A colleague sent me this link this morning: Best and Worst College Web Sites for Blind Students (Rice ranks 155)
http://chronicle.com/article/BestWorst-College-Web/125642/?sid=pm&utm_source=pm&utm_medium=en
And I have to say, it is food for thought. I am a member of our library committee that is hard at work building a new web site that will go into user testing in early January. I think we do a pretty good job at the library of making sure our material is user friendly.
Linda Spiro created a LibGuide on Accessibility tips and it includes a section on web accessibility. But how do you ensure that you are doing all that you can do to make your site accessible?
I strongly believe that by improving accessibility of your site, you improve the web experience of all users.
NPR did a great story earlier this year on the Digital Divide of Disability. Very interesting, and important. It talks about a nonprofit, based in Austin, Texas, called Knowbility, which “supports the independence of people with disabilities by promoting the use and improving the availability of accessible information technology.”
So, as I ponder the ranking of my institution, and think about the redesign of our library website, I am reminded that accessibility is one of the most important considerations of any redesign.
