Free Online Course "Introduction to Web Accessibility"

This blog post was last updated on 5 October with extension of course open dates and free audit option.

New: Up-to-date information on this course available on the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) website.

Today, 3rd 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) are announcing a new online course "Introduction to Web Accessibility" scheduled to start on 28 January 2020.

This course 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. It is designed for technical and non-technical audiences, including:

• developers
• designers
• content authors
• project managers
• people with disabilities
• others

Optional course material helps you learn more about the topics you are most interested in. It covers:

• What is Web Accessibility (2 sections)
• People and Digital Technology (5 sections)
• Business Case and Benefits (2 sections)
• Principles, Standards, and Checks (5 sections)
• Getting Started with Accessibility (2 sections)

The course is designed for 4 weeks of about 4-5 hours effort per week. It is self-paced so you can complete it in a shorter or longer time frame. For at least the next few months (as of 1 October 2020), the current course will be available via edX. We will provide more details soon. We expect to keep an updated version of this course available long term.

The course is free. Previously the free "audit" option did not included graded assessments and was limited to 4 weeks. Now (as of 8 April 2020), the audit option gives you access to all of the content, including the graded assessments, for as long as the course is open.

Optionally, you can choose to get a Verified Certificate for $99 USD to demonstrate successful course completion. With the Verified Certificate, you have access to the course as long as it is available. You can start auditing the course, and later choose to get a Verified Certificate. You can add the certificate option up to 10 days before the course ends, and a year from when you choose it to complete the identity verification process.

For updated information on verification options and accessibility of the Verified Certificate process, see: edX Help Center Accessibility pages. For a form and e-mail address to contact edX about accessibility, see: edX Website Accessibility Policy.

This unique course is based on the open curricula from the Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG) of the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). It is part of the W3Cx training platform and brings together international expert trainers from Deque, Infoaxia, Intopia, Knowbility, The Paciello Group (TPG), and Web Key IT.

"In addition to being an excellent introduction for people who are new to accessibility, this course helps people who already know about accessibility fill in gaps" said Shawn Henry, W3C WAI Outreach Coordinator. "It covers resources from the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative website, and helps you know how to find addition information on multiple aspects of digital accessibility."

Whether you are new to web accessibility or need a refresher, this course gives you the necessary skills to take first steps in accessibility and to know where to find more information - enroll now.

See also: Up-to-date information on this course available on the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) website.

Additional information:

• Press Release
• Course description, including “What you'll learn”, syllabus, “Meet the instructors”, and Enroll
• Video overview of the "Introduction to Web Accessibility" online course