Overview of content related to 'accessibility'

Editorial Introduction to Issue 38: The Quality of Metadata Is Not Strained

editor — Fri, 30 Jan 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Richard Waller introduces Ariadne issue 38.

At a time when long-running institutions such as Ariadne are understandably mindful of their independence [1], the decision not to persist in the editorial inclination to lead on articles slightly at a tangent to the main thrust of Ariadne's work might be considered craven. However, under any other circumstances it might justifiably have been considered perverse and hence I begin by drawing your attention to the article by Marieke Guy, Andy Powell and Michael Day.

The JISC 5/99 Programme: What's in a Number?

editor — Fri, 30 Jan 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Rachel Bruce and Balviar Notay give an overview of the outputs and influences of the JISC 5/99 Learning and Teaching and Infrastructure Programme.

The 5/99 Programme, as it became known, was funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) [1] in the year 2000. Quite simply the name, 5/99, refers to the number of a JISC circular letter. It was the fifth circular issued by the JISC in 1999. So the name is pretty meaningless to those outside the JISC or not involved in one of 54 projects that were funded via the circular. The majority of the projects have now completed, the programme end date was July 2003.

WebWatch: How Accessible Are Australian University Web Sites?

editor — Fri, 30 Jan 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Dey Alexander reports on a recent study of the accessibility of Australian university Web sites.

This article reports on a recent study of the accessibility of Australian university Web sites. A selection of key pages from all 45 Australian tertiary education Web sites were analysed to assess their compliance with basic accessibility standards, as required by Australian anti-discrimination legislation. The results--98% of sites failed to comply--suggest that Australian university Web sites are likely to present significant barriers to access for people with disabilities.

Developing and Publicising a Workable Accessibility Strategy

editor — Fri, 30 Jan 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Lawrie Phipps, Sue Harrison, David Sloan and Betty Willder look at the increasing need for developers of institutional and educational Web sites to develop and follow a strategy for ensuring optimal accessibility of online content.

This article looks at the increasing need for developers of institutional and educational Web sites to develop and follow a strategy for ensuring optimal accessibility of online content. In particular the need is stressed for careful thought about the aims of such a strategy, and to ensure that the strategy meets a balance between ambition, legal responsibility and equitable access to learning and teaching.

Herding Tigers, Part II

editor — Fri, 30 Jan 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Sophie Clarke describes an event designed to share ideas on accessibility, evaluation and the use of learning technology standards.

'Herding Tigers' was held at Oxford University Computing Services on the 17 December 2003, with a theme of Best practice in e-Learning development. This was the second event of its type organised by the University's Learning Technologies Group [1], the previous year's having had a slightly different focus on raising awareness and collaborative working between e-Learning practitioners and academics.