Access NSDL Project
Detailed Overview

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Access NSDL is working with the Internet Scout Project at the University of Wisconsin to develop tools and resources to assist developers of digital libraries containing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) content.

Both current and potential NSDL content and services providers will benefit from development of an evaluation tool that enables them to audit the accessibility of their content and site design. The NSDL community will be empowered by the technical capabilities, training sessions and resources developed through this Project to apply access solutions to a range of future educational services and products. Project deliverables include:

• An automated evaluation tool that can report on a site's accessibility and guide users to relevant resources to address barriers to accessibility by people with disabilities.
• An integrated and comprehensive Web site, for use by the NSDL community and beyond, which provides useful materials, tools, sample solutions, and demonstration models specific to challenges presented by math and science content.
• A Working Paper on Access Specifications and Solutions, a document for the NSDL community that summarizes relevant approaches to access and interoperability from working groups within the IMS Global Learning Consortium, the W3C and the Dublin Core.

The Access NSDL Project will have a positive impact on people with disabilities by making it possible for them to access STEM content presented within the NSDL. Results will also enrich and extend the overall learning experience to serve learners interested in using alternate display or presentation methods as well as people experiencing disability through aging or temporary conditions. The Project will also further the goals of the National Science Foundation to facilitate the inclusion of people with disabilities in STEM education and careers.

Project resources will inform the development of an accessible infrastructure for NSDL and enhance the ability of service and collection providers to create accessible content. Development of an automated evaluation tool and implementation tests by the Access NSDL Project will contribute to future releases of the WAI's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and Evaluation and Report Language, making these important tools more usable for collection developers and Web designers in the global STEM community and throughout the online world.