Press Release: W3C launches an Introduction to Web Accessibility free online course in cooperation with UNESCO IITE

Dear friends of W3C,

Today, 3 December, on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (UNESCO IITE) announced the launch of the online course built on the W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) open curricula with international expert trainers from W3C Member organizations. 

The “Introduction to Web Accessibility” Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) introduces digital accessibility, and provides a strong foundation for making websites and apps work well for people with disabilities, meet international standards, and enhance the user experience for all web users.

A press release is available at: https://www.w3.org/2019/12/pressrelease-intro-web-accessibility-course.html.en and as text below.

Please contact me to learn more or to schedule an interview.
 
Thank you. 

best,
Amy van der Hiel
W3C Media Relations Coordinator



   [1]W3C  [2] UNESCO IITE 

      [1] 
https://www.w3.org/

      [2] 
https://iite.unesco.org/


W3C launches an Introduction to Web Accessibility free online course in
                      cooperation with UNESCO IITE
     __________________________________________________________

   [3]Translations | [4]W3C Press Release Archive
     __________________________________________________________

      [3] 
https://www.w3.org/Press/Releases-2019#intro-web-accessibility-course

      [4] 
https://www.w3.org/Press/


   [5]illustration showing two persons looking at a computer and
   WAI icons

      [5] 
https://www.edx.org/course/web-accessibility-introduction


   [6]
https://www.w3.org/
 — 3 December 2019 — On the International
   Day of Persons with Disabilities, the World Wide Web Consortium
   (W3C) and UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in
   Education (UNESCO IITE) announced the launch of the online
   course built on the W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
   open curricula with international expert trainers from W3C
   Member organizations. The “[7]Introduction to Web
   Accessibility” Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) introduces
   digital accessibility, and provides a strong foundation for
   making websites and apps work well for people with
   disabilities, meet international standards, and enhance the
   user experience for all web users.

      [6] 
https://www.w3.org/

      [7] 
https://www.edx.org/course/web-accessibility-introduction


   "One of W3C's enduring values is a Web for All, and that can
   only be achieved by including standards and guidelines that
   encourage an accessible web - which we work on every day. But
   an accessible web is not something W3C can assure by ourselves,
   we need the entire web community focused on ensuring that every
   web site is accessible. This course is a critical component of
   assuring that everyone is knowledgeable about how to meet the
   needs of users with disabilities," said Jeff Jaffe, W3C CEO.

  W3C and UNESCO IITE cooperate to raise awareness of Web Accessibility

   W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) and the UNESCO
   Institute for Information Technologies in Education (UNESCO
   IITE) are cooperating to provide a free online course built on
   the open curricula of the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative
   (WAI). By combining the technical expertise of W3C and its
   Member organizations with the educational networks of the
   UNESCO IITE, W3C aims to reach audiences on an international
   scale.

   "Advanced technologies provide unprecedented opportunities to
   reduce the historically contingent learning divide and increase
   access to knowledge and quality education, especially for
   vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities. UNESCO
   IITE recognizes inclusive education as the capstone of equality
   and mainstreaming. Cutting-edge technologies and innovative
   tools substantially contribute to the implementation and
   actualization of these principles, particularly to ensuring
   equal access to information, education and self-fulfilment for
   all. At UNESCO IITE, we keep up our joint efforts to promote
   the high-potential use of Information and Communications
   Technology (ICT) for the creation of safe, healthy,
   non-violent, disability-sensitive, gender-responsive, equitable
   and inclusive educational environments." said Tao Zhan,
   Director of UNESCO IITE.

   The W3Cx [8]Introduction to Web Accessibility is open for
   enrollment today. The course will start on 28 January 2020.

      [8] 
https://www.edx.org/course/web-accessibility-introduction


  Web Accessibility fundamentals for a wide range of professions

   Designed to teach the fundamentals of Web accessibility and
   their benefits for people with and without disabilities, the
   Introduction to Web Accessibility course is intended for a wide
   range of Web professionals. As the Web has become indispensable
   for our daily lives, accessibility for people with disabilities
   has become increasingly essential for many organizations and
   governments around the world.

   The course follows a logical progression exploring Web
   accessibility through real stories of people with disabilities;
   the many tangible and intangible benefits of Web accessibility,
   including its business case; the related international
   standards and checks; and how to integrate Web accessibility
   into organizational design and development processes. The
   course includes optional activities related to the particular
   skills students may want to develop; for example, coding
   activities and business development activities.

   This course is based on the [9]open curricula of the W3C Web
   Accessibility Initiative (WAI), a framework for developing
   courses using role-based modules that build on and extend the
   Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) accessibility training
   resources. These curricula will be available to anyone to use
   as an authoritative foundation for creating courses, and are
   being developed through the consensus process of the W3C
   Education and Outreach Working Group ([10]EOWG) with support
   from the European Commission (EC) funded [11]WAI-Guide Project
   (Grant 822245).

      [9] 
https://www.w3.org/WAI/curricula/

     [10] 
https://www.w3.org/WAI/about/groups/eowg/

     [11] 
https://www.w3.org/WAI/about/projects/wai-guide/


  Taught by international expert Trainers from W3C Member organizations

   On [12]edX, a non-profit platform for education and learning,
   W3Cx's Introduction to Web Accessibility course features expert
   trainers from W3C Member organizations from around the world
   including: Deque, Infoaxia, Intopia, Knowbility, The Paciello
   Group, and Web Key IT, all using the WAI Open Curriculum.

     [12] 
https://www.edx.org/about-us


   These expert trainers will cover the definition and scope of
   Web accessibility. This will include how people with
   disabilities use different assistive technologies and adaptive
   strategies to interact on the Web for all disabilities impacted
   by Web accessibility, including hearing, learning and
   cognitive, neurological, physical, speech, and visual
   disabilities. Students will learn the business and social
   benefits of Web accessibility, and learn how to find and use
   technical standards and training resources from W3C so that
   they can start working on Web accessibility.

  Free course on W3Cx, optional certificate

   "The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is the key organization
   that sets standards for the Web, which is so important when it
   comes to ensuring that the Internet works for everyone. As an
   edX partner since 2015, W3C has made programming and coding
   knowledge available to the over 20 million edX learners
   worldwide. I am thrilled that their new course on edX,
   Introduction to Web Accessibility, will focus specifically on
   enabling developers to create accessible sites for people with
   disabilities," said Anant Agarwal, edX Founder and CEO.

   Introduction to Web Accessibility is the sixth online course
   available on W3Cx, W3C’s online learning platform on edX, the
   world's leading nonprofit online learning platform. Since the
   initial HTML5 online course launched on W3Cx, over 950,000
   students from around the world have enrolled in a W3Cx course.
   Whether starting their professional life, or embarking on a new
   chapter, many students have seen their career prospects expand
   as a result of taking courses in the W3Cx Front-End Web
   Developer Professional Certificate Program: HTML5 & CSS
   Fundamentals, CSS Basics, HTML5 Coding Essentials and Best
   Practices, JavaScript Introduction, and HTML5 Apps and Games.

   Students can audit the Introduction to Web Accessibility for
   free, or choose to receive a Verified Certificate for $99 USD.
   A verified certificate from edX can provide proof for an
   employer, school, or other institution that a student has
   successfully completed an online course. Verified Certificates
   enable students to gain access to graded materials, unlimited
   course materials at any time, and to showcase their
   accomplishments on their resume.

About the World Wide Web Consortium

   The mission of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is to lead
   the Web to its full potential by creating technical standards
   and guidelines to ensure that the Web remains open, accessible,
   and interoperable for everyone around the globe. W3C well-known
   standards HTML and CSS are the foundational technologies upon
   which websites are built. W3C works on Web accessibility,
   internationalization, security and privacy across hundreds of
   Web technologies. That work is created in the open, provided
   for free and under the unique W3C Patent Policy. For our work
   to make online videos more accessible with captions and
   subtitles, W3C received a 2016 Emmy Award. And for its work to
   standardize a Full TV Experience on the Web, W3C received a
   2019 Emmy Award.

   W3C's vision for "One Web" brings together thousands of
   dedicated technologists representing more than 400 [13]Member
   organizations and dozens of industry sectors. W3C is jointly
   hosted by the [14]MIT Computer Science and Artificial
   Intelligence Laboratory (MIT CSAIL) in the United States, the
   [15]European Research Consortium for Informatics and
   Mathematics (ERCIM) headquartered in France, [16]Keio
   University in Japan and [17]Beihang University in China. For
   more information see [18]
https://www.w3.org/.


     [13] 
https://www.w3.org/Consortium/Member/List

     [14] 
https://www.csail.mit.edu/

     [15] 
https://www.ercim.eu/

     [16] 
https://www.keio.ac.jp/

     [17] 
http://ev.buaa.edu.cn/

     [18] 
https://www.w3.org/


About the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)

   W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is an integral part of
   the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). In partnership with
   organizations around the world, WAI pursues accessibility of
   the Web for people with disabilities through the following
   primary activities: ensuring that core technologies of the Web
   support accessibility features; developing guidelines for web
   content, user agents, and authoring tools; facilitating
   development of evaluation and repair tools for accessibility;
   conducting education and outreach; coordinating with research
   and development that can improve future accessibility of the
   Web; and promoting coordination and harmonization of web
   accessibility standards.

   WAI benefits from multi-stakeholder involvement throughout its
   work, including representation from industry, disability
   communities, accessibility research, and government. Since its
   inception in 1997, WAI has produced and is widely known for the
   Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Authoring Tool
   Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG), User Agent Accessibility
   Guidelines (UAAG), and Accessible Rich Internet Applications
   (WAI-ARIA), as well as technical and educational guidance to
   support the implementation of these accessibility standards.
   For more information see [19]
https://www.w3.org/WAI/.


     [19] 
https://www.w3.org/WAI/


About UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (UNESCO
IITE)

   For over two decades the core principle: "Every learner matters
   and matters equally" has led the aspiration and performance of
   the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education
   (UNESCO IITE). Established in 1997 as the UNESCO category 1
   Institute with a global mandate for ICT in education, it has
   significantly contributed to the promotion of equal teaching
   and learning opportunities for all, no matter the context,
   abilities, location or circumstances. In its vigorous activity,
   UNESCO IITE facilitates the application of information and
   communication technologies (ICT) in education, while
   continuously and diligently involving international and local
   stakeholders in both creating and maintaining conditions for
   inclusive and equitable education. For more information see
   [20]
https://iite.unesco.org/.


     [20] 
https://iite.unesco.org/


   End Press Release

W3C Media Contact

   Amy van der Hiel, W3C Media Relations Coordinator
   <[21]w3t-pr@w3.org>
  mailto:w3t-pr@w3.org

   +1.617.253.5628 (US, Eastern Time)

UNESCO IITE Media Contact

   Elena Varkvasova, Programme Specialist, Unit of Teacher
   Professional Development and Networking, UNESCO IITE
   <[22]e.varkvasova@unesco.org>
  mailto:e.varkvasova@unesco.org

   +7 965 496 72 00 (Moscow Standard Time)
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   [23]Translations | [24]W3C Press Release Archive

     [23] 
https://www.w3.org/Press/Releases-2019#intro-web-accessibility-course

     [24] 
https://www.w3.org/Press/

Received on Tuesday, 3 December 2019 15:50:02 UTC