1. Title: Developing a Community Driven ADA Accessible Environmental Research Website Janet Woolman, B.S., M.L.I.S. Executive Director of Research and Governmental Relations Director of LERC Lyle Hardee, B.S. ACLC Computer Technician and Graduate Student

2. Outline Louisiana Environmental Research Center (LERC) Problem Description Project Overview Challenges Outcomes ADA Accessibility and website design 2 4/12/2013 Woolman and Hardee

3. LERC History-The Louisiana Environmental Research Center (LERC) at McNeese was approved in 1990 by the Board of Regents. Mission- Basic and applied research in the Chenier Plain region. Approximately 15 collaborators (including Research Associates and Staff members) 3 4/12/2013 Woolman and Hardee

4. LERC Website Problem: No avenue existed to disseminate information requested by SWLA stakeholders, funding agencies, and decision-makers at state agencies about our LERC projects/research. Solution: A project that is a teaching and learning strategy integrating meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. 4 4/12/2013 Woolman and Hardee

5. Project Overview Create an ADA Accessible website to disseminate information to the community Established the partnership Project design (input from all partners) Project Start Date: Summer 2010 Current status: Online 5 4/12/2013 Woolman and Hardee

6. Challenges Death of a collaborator ADA Accessibility Collecting information and from busy faculty members (publications, photographs, charts, biographical sketches) Community expectations Website updates 6 4/12/2013 Woolman and Hardee

7. Outcomes Value to Student: Solved a real-life problem using what was learned in the classroom Student interacted with the Mayor of Lake Charles and consequently learned about civic engagement. Increased confidence Developed critical thinking, creativity, problem solving, and intellectual independence 7 4/12/2013 Woolman and Hardee

8. Outcomes Value to Community/Faculty/Institution: Engaged diverse stakeholders and individuals Resulted in applied research projects with local industry. Increased awareness of academic leadership in an area of concern to our community Public demonstration on the intellectual and creative capacity of our students Created collaborations between faculty in different disciplines 8 4/12/2013 Woolman and Hardee

9. Web Accessibility What is Web Accessibility? A way to ensure equal access for all individuals especially those with disabilities Enforced by a set of guidelines in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1974 Concerned only with the format of data 9 4/12/2013 Woolman and Hardee

10. Web Accessibility Why is it important? 8.5 percent of the population has one or more of the following disabilities: – Vision impairment – Hearing impairment – Difficulty walking – Difficulty typing – Difficulty leaving home http://www.ntia.doc.gov/legacy/ntiahome/dn/html/Chapter7.htm 10 4/12/2013 Woolman and Hardee

11. Planning and Process Planning and process to create an accessible website- – Research web accessibility – Research current solutions – Development – Testing – Deployment 11 4/12/2013 Woolman and Hardee

12. Research Two commonly used guidelines – Section 508 – WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) Both guidelines are very similar Differ by 4 extra checkpoints Chose a hybrid approach 12 4/12/2013 Woolman and Hardee

13. Research Investigated popular content management systems Drupal – Implements WCAG 2.0 – Includes accessible add-on modules – Base themes included are accessible WordPress, Joomla, PHP-nuke, etc. 13 4/12/2013 Woolman and Hardee

14. Development Include skip navigation link 14 4/12/2013 Woolman and Hardee

15. Development Include alternative text on all images 15 4/12/2013 Woolman and Hardee

16. Development Proper use of header tags 16 4/12/2013 Woolman and Hardee

17. Development Ensure forms are labeled Title: 17 4/12/2013 Woolman and Hardee

18. Development Do not use color to convey a message Avoid timed responses Do not use technologies that do not support keyboard alternatives for mouse commands 18 4/12/2013 Woolman and Hardee

19. Testing WAVE Access Color Code inspection 19 4/12/2013 Woolman and Hardee

20. Deployment 20 4/12/2013 Woolman and Hardee

21. Future Work Usage and Data Collection Usability testing Interactivity (educational flora and fauna identification) Online offering- virtual guided “walks” through the SWLA Chenier Plains 21 4/12/2013 Woolman and Hardee

22. Acknowledgements 22 Academic Computing and Learning Center at McNeese Dr. William Albrecht Dr. George Mead http://lerc.mcneese.edu/ Funded by: Natural Resource Conservation Services. Chenier Plain Sustainability Initiative Collaboration. Award number: 68-7217-10-006. 4/12/2013 Woolman and Hardee

23. Conclusion Questions? Thank you Lyle Hardee msu-lhardee1@student.mcneese.edu msu-lhardee1@student.mcneese.edu Janet Woolman Phone: 337-475-5125 E-mail: jwoolman@mcneese.edujwoolman@mcneese.edu 23 4/12/2013 Woolman and Hardee