Web Accessibility Training Videos and Webinars

Accessibility for People with Cognitive Disabilities, Low Literacy, Low Proficiency

This webinar provides and an overview of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and their importance in making web content accessible to people with intellectual disabilities, as well as those whose first language may not be English. (Source: W3C-WAI, PowerPoint Webinar, 00:18:38)

An Introduction to Website Accessibility

Presentation covering what web accessibility is, how people with disabilities use the web, how to quickly identify accessibility barriers, and some simple solutions for creating a more accessible digital experience. This webinar also addresses common sources of confusion about web accessibility, and provides key resources for learning more about website accessibility. (Source: AccessibilityOnline Webinar Series, PowerPoint Webinar, 01:28:00)

Best Practices for Accessible Social Media

A presentation by Mindy Johnson, Director of Digital Communications and Outreach for CAST, provides easy tips for making social media posts more accessible and more usable by everyone. The webinar discusses plain language, use of Camel Case, image descriptions as well as the importance of making video transcripts available. (Source: National Center on Accessible Educational Materials, PowerPoint Webinar, 01:02:02)

Building Accessibility into Your Everyday Tasks

This webinar explores how individuals with disabilities use the web, document and social media accessibility, testing for web accessibility. It also looks at how to include accessibility in your everyday tasks such as emails and document creation. (Source: University of Maryland, Division of Information Technology, PowerPoint Webinar, 01:55:55)

Clear Layout and Design

Brief video on how to make different parts of a web page easy to locate and identify. This includes navigation menus, links, and text sections. These should be at predictable locations and consistently identified. Also form labels and instructions must be clearly associated with their controls. (Source: W3C-WAI, Captioned Video, 00:01:05)

Colors with Good Contrast

Video addressing sufficient contrast, for example, between the text color and the background color (technically called luminance contrast ratio). This includes text on images, icons, and buttons. Colors used to convey information on diagrams, maps, and other types of images must be distinguishable. (Source: W3C-WAI, Captioned Video, 00:01:03)

Creating Accessible Media

Brief overview on how to develop high quality audio, video, and multimedia that’s accessible to users who are blind or have low vision, and deaf or hard of hearing. Learn about text-based equivalents, captions, and synchronized audio descriptions. (Source: Section508.gov, PowerPoint Webinar, 00:5:40)

Creating Inclusive Learning Opportunities

Learn about the principle of Universal Design for Learning and WCAG and their role in ensuring that technologies, facilities, services, and resources are accessible to students of all abilities. (Source: University of Washington Accessible Technology Webinar Series, PowerPoint Webinar, 00:59:52)

Customizable Text

Learn about text customization, which involves more than just the zoom functionality which only changes the text size. Some users need to be able to change the way text is displayed so that they can read the text. This includes changing the size, spacing, font, color, and other text properties. (Source: W3C-WAI, Captioned Video, 00:00:47)

Easy Checks – A First Review of Web Accessibility

Step-by-step instructions to get a rough idea of the accessibility of any web page. More assessment by professionals is needed for a comprehensive evaluation, but sometimes doing just a few of these checks can give you an indication of the overall accessibility of your website. (Source: W3C-WAI, Captioned Video, 00:01:26)

Introduction to Web Accessibility and W3C Standards

Everyone has a better user experience with an improved layout and design. A lot of accessibility can be built into the underlying code of websites and applications. Web technologies from W3C, such as HTML, provide many accessibility features. For example, to provide textual descriptions for images, which are read aloud by screen readers and used by search engines. Headings, labels, and other code supports accessibility and improves the quality overall. (Source: W3C-WAI, Captioned Video, 00:04:05)

Large Links, Buttons, and Controls

Discusses areas for clicking and tapping controls, which must be large enough for people to activate them. This includes links, buttons, and checkboxes. This is particularly relevant on mobile devices with small screens. (Source: W3C-WAI, Captioned Video, 00:00:43)

Notifications and Feedback

Users need to know what’s going on and get appropriate feedback during online interactions. This video describes how users need confirmation messages when actions are completed, such as when forms are submitted. Also, error messages must provide clear directions so they don’t confuse users. (Source: W3C-WAI, Captioned Video, 00:01:06)

Plain Language: Accessibility for Content

This presentation focuses on concerns and opportunities shared by the Section 508 and plain language communities. Topics include word choice; typography and layout; headings, lists, and tables; and graphics. ((Source: Digital.gov, PowerPoint Webinar, 01:25:20)

Section 508: What Is It and Why Is It Important to You?

This course covers the revised Section 508 Standards and their application to when the Federal government “develops, procures, maintains, or uses” Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Inaccessible ICT prevents employees and customers with disabilities from doing their jobs and interacting with the Federal government. Conformance with these standards is mandated by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. (Source: Section508.gov, Self-Directed Online Course, 00:30:00 estimated)

Six Essential Steps—Do It Yourself Accessibility Webinar

Describes the importance of several elements of web accessibility, including headings, links, color and contrast, images, tables, and media. (Source: University of Maryland, Division of Information Technology, PowerPoint Webinar, 00:57:55)

Speech Recognition

Learn more about “speech recognition,” which is about recognizing words for speech-to-text (STT) transcription, virtual assistants, and other speech user interfaces. “Voice recognition” or “speaker recognition” is technology that identifies who the speaker is, not the words they’re saying. (Source: W3C-WAI, Captioned Video, 00:01:08)

Testing with Screen Readers

Discussion of technical vs. functional accessibility, how screen readers work and what you should test using screen readers. (Source: University of Washington Accessible Technology Webinar Series, PowerPoint Webinar, 54:42)

Text to Speech

Some people with disabilities, including people who are blind, use specialized software called screen readers. Screen readers provide important functionality such as navigating through headings, speaking image alternatives, and identifying internal and external links. Content must be coded properly so that all the functionality of the text-to-speech software works with the content. (Source: W3C-WAI, Captioned Video, 00:00:54)

Understandable Content

Content must be easy to follow and understand for many users. This video explains the importance of avoiding overly complex sentences and jargon, and providing clear layout and design. (Source: W3C-WAI, Captioned Video, 00:00:54)

Video Captions

Explains captions, a text form of audio information in video and animations. Captions may include the words that are spoken, who is speaking when it’s not evident, and important sounds like music, laughter, and noises. (Source: W3C-WAI, Captioned Video, 00:00:47)