Websites

Websites for research or labs, centers, cores, and other research facilities
  • Follow accessibility best practices when creating content. This includes using meaningful text for hyperlinks (e.g. “complete the form” rather than “click here”), providing alternative text for images, using proper heading structure, and other simple habits.  
  • Use Siteimprove, an automated tool that checks websites to help ensure that they meet accessibility standards. Siteimprove can also find broken links and identify ways to improve your site. The tool is available through a site license for all university websites. 

Conducting accessible research

  • Consider the accessibility needs of the population to ensure that study materials and protocols accommodate a wide range of participants. Screening questions can be used to identify needs.
  • Provide guidance for research personnel, including information on screening for accessibility needs, training, and documenting alterations in protocol.

Communication

with research participants (subjects)
  • Understand and apply best practices for accessibility in recruitment instruments like REDCap or Qualtrics
  • When corresponding with research participants, use the accessibility checkers in common applications such as Word, Outlook, Power Point, Excel, and Adobe Acrobat. These built-in tools will point out accessibility issues and tell you how to fix them.  

Videos

Videos and research lectures, including remote/videoconference

Research tools

  • Research studies conducted by university researchers as software, digital tools, apps, and online platforms used as part of a study must be accessible.
  • The university is accountable for compliance of digital content provided through third-party services and can only continue to partner with vendors who support us in meeting these standards.
  • The Office of the General Counsel has developed contract language for digital products.
    • For current vendors, suppliers and contractors, confirm that your products conform with WCAG 2.1AA standards. 
    • For new purchases, vendors, suppliers, you will need to provide an up-to-date VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) as part of the purchasing process so the product can be reviewed for accessibility requirements.

PDF documents

  • Determine whether PDF documents that are posted online are still needed.

  • Evaluate whether a PDF is the best format for the information. In some cases, a simple accessible web page may serve the need.

  • Use the built-in checker in Adobe Acrobat Pro to correct accessibility issues.

  • Follow best practices when creating new PDFs.

Math and scientific notations and figures

  • Be aware that math and scientific notation and figures present challenges for people who use assistive technologies.
  • Converter tools are available to make content more accessible by interpreting the markup and generating written output.
  • Indiana University has an example of such tools.

Exceptions

  • The federal regulations recognize some narrow exceptions to the accessibility requirements. In the limited circumstances where all criteria for an exception are met, the web content is not required to comply with WCAG 2.1. 

Help is available

  • Liaisons: Accessibility liaisons are being trained to help answer questions in their college or department. Reach out to see if they can assist or point you in the right direction. 
  • Consultations: Digital Accessibility Coordinator T.M. Weissenberger is available to help with questions. You can reach him by email at itaccessibility@uiowa.edu.