Assessing accessibility: Universal Design for university websites

Abstract

The number of students with disabilities attending colleges and universities is growing nationally. Statistics on the number of individuals affected by disability vary, but a consensus exists that the number of those affected is staggering. In the United States alone, 57 million individuals, or 18.7% of the population, report a disability. The World Health Organization reports that 15% of the world population experience some form of disability, a percentage that represents one billion individuals. This number may continue to increase as the population ages and those who are not currently disabled become disabled.