Web accessibility of the libraries websites of Federal Universities of the State of Minas Gerais

Abstract

Introduction/Objective: Research of mixed nature that had as objective to verify if the sites of the libraries of the Federal Universities of the State of Minas Gerais are adequate for the resources of Web accessibility. Methodology: In step 1, a bibliographic research was performed in books and journals and also a documentary research by laws, decrees and government websites on accessibility. In stage 2, the 11 Federal Universities of the State of Minas Gerais were selected as a sample, where the number of students enrolled was requested, by e-mail and Fala.BR platform, as well as the number of students who declare themselves with some type of disability. In stage 3, an automatic web accessibility assessment was performed on the library websites of the 11 institutions of the sample using the Website Accessibility Simulator Assistant (ASES) e; heuristic assessment of Web accessibility by means of accessibility guidelines creating, at the end of the heuristic evaluation, a list of seven elements already implemented or that could be implemented on the libraries' websites, namely: 1) accessibility description; 2) jump menu; 3) contrast; 4) font size; 5) keyboard navigation; 6) Vlibras and; 7) text audio. Results: The survey indicated a low percentage of People with Disabilities enrolled in Minas Gerais universities, when compared to the 2010 Census. However, this is no reason for universities to stop improving web accessibility features on their respective websites. On the contrary, universities can develop accessible resources that meet different needs/levels of People with Disabilities. Conclusion: The combination of evaluation techniques, automatic and heuristic are fundamental for a more complete analysis of Web accessibility.