Web Accessibility

Course description

Digital accessibility is essential because it enables creating apps, websites and wider digital services without excluding using from using products and services. The learning outcomes for this course are that you:

• understand scope and contents of accessibility
• are able to consider cognitive accessibility
• learn principles, standards, and checks from W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
• are able to integrate accessibility into your code and development processes
• evaluate, interpret and fix web accessibility issues
• explore assistive technologies
• are able to evaluate accessibility state and understand development needs

The scope of this course is:

• Definition of Web Accessibility
• Principles, Standards, and Checks: W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
• Integrating Web Accessibility into the development processes
• Evaluating the state of Web Accessibility in a website, interpreting the findings and fixing the issues
• Getting familiar with various assistive technologies and specially screen readers.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites for Web Accessibility Course:

HTML 5: Understand the basics of creating web pages with HTML 5.

CSS 3: Know the basics of styling web pages using CSS 3.

Web Design Fundamentals: Have a basic understanding of how websites are designed for users.

Assessment criteria

Evaluation scale 1-5

Course way of working and time table

Each topic in this course will include video lectures, learning activities, and assignments. These activities and assignments will be completed individually. There are also required readings for each topic that build upon the content in the video lectures and help introduce to the material that needs to be learned for the assignments and the project work.

During the course various learning environments are going to be implemented. Here are the most important once:

• Moodle: main learning environment where student can find information on course, materials, assignments etc.
• learning.edx.org: online course learning environment for some addition learning materials.
• Visual Studio Code: to produce accessible code: HTML5, CSS, WAI-ARIA
• Evaluation tools and browser extensions: for assessing the accessibility state such as Siteimprove browser extensions, Wave etc.
• Screen readers: for assessing the accessibility of the code produces, such as VoiceOver and NVDA

Course info

The primary sources of learning materials for this course will be World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) guidelines.

During this course the software required are for example:

Screen readers:

• For Windows users: NVDA (free version)
• For Mac users: VoiceOver (should be installed by default)

Extensions for Browsers:

• Siteimprove Accessibility Checker (Chrome, free version)
• Lighthouse in Chrome DevTools

Code Editor:

• Visual Studio Code

Course additional info

• Enroll in the course primarily through your own Peppi/Pakki/student desktop. If your home UAS is not yet part of the cross-study system Ripa, you can register using the enrollment form that opens from the button at the top of the page
• You can find more information about enrollment on the Cross-institutional studies Ask for more information on enrollment or course approval, studentservices@hamk.fi
• Please note that the teacher will only answer questions about the content of the course

Course enrolment info

• Check the implementation plan before enrolling!
• Centria, Humak, TAMK, Turku UAS, VAMK and XAMK student, enroll at Peppi/Pakki
  • you can see the enrollment status on your PSP.
  • you can find more information about enrollment on the Cross-institutional studies website
• Student from another UAS (if using Peppi/Pakki for cross-study enrollment is not possible)
  • Select your home UAS from the list. If it is not there, you cannot register using the form.
  • Write your personal identity number in the correct format on the form! An incompletely reported ID may prevent you from accessing the course.
  • Fill in the email address of your home university on the enrolment form – entering a different email address does not entitle you to a study place! Make sure your address is spelled correctly.
  • Make a note for yourself of which course you have enrolled for.
  • Registration is binding. If you must cancel your registration, make room for another student by sending email to studentservices@hamk.fi

• Enrollments will be processed at once after the enrollment period has ended.
• You will receive an email when you have been approved and an ID has been created for HAMK’s information systems. Email sometimes goes into spam, so check your spam as well.
• Activate the HAMK user ID! We require the registration and use of HAMK IDs during the course.