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MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
College of Natural Science

Accessibility

The following excerpts were taken from the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative website to provide an insight into accessibility:

The Web is fundamentally designed to work for all people, whatever their hardware, software, language, location, or ability. When the Web meets this goal, it is accessible to people with a diverse range of hearing, movement, sight, and cognitive ability.

Thus the impact of disability is radically changed on the Web because the Web removes barriers to communication and interaction that many people face in the physical world. However, when websites, applications, technologies, or tools are badly designed, they can create barriers that exclude people from using the Web.

Accessibility is essential for developers and organizations that want to create high-quality websites and web tools, and not exclude people from using their products and services.

What is Web Accessibility?

Web accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them. More specifically, people can:

  • perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web
  • contribute to the Web

Web accessibility encompasses all disabilities that affect access to the Web, including:

  • auditory
  • cognitive
  • neurological
  • physical
  • speech
  • visual

Web accessibility also benefits people without disabilities, for example:

  • people using mobile phones, smart watches, smart TVs, and other devices with small screens, different input modes, etc.
  • older people with changing abilities due to ageing
  • people with “temporary disabilities” such as a broken arm or lost glasses
  • people with “situational limitations” such as in bright sunlight or in an environment where they cannot listen to audio
  • people using a slow Internet connection, or who have limited or expensive bandwidth

Web Accessibility and You

As a website content editor within the College of Natural Science webspace, you are required to ensure that the content you publish is accessible. At MSU, we are required to follow the WCAG 2.2 AA guidelines for accessibility. Please review and become familiar with these guidelines, as they will help to ensure the content that you publish is accessible. Content found to not be in compliance with these guidelines, with failure to remediate, may result in the removal of the content from the web and/or a shutdown of the site until the offending content can be remediated.

What needs to be accessible?

Everything. If it's going on the web as a webpage, a digital document (Word, PDF, etc), social media post or video, it needs to be accessible. Steps to accessible content differs depending on the type of content in question. If you need help, please reach out to our office.

Can I receive training on accessibility?

Yes! MSU offers free accessibility training through Deuque University. Available courses and registration are available through the MSU Digital Accessibility website. Training is available for all digital skillsets.

Accessibility Resources for Content Editors