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WAI: Strategies, guidelines, resources to make the Web accessible to people with disabilities

WAI Research and Development Symposia

Introduction

WAI Research and Development symposia brought together researchers, practitioners, and users with disabilities interested in a particular aspect of web accessibility to advance research and development in that area.

The online symposia typically included a panel with the authors of accepted papers, and provided an opportunity for participants to ask questions.

Symposia proceedings, transcript, and other resources are available publicly online (listed below).

List of Past Symposia

Accessible Way-Finding Using Web Technologies - Accessible Way-Finding Symposium information
December 2014 symposium to explore current state-of-the-art in accessible way-finding, better understand the accessibility needs and preferences of people with disabilities, and explore promising web technologies and developments to provide accessible way-finding.
Accessible E-Learning - Accessible E-Learning Symposium information
December 2013 symposium to share e-learning experiences and research; discuss different approaches to address accessibility issues in e-learning contexts; and explore next steps to advance accessibility in e-learning environments, including Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
User Modeling for Accessibility - User Modeling Symposium Proceedings
July 2013 symposium to explore user modeling approaches for generating and adapting user interfaces to address particular user needs and preferences. The goal is to analyze different methods and implementations of user modeling and their potential usage for improving accessibility for people with disabilities.
Easy-to-Read on the Web - Easy-to-Read Symposium Proceedings
December 2012 symposium to explore how to make information on the Web easier to understand, particularly by people with cognitive disabilities and people with low language skills. It explores user needs and the state of the art in research, development, and practice to contribute to a common understanding of easy-to-read on the Web.
Text Customization for Readability - Text Symposium Proceedings
November 2012 symposium to explore the needs of people with low vision, dyslexia, and other conditions that impact reading. It focuses specifically on text customization requirements and functionality, that is, providing users the ability to change (or personalize) various aspects of text display to improve readability for their particular needs.
Mobile Accessibility - Mobile Proceedings
June 2012 symposium to explore mobile accessibility challenges and solutions, and to develop a roadmap for future research and development.
Website Accessibility Metrics - Metrics Research Report technical report, Metrics Proceedings
December 2011 symposium to scope the extent and magnitude of existing website accessibility metrics, and to develop a roadmap for future research and development in the field.
Making Collaboration Technologies Accessible - Collaboration Proceedings
April 2003 symposium on making collaboration technologies accessible to people with disabilities.

About RDWG

The symposia were organized by the meanwhile closed W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Research and Development Working Group (RDWG).

RDWG helped to:

For more information, see the RDWG FAQ.