Failures in library website accessibility: A problem of accountability

Abstract

Not every library can have an accessibility expert on staff while redesigning their website. Every library can, however, develop their own informed personnel. At Kansas State University Libraries, a task force focused on developing and maintaining a new website formed, coinciding with the hire of a librarian who is disabled and experienced in human factors, user experience, and accessibility. This provided an opportunity not only for improved accessibility, but a more nuanced understanding of the needs and experiences of disabled patrons. In this process we learned that lack of accountability is often a significant barrier to libraries designing an accessible website. To successfully design an accessible website, accessibility must be a priority from the beginning of the design process rather than a checklist and fixes applied at the end of the process. A common hurdle to an organization adopting an accessibility focused approach to design is the lack of personnel dedicated specifically to accessibility. All too often, this responsibility becomes dispersed among a team of designers, by which accessibility becomes an afterthought. To paraphrase Bandura (1990), if everybody is in charge, nobody is in charge. At least one person must be tasked with developing knowledge of accessibility and advocating for the needs of disabled users. While everyone on the team responsible for web content development should possess some basic knowledge of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG…