Accessibility Fundamentals Overview

The following resources provide information for getting started with accessibility:

Introduces web accessibility and links to additional resources.

Video Introduction to Web Accessibility and W3C Standards 4-minute video.

Essential Components of Web Accessibility

Shows how web accessibility depends on several components of web development and interaction working together and shows the relationship between the WAI guidelines: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG), and User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG).

Accessibility Principles

Helps developers, designers, and others to understand the principles for creating accessible websites, web applications, browsers, and other web tools. Provides references to the international standards from W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) and to stories of web users.

Web Accessibility Perspectives: Explore the Impact and Benefits for Everyone

Videos that demonstrate that web accessibility is essential for people with disabilities and useful for all. Learn about the impact of accessibility and the benefits for everyone in a variety of situations. Each video is about 1 minute, and the compilation is 7:37. Pages include supporting information.

How People with Disabilities Use the Web

Introduces how people with disabilities use the web. Describes tools and approaches that people with different kinds of disabilities use to browse the web and the barriers they encounter due to poor design.

Older Users and Web Accessibility: Meeting the Needs of Ageing Web Users

Explains that designing products that are easier for older people to use is similar to designing for people with disabilities. Guidance on how to make your websites, web applications, and web tools work better for older users is covered in existing international accessibility standards from the W3C, including Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

Accessibility, Usability, and Inclusion

Explains the distinctions and overlaps between accessibility, usability, and inclusive design; encourages increased coordination across research and practice in these disciplines; and points out the importance of maintaining the focus of accessibility on people with disabilities.

A related page introduces existing guidelines and additional work on accessibility for people with cognitive and learning disabilities: Cognitive Accessibility at W3C.