Accessibility for web writers

Get the skills you need to produce and test content that meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

Offered as a public course, webinar series, or in-house.

UPDATED for WCAG 2.1

This course takes a deep dive into the accessibility guidelines. It’s designed for people in dedicated digital or web content roles: web writers, editors, publishers and content managers. The content may be too technical for others.

Great resources

Whether you do this training online or face-to-face you’ll get:

  • printed booklet of detailed workshop notes
  • electronic presentation materials, including all of the examples we use during the training
  • extensive supporting articles and materials online.

Comprehensive course content

The course has 8 content modules (some are combined in the webinar version). Each provides a detailed discussion of relevant WCAG 2.1 guidelines. You’ll learn how to check accessibility and make improvements to your content.

  1. About accessibility, covering:
    • how people with disabilities use the web
    • law and policy on accessibility in Australia
    • overview of the documents and structure of WCAG 2.1.
  2. Navigation, covering:
    • 2.4.2 Page titled
    • 2.4.4 Link purpose.
  3. Structure, covering:
    • 1.3.1 Info and relationships
    • 2.4.6 Headings and labels.
  4. Language, covering:
    • 3.1.2 Language of parts
  5. Images and colour, covering:
    • 1.1.1 Non-text content
    • 1.4.1 Use of colour
    • 1.4.3 Contrast
    • 1.4.5 Images of text
    • 1.4.11 Non-text contrast
    • 2.3.1 Three flashes or below threshold
    • 3.2.4 Consistent identification.
  6. Instructions and errors, covering:
    • 1.3.3 Sensory characteristics
    • 3.3.1 Error identification
    • 3.3.2 Labels or instructions
    • 3.3.3 Error suggestions.
  7. Audio and video, covering:
    • 1.1.1 Non-text content
    • 1.2.1 Audio-only and video-only (pre-recorded)
    • 1.2.2 Captions (pre-recorded)
    • 1.2.3 Audio description or media alternative
    • 1.2.5 Audio descriptions.
  8. Documents, covering:
    •  1.3.2 Meaningful sequence
    • 2.1.1 Keyboard
    • 2.4.1 Bypass blocks
    • 3.1.1 Language of page
    • 3.2.2 On input
    • 3.2.3 Consistent navigation
    • 4.1.2 Name, role, value
    • ‘accessibility supported’ technologies
    • current advice on using PDF and Word documents online.

Experienced facilitator

Dey Alexander has over 20 years web experience. She’s consulted to a wide range of organisations and worked on numerous web projects.  Dey offers this course as part of Vision Australia’s digital accessibility training program.

Comments from past participants

  • This workshop really hit the nail on the head for me. I’ve tried to read the WCAG guidelines, but they’re really overwhelming. Nice to have someone explain it all.
  • Essential information for any web writer or content owner. Should be a requirement of any web writing role to attend this course.
  • Very good coverage of the most important things for writers. I learnt a lot.
  • This explained the WCAG requirements and how to meet them in an easy to understand way. I’d recommend this highly to people trying to understand a complex issue.
  • WCAG 2 has been reviewed and digested for me. Saved me a lot of time and brought me up to speed.
  • I really enjoyed this workshop and will definitely use what I learnt in my work.
  • Examples were great. Notes and handouts were great.
  • I’d love to be able to have the whole university community attend this workshop.
  • Really helped me to navigate WCAG and identify what was important to my role as a writer/editor.
  • I got a lot out of this workshop including demystifying of the WCAG 2 documents and how to use them in a meaningful way.