In Bulgaria, there is a huge need for web portals that promote the importance of the term accessibility of information and services and offer thematic training resources for citizens from different professional fields. Here we will publish translated and authored resources in Bulgarian and English, which cover in summary the following informal curriculum for digital accessibility:
- Introduction to DA: Introduction to the basic concepts and principles of digital accessibility. Definition and meaning of DA for different groups of people (people with disabilities, elderly people, people with low literacy, etc.); International standards and legislation (e.g. WCAG).
2. Basic principles and standards of DA: Understanding the four basic principles of the WCAG standard: Perceived, Operable, Understandable, Robust. This means ensuring that the content is presented in a way that can be perceived by all types of users, the interface, navigation, content are usable and understandable by all users, as well as being interoperable with additive current and future technologies.
3. Practical skills for creating accessible content; using accessibility testing tools (WAVE, Lighthouse, Accessibility Insights); Creating accessible documents (PDF, Word) and web pages (HTML, CSS); Using alternative text (alt text) for images, keyboard navigation settings, using screen readers, etc.
- Design and development of accessible websites and applications. On the site we publish a Web Developer’s Guide with a detailed description of the necessary knowledge and skills (HTML5 and ARIA attributes, CSS to improve visual accessibility, JavaScript integration without violating accessibility, testing and validating accessibility using automated and manual methods).
- Accessibility in mobile devices and social media, which includes: design of accessible mobile applications, creation of accessible content for social media, use of functions such as subtitles and audio descriptions in videos.
- Policies and practices for maintaining DA: The role of educational institutions, local and regional policies in promoting and encouraging DD and including accessibility as a mandatory element in the design and development of sites, portals, information systems. In our country, there is an urgent need to introduce accredited educational programs and courses in secondary specialized education and higher education to increase the expertise of developers and users.
- Lifelong learning and DA certification.
Our goal in these seven points is to present a structured framework for educating citizens on digital accessibility, which encompasses theoretical foundations, practical skills, and strategies for implementing accessibility in everyday work and life.
Accessibility learning content has been created, including several video lessons:
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
The author of the video lessons is Dr. Negoslav Sabev.
