Web Accessibility, WCAG, and Section 508

In this hands-on, two-day Advanced Web Accessibility course, students take a deeper dive into modern techniques for web accessibility using WAI-ARIA, HTML5, and CSS. Students learn best practices for ARIA use to structure web pages, provide labelling and instructions, and adding accessibility to applications and widgets. The course also examines using accessible design patterns, how to develop a keyboard interface and control focus, and how ARIA works to provide accessibility to scripted elements. Students perform labs to fix accessibility issues in HTML and CSS, determine the correct ways to use ARIA, and add ARIA to code.

Please note that the recent (June 2018) addition of 17 success criteria found in WCAG 2.1 are briefly covered in this course. However, like AAA-level criterion, 2.1 updates currently are not included in legislation, and so receive less focus.


12/11/24 - CTB - TB Virtual Instructor-Led - TB Virtual Instructor-Led	(click to enroll)
01/29/25 - CTB - TB Virtual Instructor-Led - TB Virtual Instructor-Led	(click to enroll)
05/07/25 - CTB - TB Virtual Instructor-Led - TB Virtual Instructor-Led	(click to enroll)
07/23/25 - CTB - TB Virtual Instructor-Led - TB Virtual Instructor-Led	(click to enroll)
10/01/25 - CTB - TB Virtual Instructor-Led - TB Virtual Instructor-Led	(click to enroll)
12/10/25 - CTB - TB Virtual Instructor-Led - TB Virtual Instructor-Led	(click to enroll)

Viewing outline for:

1. Creating Semantic Markup and Structure with HTML5 and WAI-ARIA
This topic examines methods to use HTML5 and ARIA to create semantic markup and page structure.

2. Accessible Links, Forms, and Labelling
In this topic, students learn advanced labelling techniques using ARIA to enhance hyperlinks, instructions on web pages and forms, and other labelling issues.

3. Advanced Table Accessibility
In this topic, students learn HTML and ARIA techniques to address accessibility issues in complex tables, as well as in tables used for organizing forms, and how to make assistive technology ignore layout tables.

4. Advanced Form Accessibility
This topic addresses increasing accessibility in forms by ensuring that labels are programmatically associated with inputs and that like fields are grouped together. It also covers providing to the user in an accessible way any instructions and other information, such as required fields or expected data entry format.

5. Using WAI-ARIA for Accessibility in Widgets and Web Applications
Students take a deeper dive into using ARIA to improve accessibility by exploring best practices for using ARIA, as well as what to avoid doing. Using online resources, students explore accessible widget design patterns including using ARIA roles, states, and properties, and conventions for functionality and keyboard operability.

6. Controlling Focus and Functionality in Dialogs
This topic explores various approaches to the user experience and functionality in dialogs (“pop-up windows”), including controlling focus, keyboard interface expectations, and how to use ARIA to ensure vital information is passed to assistive technologies such as screen readers.

7. Using ARIA to Provide Feedback to Users
ARIA live regions and states are explored in a variety of circumstances to examine how ARIA can be programmatically changed with JavaScript in order to provide updates to assistive technologies about dynamic changes after the initial page load, for example, providing form validation errors or updating content. By studying working examples of ARIA used on dynamic web pages, students observe ARIA code updating in real time.

Labs
To reinforce and practice skills learned in the course, students use online tools to find the best ARIA solutions to remedy accessibility issues, perform written exercises in which they fix accessibility issues in HTML code, and add appropriate ARIA to HTML code for widgets.

Disclaimer: All course objectives and outlines are used as a guideline and are subject to change to ensure the latest information is covered to support real world use of the technology.