Five Steps to an Accessible Classroom Website By Linda Amundson

1. Five Steps to an Accessible Classroom Website By Linda Amundson Betsy Barnes, Joshua Bhattacharya, Anthony Juda, Beth Lueck, Gabriela Rezzonico, & Morgan Sturm

2. Step 1: Organize • Use headers to identify new sections • Use similar design on all pages • Avoid large designs to prevent horizontal scrolling • Avoid red and green font to accommidate the color-blind (Amundson 2009)

3. Step 2: Navigation without a mouse • Set up the website to use the tab key instead of a mouse for navigation • Avoid using drop down menus • Include an access key for each link in the webpage (Amundson 2009)

4. Step 3: Text Explanations for Images • Provide text for ALL items • Keep it simple and informative • Use “alt” tag or “longdesc” tag • Too much text? Add a new page!(Amundson, 2009)

5. Step 4: Using Text that Makes Sense • Use descriptive Hyperlink text • Avoid generic “click here” links • Include hidden titles to your links (Amundson, 2009)

6. Step 5: Web Validators • Web validators evaluate the website and decides how accessible the website is • The validator writes a report explaining any accessibility problems the website might have (Amundson, 2009)

7. Step 6: Test it! • Test the site yourself to see if it’s accessible

8. References Amundson, L. (2009). Five steps to an accessible classroom website. Learning & Leading with Technology, 37(3), 16-19.