Universal Design of Web Pages in Class Projects

by Sheryl Burgstahler, Ph. D.

One of the reasons why I really enjoyed this article was the fact that the article explicitly stated the reason for this article: "This publication is designed to give guidance to instructors of precollege and postsecondary web design courses as well as to those who, as an activity in their classes, have students create web pages" (Burgstahler, p. 1). If a specific reading I come across (or I am assigned to read) indicated the reasoning and audience, and it pertains to me, that gives me all the more interest in reading it.

I also found it very valuable the importance of why the design of a website is so important and the reasoning behind creating a website to meet everyone's needs. For example, this article indicated that the audience of a website can range from someone with visual impairments to being a senior citizen; the design or layout of a webpage may really impact it's specific audience.

Another key factor of this article was that it explained the objectives of making an effective website, adhering to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Ranging from "students will be able to describe how individuals with different types of disabilities access information technology, including web pages" to "students will be able to locate and apply accessibility features of a web authoring tool" (Burgstahler).