Peer Review

Digital Accessibility as a Business Practice Open Textbook

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Reviewed:: Dec 11, 2019 by Professional Coaching

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

The content of this amazing ebook focuses on three main themes: Strategic Planning for Digital Accessibility – Developing an implementation framework for change management to sustain a culture of inclusion, including strategies that inform accessibility policy development. Implementing Digital Accessibility – Identifying roles and responsibilities in developing a process to implement digital accessibility, related to training, hiring practices, and procurement. Digital Accessibility Quality Assurance – Developing metrics to measure, monitor, and maintain digital accessibility once it has been achieved. Participants will take on the role of a project manager following the story of the Sharp Clothing Company. Through a wide range of activities, they will learn how to implement digital accessibility throughout the company, with a practical exercise to develop a digital accessibility policy that guides the company's accessibility efforts into the future. The policy document created in the course can be reused as a template for real-world organizations that plan to implement a digital accessibility policy and develop a culture of inclusion as part of their business practices.

Type of Material:

Open (Access) Textbook, Reference

Recommended Uses:

This ebook is a wonderful resource that may be read individually, or due to the creative commons license, may be modified into chunks and shared only in most appropriate and necessary portions. This content is most readily digestible as an individually assigned readings, though exercises may be completed in groups in person or remotely through digital learning class assignments.

Technical Requirements:

This original document description may be viewed with only a web browser; the entirety of the book and activities, including self-quizzes, may be successfully navigated only from a web browser, though some documents (such as pdf's and videos) require a 3rd party software to view them successfully. The material is then offered in many accessible formats, allowing the user to select the format most useful and compatible across their device.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

Develop a broad scope understanding of digital accessibility, and how to build and support a team and institution-wide initiative for this important platform.

Target Student Population:

College Upper Division, Graduate School, Professional

The ebook notes that it is targeted to web developers, managers and digital accessibility specialists, and others who are involved in the successful implementation of digital accessiblity. This tool may also be incredibly useful at the upper-level undergraduate and graduate level within education, digital media, and related academic disiplines.

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

Some understanding of digital accessibility standards may be useful for full utilization of this resource.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: This textbook is well organized and very detailed. It embraces the online format by including videos, links, and self-tests in every chapter. It contains six chapters with multiple pages and activities to do in each. The book is flexible and could be used for just a chapter or activity page if necessary. It is also excellent in its' broad scope as it includes recently updated and comprehensive support for digital accessibility across a number of countries.
Concerns:: None

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: There is a whole page on learning objectives, prerequisites, and content structure at the beginning. The material all builds upon itself with self tests and a culmination final project to reflect student learning. There are many activities already in the text that it could very easily be used as a full course. Students may be assigned the final project outlined by the author and complete this activity throughout a course period.
Concerns:: None

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

The texbook has clear directions and easy navigation through the contents menu and arrows on the bottom of the screen. The text is filled with videos, figures, and activities that make it visual and engaging. There is a page in the text with accessibility information and tips since much of the links can not be guaranteed accessible by the textbook writers.

Likely due to the content of this specific document specifically focusing on digital accessibility and usability, this is hands-down the best design for an ebook I have reviewed to date. Not only does the author design this to be web navigable with options to increase/decrease font natively within one's browser, but many alternative, accessible format options for online and offline viewing are made available to the user.

Concerns:

None

Other Issues and Comments:: none
Creative Commons: