OSU Web Access Awards |
Call for Nominations
The Ohio State University
Web Access Awards
The Web Access Awards were initiated as a way to recognize faculty, departments, colleges and programs that meet the university’s standards for accessible web design (The Ohio State University Web Accessibility Policy) while demonstrating excellence in design and communication.
Which web pages are eligible?
Nominated web pages must be hosted by/affliated with The Ohio State University. We invite submissions from course web sites; department, program, office, or college web sites; and affliated organization web site (e.g., societies, clubs, interest groups). We will review one representative page from your site. Nominated web page should meet or exceed the accessibility standards as described in "The Ohio State University Web Accessibility Policy."
Which web pages are not eligible?
- Personal or professional web pages designed to promote the views and interests of a single individual or issue.
- Web pages that have won a Web Access Award in the last two years.
How will the web pages be judged?
To be considered, nominated web pages must meet or exceed the accessibility standards as described in "The Ohio State University Web Accessibility Policy," and provide ease of access for individuals with disabilities (image description and compatability with voice output for users who are blind, transcripts for audio tracks for users who are deaf, etc.).
Pages considered for review will also be judged on how well they:
- fulfill the purpose of the site for the intended audience (e.g. delivering course materials to students or promoting a department or program);
- incorporate usable design techniques and standards along with accessible design to create user-friendly, creative, aesthetically appealling, yet fully accessible sites;
- demonstrate application of the accessiblity standards beyond simple compliance, through considered use of accessibility techniques (e.g., intelligent use of alt tags, carefully structured data tables, and well-designed forms); and
- meet or exceed accessibility standards using cutting-edge or advanced accessible design techniques (e.g. use of style sheets for layout and positioning).
How do I submit a web page for consideration?
Fill-out and submit the online nomination form by 5pm on April 8, 2005. Self-nominations are encouraged. Keep in mind, the award committee will review a single representative page, not an entire web site.
When will the winners be announced?
Winners will be recognized at the annual Office for Disability Services Recognition Reception (usually held in March or April).
What do the winners receive?
In recognition of their award, winners will receive a framed award certificate, a choice of software prize, and the opportunity to display the Web Access Award icon on the winning site.
Which pages have won in the past?
- Web Design Team (Glenn Donaldson, Rich Graham, Carol Larrimer,
and Peter McMeen).
OSU Buckeye Link (Student Services): http://buckeyelink.osu.edu/.
Reviewer comments: Impressive collection of student services -- covering online registration, grades and advising, as well as financial services -- all powered by simple, clean design and fully accessible input and output. - David Sugar. OSU Graduate School:
http://gradsch.osu.edu/.
Reviewer comments: Simple, three-column design offers easy-to-access information through clear menus and accessible search form, as well as please stylistic design. The review committee was particularly impressed with how much this site had been improved from an originally inaccessible flash-based design to incorporate both quality design with universal access. - Robyn Ness .
Ohio Watershed Network: http://evolution.ag.ohio-state.edu/%7Eown/.
Reviewer comments: Lots of information conveyed with clear, yet stylish design. Of particular note: the array of photo galleries that include lots of descriptive text, so all users can appreciate the events they document. Also noted: flexible, fluid layout with scalable text and menus.
Want to know more about the 2004-2005 winners? Review the Award Presentation given by Lori Bailey of the Web Accessibility Center at the Office for Disability Services Recognition Reception, April 15, 2005.
See also: a complete list of Past Winners.
Web Access Resources
Policy & Standards at the Ohio State University:
Office of the Chief Information Officer
Web Policy and Guidelines:
[http://cio.osu.edu/policies/web_policies.php].
The Ohio State University Web Accessibility Policy
Office of the University ADA Coordinator: [http://ada.osu.edu]
Accessible Design: Guides and Tools
The OSU Web Accessibility Center
The Web Accessibility Center (WAC) was created in order to assist faculty
in developing accessible distance education courses, as well as any
on-line segments of OSU courses.
Two WAC tutorials to check out are:
Accessibility
Best Practices: Overwhelmed by the standards? Not sure which standards
you should be following? This comprehensive guide brings together the
best design practices from usability, Section 508, and W.C.A.G. standards
and explains them in clear English with code examples. Each section is
clearly referenced, so you know which standard comes from which source.
[http://www.wac.ohio-state.edu/tutorials/bestpractices]
Guide
to the OSU Minimum Web Accessibility Standards. This guide includes
detailed explanations of the OSU Minimum Web Accessibility
Standards (rev. 06/30/2004). Here you will find the full text of
each standard, dos and don'ts for implementing the standards, explanations
for why the standards exist and how they affect users of assistive
technology, and suggestions for how to incorporate the standards in
your web site. Each standard also includes a "Get more help" section
with a link to relevant information and code examples.
[http://www.wac.ohio-state.edu/standards/guide.htm]
WebAIM: Web Accessibility In
Mind.
WebAIM is administered through a grant provided by the Fund for the Improvement
of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Learning Anywhere Anytime Partnerships
(LAAP). The goal of WebAIM is to improve accessibility to online learning
opportunities for all people; in particular to improve accessibility
for individuals with disabilities who currently may have a difficult
time getting access to postsecondary online learning opportunities.
Be sure to check out:
WebAim:
Online Course in Accessible Web Design.
The University's ADA Coordinator's Office and the College of Humanities'
Humanities information Systems Office have teamed up to provide a university
wide access to a five week course in accessible web design. The course
is available free to OSU faculty, staff and students.
[https://humanities.osu.edu/osuauth/his/accessibility/]
A-Prompt Web Accessibility Verifier
A-Prompt (Accessibility Prompt) is a software tool designed to improve
the usability of HTML documents by evaluating Web pages for accessibility
barriers and then providing developers with a fast and easy way to make
the necessary repairs.
[http://aprompt.snow.utoronto.ca]
Bobby
Bobby is a comprehensive web accessibility software tool designed to help
expose and repair barriers to accessibility and encourage compliance with
existing accessibility guidelines. Bobby was created at CAST, a not-for-profit
research and development organization whose goal is to expand opportunities
for people with disabilities through the innovative use of computer technology.
[http://bobby.watchfire.com]
UI Access
Welcome to the freshest resource for universal interface design and usable
accessibility information. The primary purpose of this web site is to
provide free information on web accessibility. See the extensive list
of resources, some exclusive to UI Access.
[http://www.uiaccess.com]
Web Accessibility Initiative –
Working for accessibility in technology, guidelines to make websites accessible,
tools, education and outreach, and research and development for Internet
accessibility.
[http://www.w3.org/WAI]
