About Accessibility & the
Distance Learning Orientation
Site Navigation
Primary Site Navigation
On all pages (except those that contain multimedia tutorials), the primary site navigation is configured with an unordered list displayed in graphical browsers using a medium blue column along the left side of the page. If you are using a screen reader or have style sheets turned off, the navigation is under heading 2 "Navigation". When you click an item in the navigation area, that page is loaded in your browser.
Breadcrumb Navigation
On all pages there is a breadcrumb navigation listing located at the top of the main content column. If you are using a screen reader or have style sheets turned off, the navigation is under heading 2 "Breadcrumb Navigation". The breadcrumb navigation indicates the current page related to the hierarchy of the site. When you click a hyperlink in the breadcrumb navigation area, that page is loaded in your browser. The final word or phrase in the breadcrumb navigation area indicates the topic of the current page.
The Site Map shows the site navigation outline expanded with all pages listed.
Navigating with Headings
The site is designed for navigation using headings. Most pages include:
- Site Name (heading level 1)
- Navigation (heading level 2)
- Breadcrumb Navigation (heading level 2)
- Page Content Heading (heading level 2)
- Page Section Heading (heading level 3) - on pages with several sections
- Page Sub-Section heading (heading level 4) - on pages with sub-sections
Most assistive technologies and some browsers facilitate navigation by headings.
Common screen readers provide functionality to jump to the next heading.
For example:
- H moves to the next heading
- 1 goes to the next level 1 heading
- 2 goes to the next level 2 heading
- INSERT+F6 provides a list of headings, which can be sorted in tab order or in alphabetical order
- S moves to the next heading
- W move to the previous heading
Access Keys
Access keys are not used on this site for a number of reasons, including:
- potential conflicts with browser and assistive technology access keys,
- navigation provided through other means, including headings as described above.
Skip Navigation
The "Skip Navigation" link is immediately after the heading 1 logo. This link moves the focus to the start of the main content (for example, for screen readers to skip the navigation).
Multimedia
The multimedia tutorials are Flash (.swf) format. Each multimedia video tutorial is closed-captioned and has an alternate text version in PDF format. The Learning Online: Be Successful page has both a Flash crossword puzzle game and an alternate text version in PDF format with questions and answers.
PDFs
PDF files have been configured to support accessibility. Headings levels are used. Alternate text for images is provided.
JavaScript
The Learning Style Survey, Distance Learning Survey, and Study Time Calculator each require JavaScript to be enabled in your browser. The surveys and the study time calculator are optional. If you need assistance with these pages, please contact Technical Support. JavaScript is also used to display the current date on each page. This content is not essential for use of the site.
Acknowledgement:
Web Accessibility Information for this site was modeled on the information provided by the W3C for the WAI site at http://www.w3.org/WAI/sitehelp.html.
Section 508, WCAG 1.0 Priority 1, WCAG 2.0 Level A, and Illinois Information Technology Accessibility Act (IITAA) Guidelines, XHTML 1.0 Transitional, and CSS Level 2 standards were followed in the development of this site.