Accessibility for all: engaging library staff in auditing electronic resources

Abstract

Since the introduction of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (2001), academic libraries have been obliged to provide accessible texts for users who find printed works a barrier. Print-impairment can occur for a range of reasons including visual impairment, specific learning difficulties and motor difficulties, and affects 10-15% of the European population (Hilderley 2013). For many students, reasonable adjustment has involved the provision of texts in alternative formats (alt-texts) on a case-by-case basis for individual students. ... In 2013, the University of Bradford library employed a graduate intern to conduct a pilot audit of the accessibility of online resources ... In the summer of 2014, a revised and expanded audit was undertaken by frontline library staff.