Web Accessibility, Libraries, and the Law

Abstract

With an abundance of library resources being served on the web, researchers are finding that disabled people oftentimes do not have the same level of access to materials as their nondisabled peers. This paper discusses web accessibility in the context of United States’ federal laws most referenced in web accessibility lawsuits. Additionally, it reveals which states have statutes that mirror federal web accessibility guidelines and to what extent. Interestingly, fewer than half of the states have adopted statutes addressing web accessibility, and fewer than half of these reference Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act or Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0. Regardless of sparse legislation surrounding web accessibility, librarians should consult the appropriate web accessibility resources to ensure that their specialized content reaches all.

The March Goes On: Community Access for People With Disabilities

“…For example, although the American Library Association Council approved a policy on services to patrons with disabilities (Burke, ), many libraries do not have full‐time staff available to assist them, do not fully train staff on their access needs and how to provide assistive technologies, and do not have their own policies for serving patrons with disabilities (Myhill, Hill, Link, Small, & Bunch, ; Wiler & Lomax, ). Subsequently, many households with people with disabilities report that libraries are inaccessible, and physical accessibility may be better than access through assistive technology (Burke, ; Fulton, ). Related, researchers have found that state governments are not meeting the needs of people with disabilities in the way information is presented on websites (Rubaii‐Barrett & Wise, ).…”

Do You Hear What I See? Assessing Accessibility of Digital Commons and CONTENTdm

“…This legislation has not been overlooked by the profession, and many articles that address issues related to library accessibility also evaluate the meaning and impact of federal disability laws on library collections and services (Providenti & Zai, 2007;Schmetzke & Comeaux, 2009;Southwell & Slater, 2012;Stewart, Schmetzke, & Narenda, 2005;Tatomir & Durrance, 2010). Fulton (2011) is one of the few authors to systematically examine state web accessibility statutes as they relate to libraries.…”

Circle the Wagons & Bust Out the Big Guns! Tame the “Wild West” of Distance Librarianship Using Quality MattersTMBenchmarks

“…The importance of applying Web accessibility standards to online library resources has been-and continues to be-discussed in library literature (Bickner, 2002;Coonin & Hines, 2012;Fichter, 2013;Fulton, 2011;Providenti & Zai, 2007;Riley-Huff, 2012;Schmetzke & Comeaux, 2009). However, librarians may be creating content for online courses without the training necessary to understand how to make instructional materials accessible to all students.…”