An evaluation of accessibility in online learning management systems

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Library Hi Tech

ISSN: 0737-8831

Online from: 1983

Subject Area: Library and Information Studies

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Document Information:
Title:	An evaluation of accessibility in online learning management systems
Author(s):	AnnMarie Johnson, (AnnMarie Johnson (annmarie@northnet.net) is the Instructional Technology Developer at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA.), Sean Ruppert, (Sean Ruppert (ruppert@uwash.edu) manages a multimedia computer lab, at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA.)
Citation:	AnnMarie Johnson, Sean Ruppert, (2002) "An evaluation of accessibility in online learning management systems", Library Hi Tech, Vol. 20 Iss: 4, pp.441 - 451
Keywords:	Disabled people, Distance learning, Internet
Article type:	Case study
DOI:	10.1108/07378830210452640 (Permanent URL)
Publisher:	MCB UP Ltd
Abstract:	Millions of computer users in the USA have a disability making it difficult to use the Web. The University of Wisconsin System recently required that all System Web pages meet Priority 1 accessibility guidelines as set by the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Accessibility Initiative (W3C/WAI). Class materials available in online learning management systems should also be accessible to students with disabilities. Four systems, Blackboard 4 and 5, Prometheus 3, and WebCT 3, were assessed against theW3C/WAI guidelines for a numerical statistic of accessibility. Practical accessibility was tested with Lynx, IBM Homepage Reader, and JAWS. Validation was performed with A-Prompt and the W3C/WAI checklist.