General
Accessibility means that all people can take part in their communities through work, play and other daily activities. Accessibility is about removing barriers and increasing inclusion and independence for everyone. Accessibility means that the needs and barriers faced by persons with disabilities are considered, and the resources are created so that everyone will have the same experience when using or reading them.
Assistive vs Adaptive technologies: Assistive equipment is specifically designed to meet the needs of a disabled person. Adaptive equipment and technology is a subcategory of assistive equipment and technology. Adaptive equipment has been modified or enhanced from its original purpose to specifically meet the needs of a person with a disability.
Barrier is anything that prevents a person with a disability from fully participating in all aspects of society because of their disability, including a physical barrier, an architectural barrier, an informational or communications barrier, an attitudinal barrier, a technological barrier, a policy or practice (organizational barrier).
Architectural and Physical Barriers are features of the built-environment or spaces that cause problems for people with disabilities.
Attitudinal Barriers discriminate against people with disabilities (e.g. considering people with disabilities to be not suitable to perform a job because of their disability).
Informational or Communications Barriers occur when a person can’t easily understand information (e.g. print that is too small to read, websites that cannot be used by someone unable to use a mouse).
Organizational barriers refer to an organization’s policies, practices or procedures that discriminate against people with disabilities (e.g. a hiring process that is not open to individuals with disabilities).
Technological Barriers occur when technology can’t be modified to support assistive devices (e.g. web sites that don’t support screen reading devices).
Communication supports facilitate communication between two or more people and help organizations to effectively communicate with a wide audience. Includes: sign language interpretation, screen reader technology, video captioning.
Disability Permanent Disability is defined as any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment – or a functional limitation – that restricts the ability of a person to participate in the labour force and that is expected to remain with the person for the person’s expected life.”
A Persistent or Prolonged Disability is defined as any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment – or a functional limitation – that restricts the ability of a person to participate in the labour force and has lasted, or is expected to last, for a period of at least 12 months but is not expected to remain with the person for the person’s expected life.
Disablism and Ableism are words that are used to describe disability discrimination and prejudice. Both terms describe disability discrimination, but the emphasis is different: disablism emphasizes discrimination against disabled people, and ableism emphasizes discrimination in favour of non-disabled people.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) was developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) process, in cooperation with individuals and organizations around the world, to provide a single shared standard for web content accessibility that meets the needs of individuals, organizations, and governments internationally.
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), an international community that develops web standards.
Technology
Accessibility Overlay – try to “fix” the website code, generally using JavaScript, to modify the original website with accessibility features (e.g., enlarging the text or making it screen reader “friendly”). The overlay does not address the foundational inaccessibility of a website. It just masks the issues and creates more barriers.
Assistive technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment, software program, or product system used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities. Examples of high-tech AT include computer hardware (special switches, keyboards, and pointing devices) and software (e.g., screen readers, screen magnification and enhancement software, and voice controls, among others).
Alternative Text (alt text) describes images for persons using assistive technologies. When reading a book with images, screen readers will announce that it’s an image and then read the alt text, ensuring they have the same reading experience.
ARIA is shorthand for Accessible Rich Internet Applications. ARIA is a set of attributes you can add to HTML elements that define ways to make web content and applications accessible to users with disabilities who use assistive technologies (AT). When accessibility issues cannot be managed with native HTML, ARIA can help bridge those gaps.
Assistive Technology (AT) also known as access technology, is any item, piece of equipment, software program, or product system used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities. Examples include screen readers (e.g., VoiceOver, JAWS, etc.), screen magnification and enhancement software (e.g., Zoom, Magnifier, etc.), and refreshable braille displays (e.g., BrailleNote Touch). In-depth definitions for the examples are available in the glossary.
Bypass Blocks (also known as skip links) are hidden links that allow keyboard users to skip to different website sections. Generally, the skip link will take users to the main content (past the website’s main navigation bar).
Colour contrast refers to the tonal and saturation colour of different (two or more) colours situated closely together in a website, book, app, etc. Colours can have a low contrast because they sit closely together on the colour spectrum and/or have a low saturation rate. A high colour contrast (which is accessible) occurs if the colours are far apart on the colour spectrum and/or have a high saturation rate. For example, black text on a white background has the highest colour contrast because black and white are on the opposite ends of the colour spectrum. Note: a low saturation rate doesn’t necessarily mean that the colour will have a poor colour-contrast ratio; it depends on the colour(s) it’s paired with. WCAG advises a colour contrast ratio of 7:1 for smaller text and 4.5:1 for larger, so the more the colours contrast, the higher the ratio.
Digital resources can refer to e-resources platforms (websites, applications, and reading platforms) and digital content.
- Accessible e-resources platforms (websites, applications, and reading platforms) are what patrons use to consume digital content. To be accessible, the e-resources must work with assistive technologies.
- Accessible digital content comes in different formats (e.g. EPUB, HTML, PDF for books or journal articles, MP3 or DAISY for audiobooks) and includes accessibility features like alternative text, navigable pages, and structure/design of the content.
Information architecture (IA) refers to the structural elements of digital resources (websites, apps, reading platforms, etc.) that help users find the information they are looking for. It includes items such as the labelling of the site (e.g., the main menu terms like “About Us”), the links and menus in the site, the organization of the site, and the general structure of the site (e.g., the header, footer, and any sidebars).
Long descriptions are like alt text for more complex images (diagrams, charts, graphs, etc.). Often the long descriptions need to be provided elsewhere, either in the content or using a link to a separate page with the longer description. The complex image should still be generally described, noting that a longer description is available.
A plugin (or add-on) is an extension, often attached to a browser, that lets users adjust or modify a website or app to give it additional features (e.g., changing the colour scheme from light to dark).
Prescriptive design is when a website or app controls how users interact with the site according to their specifications. For example, when filling out a required form, autosuggest is not available, so users need to enter their details manually – there are not two ways of completing the task.
Reflowable Text / Layout means that text will adapt to the screen size you are reading on, making it readable on any device. The layout adjusts (lines of text, page numbers, etc.), and the text will not overflow off the screen size. The alternate is “fixed layout,” where the text does not scale to the screen size and will flow off the screen.
Refreshable Braille Display device connects to a website, app, or ebook and transmits the content onto the refreshable braille display by raising braille dots on the device.
Screen Reader is an assistive technology that allows persons who have visual impairments or who are fully blind to navigate electronic resources.
Screen Magnification and Enhancement Software – An assistive technology that enables persons with visual impairments to enlarge text and images for easier viewing. This software also includes changing the colour contrast of the product, increasing the word spacing, and enlarging the navigation tools (e.g., the cursor) to make it more accessible for the user.
Speech Recognition Software – An assistive technology that enables people to navigate a document and input text with verbal commands.
Peripheral Devices such as headsets, speakers, microphones, touchpads, keyboards, a computer mouse, etc., allow people to interact with computers and software.Visual customizations let you make changes to the e-resource (website, app, or reading platform). Examples include changing the font type, size, colour, background, etc. Unlike accessibility overlays, these customizations are for everyone and generally change the actual code of the digital resources (rather than adding a patch).Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is a report or document that describes how e-resources meet the revised 508 Standards for IT accessibility. The document should include descriptions and accessibility documentation for the product’s software, hardware, and digital content. Part of the USA Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (amended in 1998), the 508 Standards for IT accessibility declares that all persons should have the same access to information.