Web resources used to avoid cognitive overload and ensure UDL

1. Web Resources
#1 Site Review:WebAim508 Checklist
URL Address:http://webaim.org/standards/508/checklist
Purpose/Content/Topic: Site giveschecklistforproperlyformattingHTML,scripts,Java,and plug-ins.
Linksare presenttofull versionof 508, as well aslinktosupport.
StrengthsandWeaknesses: Site isanexcellentresource touse forensuringaccessibility.However,
formatis mostlywithindatatables,whichwouldprove frustratingwithascreenreaderinrespectto
organization.
WebValidator:WAVEaccessibilitycheckerdetectsnoaccessibilityerrorsfound.Table headercellsare
presentandlinks are functional.However,thereisanalertfor Javascript element.
Accessibility/UDL:Translationsare available for4differentlanguages.Headingsare properlymarked,no
flashingorhighlypixilatedimages. Site suchasthismustbe usedtoensure accessibilityforall learners.
Thisis a simple checklistwhichdesignerscanuse to make sure theirtechnologywill be accessible to
individualswithhearing,physical,sight,andcognitive disabilities.

2. #2 Site Review:JenniferHerrodCognitiveOverload
URL Address:http://www.jchconsulting.com/fall2000/
Purpose/Content/Topic: Site simplyexplainscognitive load,workingmemory,andprovidesmany
helpful tips.Cognitive loadwithineducationand workforce presentationsare explored,warning
symptomsgiven,andassistance toavoidprovided.
StrengthsandWeaknesses: Site reinforcesresearchIhave foundtodate,and is presentedinsimple to
understandlanguage.Majorweaknessisthatsite isfull of accessibilityerrorsandhashorrible
navigation.Doescontainpractice inreducingcognitive load.
WebValidator:Wave detected32accessibilityerrors. Errorsinclude missingalttext,java script
elements,eventhandlerandmissingelements.
Accessibility/UDL:Notaccessible.Language isstraightforwardandeasyto understandfora screen
readeror translationdevice,butmissinglinksandpoornavigationcause frustration.Ifindthisrather
ironicfora site thatis meantto reduce cognitive load. Sitecanbe usedbydesignerstoensure cognitive
overloadisavoidedforindividualswithdisabilities,aswell asall otherindividuals,whichisthe aimof
UDL.

3. #3 Site Review:WebaimPowerpointtechniques
URL Address:http://webaim.org/techniques/powerpoint/#intro
Purpose/Content/Topic: Thissite isaninformative compilationof informationinstructingreaderhowto
create accessible PowerPointpresentations.Site includesdetailed,user-friendlyinstructionsconsisting
of creatingaccessible PowerpointfilesforMac, properslide layout,how toinstall alttext,properway
to handle datatables,howtoinstall links,how toconvertPowerpointtootherformatsandexportto
PDF,how to create HTML slides,andmyfavorite,instructionsof how touse the 2010 Powerpoint
accessibilitychecker.
Strengths andWeaknesses:Site containsawealthof informationforcreators,andeverythingis
explainedinsimple tounderstandlanguage. Weaknesswouldbe if userdoesnothave Powerpoint
installed.
WebValidator:WAVEdetectednoaccessibilityerrorswithinsite.
Accessibility/UDL:Site isveryaccessible.Simple instructionsare used,andimagesare usedtoassist
instruction.Site isnotcluttered,andinformationisindispensabletocreatorstryingto make sure their
Powerpointsare accessible toall. Designersfollowingproceduresexplainedinthissite will helpto
ensure technologyisaccessibletoindividualswithcognitive,physical,visual,andhearingdisabilities.
Typesof disabilitiesare explainedto ensure websites,presentations,anddocumentsare accessibletoall
learners.
#4 Site Review:LDOnline
URL Address:http://www.ldonline.org/index.php

4. Purpose/Content/Topic: LD Online offers hundreds of expert-reviewed articles and resources
for educators, parents, and others concerned about children and adults with learning
disabilities and ADHD. Below are the major topics covered, which the user can connect to
articles and resources on each issue.
 About LD
 Accommodations & Modifications
 ADHD
 Adults with LD
 Behavior & Social Skills
 Classroom Management
 College & College Prep
 Early Identification
 English Language Learners & LD
 Evaluation / LD Testing
 Gifted & LD
 Homeschooling
 Homework Help
 IEPs
 Legislation & Policy
 Math & Dyscalculia
 Nonverbal LD
 Parenting & Family
 Processing Deficits
 Reading & Dyslexia
 Research & Reports
 Response to Intervention
 Self Esteem & Stress Management
 Special Education
 Speech & Language
 Study Skills
 Teaching & Instruction
 Technology
 Transition: School to Work
 Writing & Spelling
Site alsoincludeslearningdisabilityandADHDbasicswithlinkstoeachtopic.
StrengthsandWeaknesses: Site isawealthof informationandeasytonavigate toresearchtopics.Nice
that index remainstoleftoneachpage.Somuch informationinone place couldbe considereda
weakness.

5. WebValidator:WAVEdetected4accessibilityerrors,whichinclude problematiclinktext,javascript
elements,andverylongalttext.Headingsare properlylabeled,andalttextispresent.
Accessibility/UDL:Excellentsite toeducate developersaboutspecificdisabilities,andeducationisa
mustto have abilitytomake technologyaccessible toeveryone.Well knownandrare disabilitiesare
covered,anditis useful forparents,kids,andeducators. Navigationiseasy,andsite evenincludesa
glossaryforusers. Helpavailable forADHA,stressmanagement,reading,andwritingtoname a few.
Also,giftedstudentsandtheirneedsare addressed.
#5 Site Review: Projectone
URL Address:http://projectone.cannect.org/index.php
Purpose/Content/Topic: Projectone isanonline free guidetocreatingaccessibleonline learning
throughtechnology. Topicscoveredare HTML, UDL, accessibility,andassistive technology.Best
practicesand advice fordesigningaccessibleeducational contentisprovided.Home of site ispresented
as an outline,creatingease of navigation.Visual,hearing,cognitive,andphysical disabilitiesare
exploredinrelationtoassistivetechnology.

6. StrengthsandWeaknesses: Site iswell organized,simplywrote,andisdesignedfornovicesandexperts
alike.The weaknesswouldbe somuchinformationtoprocess,bettertouse site forspecificguidance
and reference.
WebValidator:WAVEdetectednoaccessibilityerrorswithinsite.
Accessibility/UDL:Site isaccessible,hasproperlyworkinglinks,andcontainsawealthof guidelinesand
suggestionsforensuringaccessibilityforall learnerswithinanonline environment.Sevenaspectsof UDL
are covered,aswell asexplanationof how online educational contentbenefitsfromUDL.
#6 Site Review: CAST
URL Address:http://cast.org/
Purpose/Content/Topic: CASTisan acronymfor CenterforAppliedSpecial Technology.The site contains
a wealthof informationandlatesttrendsregardingusingtechnologytoassistpersonswithdisabilities.
Linksto variouslearningtoolsare included,all of whichincorporate UDLintolearning. A libraryis
includedofferingresearcharticles,presentations,books,videosandstatements.Multiple professional
developmentsare offered,bothwithinsiteandclassesforeducatorstoattend.A simple tounderstand
explanationof UDLisgiven,aswell asa questionandanswersection.

7. StrengthsandWeaknesses: Thissite isanexcellentall inclusive UDLguide,accessible andeasyto
comprehend.The onlyweaknessseemstobe the missinglearnerinformation.Icouldnotfindany
informationinrespecttospecificlearners.
WebValidator:WAVEdetectednoaccessibilityerrors.Titlesare formattedproperly,andlinkskeepuser
on same page.
Accessibility/UDL:Site isaccessibletoindividualswithhearingandsightdisabilities,and isveryhelpfulin
explainingUDLto designers.Videosare provides,andlinksfunctiontoenhance learning,asopposedto
creatingoverload. The aspectsof UDL are simplyandthoroughlyexplained,evenincludingvideo
explanation.
#7 Site Review:MicrosoftAccessibilityTechnologyforEveryone
URL Address:http://www.microsoft.com/enable/guides/vision.aspx
Purpose/Content/Topic: Thissite isdesignedforusersof Microsofttoensure theirtechnologycreations
are accessible toall,because Microsoftrealizes“Accessibilityenablespeople.”The site containsnews
and articles,tutorialsanddemosforusingOffice 2010,WindowsXP,Windows7,and WindowsVista.
Site alsoofferslinksand descriptionstoproductsandguides,andhelpfindingassistivetechnology.
StrengthsandWeaknesses: Thissite isamazing.Mostusersshouldhave Microsoft,andthe amountof
UDL resourcesavailableseemendless.The onlyweaknessIcouldfindisthe more youreview site,the
more you wantto learn,andcouldeasilygetcaughtup for hours.
WebValidator:WAVEdetectednoaccessibilityerrors.
Accessibility/UDL:Site canbe usedto ensure accessibilityforall,andteachesuserhow touse the
seemingly endlesssupplyof assistivetechnologylocatedwithinMicrosoftOffice.Helpisavailable for

8. individualswithvisionimpairments,dexterityandmobilityimpairments,learningimpairments,hearing
impairments,andlanguage andcommunicationimpairments.Thissite isthe offersthe essence of UDL,
the abilitytoreach all learners.
Software Resources
#1 Software Resource:WAVE
URL Address:http://wave.webaim.org/
Purpose/Content/Topic:WAVEisa free webvalidator usedtocheckaccessibilityof webpages,HTML,
and files. Usercaninstall with Firefox,Dreamweaver,orinstall Wave intobrowserortoolbar.Purpose is
to helpdesignerswithwebaccessibilityissues.
StrengthsandWeaknesses:Easytouse,free,resultswithinseconds.Weaknessisthatithighlightserrors
and tellsnumberof errors,butnotas explainedassome othervalidatorsites.
WebValidator:Thissource isa webvalidator.
Accessibility/UDL:Easyto use,all userneedstodo iscut and paste website intobox. Site helpswithUDL
by checkingaccessibilityinwebsites,files,andHTML codesto ensure technologyisaccessibletoall
learners.

9. #2 Software Resource: Text2Speech
URL Address:http://www.text2speech.org/
Purpose/Content/Topic: Free site allowingusertodownloadanytext,whichisthenconvertedtoMP3
file whichcanbe listenedto,helpingindividualswithvisual disabilities.Usermayuse MP3 filesforany
use,evencommercial use.Maximum lengthallowed is5000 words,solongdocumentssuchas novels
wouldnotbe used.
StrengthsandWeaknesses: Free,easytouse,andcouldbe usedwithinschoolsforstudentstoheartext
aloud. Users can adjustvolume,choose from5voices, andonlyhave tocut andpaste textto use.
Weaknessesare the voices,theyare roboticsounding.
WebValidator:WAVEdetects3 accessibilityerrors.These includepop- upwindows,javascript
elements,andformlabelsare missing.
Accessibility/UDL:Software isfree andeasytouse.UDL purpose isfor individualswithvisual disabilities
to heartext.Also, usingText2 Speech will helpcreatorstoensure accessibilitytotext.

10. #3 Software Resource: Natural Reader
URL Address:http://www.naturalreaders.com/index.htm
Purpose/Content/Topic: Free software whichcanbe usedthroughwebpage or downloadedsoftware or
purchasedsoftware.Pricesrange from$49.50 to $299. Choicesrange frompersonal use todeveloper
use. Software canbe usedfor word,PDF,emails,orevenwebpage conversionfromtextintospeech.
Fourteenfree voicesare available onthe website.
StrengthsandWeaknesses: Free onlineversioneasytouse,voicesare pleasantandnatural touser,
tutorialsare helpful,andculturallyfriendly.Weaknessisthatmostof site isadvertisementtoupgrade to
more expensive versions.
WebValidator:WAVEdetected68accessibilityerrorsforsite. These includejavascriptelements,event
handler,missingalttext,problematiclinktext,andinvisible content.
Accessibility/UDL:Wonderfultool forstudentswhichisfree andwill convertanytextforindividualswith
visual disabilities.Softwareis simpleforstudentstouse,aswell asdesignerstoensure accessibilityof
theirdocumentforscreenreaders.Multipletutorialsare presenttoassistwithuse. Choice of voices
available touserincludesmanynationalities.

11. #4 Software Resource: TextCompactor
URL Address:http://textcompactor.com/
Purpose/Content/Topic: Free online textsummarizationtool.Youcaneithertype inbox or cut and paste
text.Userthenslidestoarrow to determinewhatpercentage of texttheywanttocompact.User then
can transfertextintodocument,screenreader,ortranslationdevice.Thissoftware canbe usedto
reduce wordinesswhichcausescognitiveoverloadforindividualswithmanytypesof disabilities.
Strengthsand Weaknesses:Site iseasytouse,nodistractions, amazinghow itsummarizesmywords
withoutchangingcritical pointswithinseconds.Weaknesswouldbe thatIdidnot see anyabilityto
uploada documenttocheck.
WebValidator:WAVEdetectednoaccessibilityerrors.
Accessibility/UDL:Site accessible,willensure documentsare accessible toscreenreaders.Canbe used
for individualswithsightdisabilitiesorEnglishLanguage Learnerstoensure yourtextisbrief,tothe
point,andcognitive overloadcan be avoided.

12. #5 Software Resource: Vozme
URL Address:http://vozme.com/index.php?lang=en
Purpose/Content/Topic: Free online texttospeechtool. Vozme isusedtoconvert texttospeechwhen
enteredintobox,thentranslatingwordstospeech.Userpushesmarkedbuttontocreate an MP3 file,
whichautomaticallyplays. The abilitytostopandrestartspeechispresent,andwhenyouclick
unmarkedicon,userisdirectedbackto original site toentermore text.
StrengthsandWeaknesses: Free andconvertstextquickly.Weaknessesinclude thatyoucanonly
choose a male or female voice,theyare automatedsounding,andspeechautomaticallyplays,you
cannot start or stop.
WebValidator:WAVEdetectstwoaccessibilityerrors.Theseinclude missingstructure,invisible content,
and formlabelsmissing.
Accessibility/UDL:Will translate intoEnglish,Spanish,Hindu,anda few otherlanguages.Site ishelpful
to those withvisual disabilities,anddesignerswho are creatingaccessible documents. However,site is
not veryaccessible whenlisteningtospeech.The buttonstostopand start speechare tinyandalmost
unnoticeable.

13. #6 Software Resource:EastEnd LiteracyReadingEffectivenessTool
URL Address:http://www.eastendliteracy.on.ca/clearlanguageanddesign/readingeffectivenesstool/
Purpose/Content/Topic: Thistool isusedto evaluate if yourmanuscriptiswithinproperreadinglevel
for youraudience.Userchoosesshortor longdocument,intendedaudience, andthen answers7criteria
questionstodetermine readinglevel.
StrengthsandWeaknesses: Site isverytime consumingtouse.Icannotvisualize someonewitha
disabilityusingthe site,butitisa helpful sitefordevelopers.Strengthisthatisprovideswriterwithan
accurate evaluationof the readabilitylevel of theirtext.
WebValidator:WAVEdetected32accessibilityerrorswhichneedcorrected.Errorsappeartoall be
causedby missingstructure.
Accessibility/UDL:Toolsisveryuseful whenusingtexttoensure itwill notcause overloadforintended
audience.If material ispresentedattoohighof a grade level,cognitiveoverloadwill occur.Even though
site itself hasmanyerrorswhichneedcorrectedandisdifficulttouse,grade levelinrelationtoreaders
isan importantaspectof avoidingoverload. Difficultbecause have toactuallyhandcountsentences.

14. #7 Software Resource: Site pointcoloraccessibilitytool
URL Address:http://www.sitepoint.com/color-accessibility-tools/
Purpose/Content/Topic: CheckmyColors,ColorScheme Designer,GraybitandVisCheckare five color
accessibilitysiteswhichare linkedtothissite. The purpose of thissite istoorganize colorissues,and
simplifycheckingforaccessibility. ItriedCheckmyColorson a website Icreatedlastsemester.Ittested
205 elements,andlistedhowmanyfailuresinrelationtoluminositycontrastratio,brightness
difference,andcolordifference.
StrengthsandWeaknesses: Site offerslinksto4 differentcoloraccessibilitytools.Eachtool isfora
differentpurpose.Itwouldseemtomake more sense tofollow ruleswithinWCAGguidelines, followed
by usingone of these toolstodouble checkyouraccessibility. Havingall fourwithinone site maybe
overwhelming. Resultsare technical.
WebValidator:WAVEdetected37accessibilityerrorswithinthissite.Errorsinclude problematiclink
textsandincorrectlyorderedheadings.
Accessibility/UDL:Site explainsthat1 in 12 people have some kindof colordeficiency.Thistool will help
a designertoadd colorto theirpresentation,site,ordocumentwhile still keepingitaccessible toall.
Thissite helpsdesignerstomake workaccessible toindividualswithcolorblindnessandwell asmany
colordeficits.Ithelpsdesignertoadhere toWCAGguidelines.

15. #8 Software Resource: MountFocusonscreenkeyboard
URL Address:http://virtual-keyboard.com/
Purpose/Content/Topic: MountFocusis an informationsystemcompanywhichproducesonscreen
keyboards,rangingfromstandardtocompletelycustomized.Pricesrange fromfifteendollarstofour
hundredandninetyfive dollars.Free 30day trial isavailable.Tutorialsare available coveringmany
questionsusersmayhave,andhelpwithuse of keyboard.
StrengthsandWeaknesses: Strengthsare multiple optionstodesignownkeyboardtoensure
compatibilityandsuccess,butkeyboardsare ratherexpensive,dependingonnumberof licenses
accompanyingpurchase.
WebValidator:WAVEdetected2accessibilityerrors.There are emptylinksandproblematiclinktexts.
Accessibility/UDL:Eventhoughthe site haslinkissueswhichneedcorrected,thisisagoodsite for
studentswithphysical disabilities.Onscreenkeyboardswillreduce the cognitive loadrelatedtousinga
mouse andtraditional keyboard. Individualswithdisabilitiescandownloadafree keyboardtotestfor
accessibility.Keyboardssuchasthese give all individualsaccessibilitytotechnology.