Analysis of Accessibility of the Electronic Graphic Elements and Other Focal Areas in Tertiary Education

Within the context of information content growth in the tertiary education, the issue of the accessibility of electronic graphic elements and other focal areas belongs to the current practice issues. The main research goal is to introduce the key aspects of electronic graphic elements' accessibility and other focal areas for the individuals with impaired visual perception in tertiary education in the Czech and Slovak Republic. By qualitative analysis, we have evaluated the websites and other electronic documents at 106 electronic platforms of universities and colleges in the Czech and Slovak Republic. In the process of accessibility analysis of electronic graphic elements and other focal areas, we used the specifically adapted system of accessibility assessment. Since 2008, this assessment system has been an integral part of the official methodology of the electronic document accessibility in the Slovak Republic. We found that only 2.8% of universities and colleges in total provide their electronic graphic elements in an accessible form. For visually impaired individuals, the information provided via graphic elements without text equivalent represent a substantial digital barrier, since the assistive technology is not able to interpret such non-text elements correctly. © 2016 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy.org.uk