Good Markup Resources
Practical references for building accessible interfaces with native HTML.
Module 08: Build the Accessible Version
Field Guide
A non-linear documentation index for concepts, standards, and methods used across the semester.
Implementation
Foundations
Accessibility
A quality standard for digital experiences: people with disabilities should be able to perceive, understand, navigate, and complete tasks with comparable independence.
Used in Module 01 - Accessible According to Whom?
Disability & Inclusive Design
Designing with disability perspectives from the start improves outcomes for many users, not only edge cases.
Expanded guidance will be added when we reach this topic.
WCAG
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines provide testable success criteria used internationally to evaluate conformance.
Used in Module 01 - Accessible According to Whom?
POUR
POUR (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust) is a practical map for organizing accessibility investigations.
Used in Module 01 - Accessible According to Whom?
Law & Policy
Legal and institutional requirements define accountability, obligations, and risk for accessibility decisions.
Used in Module 01 - Accessible According to Whom?
Content & Perception
Color & Contrast
How color choices and contrast ratios affect readability and information access.
Expanded guidance will be added when we reach this topic.
Typography & Reflow
Readable type, spacing, and responsive reflow are critical to sustained comprehension.
Expanded guidance will be added when we reach this topic.
Alternative Text
Writing text alternatives that communicate the purpose and meaning of non-text content.
Expanded guidance will be added when we reach this topic.
Audio, Video & Captions
Making time-based media understandable and navigable through captions, transcripts, and structure.
Expanded guidance will be added when we reach this topic.
Interaction
Keyboard
Ensuring all core functionality works without a mouse.
Expanded guidance will be added when we reach this topic.
Focus
Visible, predictable focus behavior supports navigation confidence and task completion.
Expanded guidance will be added when we reach this topic.
Forms & Errors
Labels, instructions, and error handling determine whether forms are actually usable.
Expanded guidance will be added when we reach this topic.
Touch & Mobile
Mobile interaction patterns must remain perceivable and operable across device contexts.
Expanded guidance will be added when we reach this topic.
Structure & Assistive Technology
Semantic HTML
Document structure and native semantics are foundational for robust accessibility.
Expanded guidance will be added when we reach this topic.
Screen Readers
How assistive technology users perceive structure, controls, announcements, and link purpose.
Expanded guidance will be added when we reach this topic.
ARIA
ARIA can improve custom UI semantics when native HTML cannot represent interaction patterns.
Expanded guidance will be added when we reach this topic.
Broader Practice
UConn Accessibility Tools
UConn's central guide to university-supported accessibility tools, assistive technologies, browser testing tools, coding guidance, and validators.
NVDA
Free, open-source screen reader for Windows. This course uses NVDA as the primary Windows screen-reader testing path.
VoiceOver
Screen reader built into macOS and other Apple devices. Use it in Module 05 to test page structure, controls, and state announcements without relying on visual layout alone.
JAWS
Commercial Windows screen reader. It is useful to know about, but it is not the required class path.
Accessibility Bookmarklets
Browser bookmarklets that make hidden accessibility information visible, including headings, landmarks, labels, descriptions, and ARIA information.
Accessibility Toolkit
Practical tools and methods available throughout this course for testing, investigation, and evidence.
Accessibility Testing Workflow
A durable workflow for investigating accessibility that synthesizes the course without turning testing into a checklist fetish.
Cognitive Accessibility
Reduce unnecessary interpretation and memory demands. See the Module 06 reference entries for clear content, predictable interaction, and repetition.
Motion & Timing
Give people time and control over motion. See the Module 06 reference entries for timing, moving content, safety, and reduced motion.
AI & Accessibility
AI can assist accessibility work; its claims and proposed corrections need verification.
Session 15 — How Do You Know the Fix Worked?
Testing Tools
Automated results support investigation; they leave conditions requiring judgment and manual testing.
Session 14 — What Can the Tool Actually Tell You?
Accessibility Audits
A structured evaluation process combining standards mapping, manual testing, and prioritization.
Expanded guidance will be added when we reach this topic.
Motion, Cognition, and Predictability
Enough Time
Let users turn off, adjust, or extend unnecessary content-imposed time limits.
Module 06
Pause, Stop, Hide
Let users control moving, blinking, scrolling, and auto-updating information.
Module 06
Flashing and Physical Reactions
Treat flashing as a safety risk. Use static representations for teaching.
Module 06
Reduced Motion
Reduce nonessential slide, zoom, and parallax effects that may cause physical discomfort.
Module 06
Predictable Interaction
Focus and input should let users explore without surprising changes of context.
Module 06
Clear and Understandable Content
Use familiar words, meaningful hierarchy, and instructions whose action is easy to find.
Module 06
Reduce Memory and Repetition
Reuse information from the same process, preserve progress, and make the current state and next action clear.
Module 06
Failure, Concern, or Preference?
Classify the claim before proposing a fix. How do you know?
Module 06