Abstract

Higher education has continued its trend toward attracting students of all ages, walks of life and abilities. With the popularity of online education increasing each year, students with physical disabilities find themselves in a position to acquire an education that may have previously been out of reach. Recent innovations in website design, however, have concentrated on visual appeal, with the extensive use of video, animation and other dynamic graphical effects. These techniques enrich the experience of the average user but can be frustrating to visually impaired web surfers unless careful design measures are employed. Additionally, the federal government, though Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act has attempted to address website accessibility issues, with the U.S. Department of Education taking the lead with its Office of Civil Rights’ investigation of the California Community College System. This paper will examine how well some colleges and universites’ websites fare in terms of website access evaluation.

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