I have tried to work on the course without frames, Javascript or ActiveX - this cannot be done - I seem to need all three active. So, does this mean that course writers cannot expect accessibility?
I opened the screen in MacLynx acting as a student:
The problem is that students might not be able to use Javascript or frames. I think FRAMES can be avoided but not at the level of the individual course writer - it has to be done at Administrator level.
I opened the same screen in iCab:
and then I clicked on e-Learning Hub link and suddenly found myself in a new place, on a new window:
so I pressed the back button. I got this:
Now I had managed to get rid of the frames! But I have lost access to the rest of the screen and only have the nav bar. Clicking on the link to the Homepage does not change the situation, it does not do what I expect and reproduce the original Homepage.
So I looked at the WebCT Help to see what help I could get. I got the following:
"Accessibility
WebCT is committed to ensuring that high quality educational experiences are available to all individuals, including those with special needs. The US Department of Statistics estimates that 20% of the population has a sensory, physical, or learning disability. Legislation in both the USA and Canada reflects the importance of establishing accessibility standards for web-based resource development.
Accessibility changes in WebCT version 3.6 will improve the use of WebCT with adaptive technology, bringing WebCT into compliance with the US Rehabilitation Act, section 508, in force June 21, 2001.
For more information on web accessibility, see the resources provided by the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), at www.w3c.org/WAI."
There is no more about how to use WebCT so that it is accessible or to increase content accessibility except the section about assistive devices. This section describes assistive technologies for those who don't know what they are - not how to use them.
The next section is ostensibly about writing courses to make them more accessible, See: http://discourse.dis.unimelb.edu.au:8900/web-ct/help/en/designer/accessibility/accessibility.html#design_access (local version) In fact, this information does not tell the developer how to make WebCT more accessible but rather, how to make accessible web resources - by pointing to the W3C Guidelines.
I will do my work and report back, dear Diary, when the news is better.
Liddy