e-textbooks and other digital learning materials. 1EdTech’s AccessForAll^®, Personal Needs & Preferences specification gives each user the ability to select personal accessibility needs and preferences and to control the release and presentation of that information within those systems.
5. Inclusive  Design and Assessment
   Products and services that have inclusive design are accessible and usable by all without special modification or design. The assessment process also includes determining specific learning needs and defining the end goal of instruction in order to create assessments that assist in the student’s success.
6. Content creation
   Content authors choosing accessibility-enhanced authoring tools and learning strategies can support accessible content creation and students' ability to learn without barriers.

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