Creator: University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
Date Updated: October 21, 2021
Overview
The DLAUG is a set of digital accessibility guidelines created to support users with print disabilities who rely on screen readers to interact with digital libraries. It is heavily based on WCAG rules, but the focus is on the relationship between digital libraries and patrons who use assistive technology such as screen readers.
The information is summarized from the Digital Library Accessibility and Usability Guidelines.
Quick Facts
- The DLAUG guidelines are broken down into categories that describe problems people with print disabilities encounter when seeking information.
- Difficulty accessing information provides guidelines to solve problems users experience relating to recognizing what information is available and accessing/receiving it.
- Difficulty evaluating information has guidelines for understanding the information available in digital libraries (like search results, collections, or subject organization).
- Difficulty with help provides guidelines for digital libraries to improve their labels and help information.
- Difficulty locating specific information, items, or features has guidelines for digital libraries to make finding information (like specific items, metadata, search features, etc.) more accessible.
- Difficulty identifying current status, path, or cursor mode provides rules to solve issues users may have of getting started and navigating in digital libraries.
- Confusion about multiple programs or DL structures section provides guidelines to help digital libraries prevent or limit confusion from having a complex organizational structure.
- Avoidance tendency guidelines suggest that digital libraries provide more information about and link to features (visual items, advanced search, browsing methods, etc.) that users may not know about or avoid.
- Difficulty constructing or refining searches provides rules to help users who may have difficulty formulating and reformulating searches.
- Difficulty with compatibility issues has guidelines to improve or solve compatibility issues between the digital library and the user’s assistive technologies, browser, and keyboard.
Reference
University of Wisconsin (2021). Digital Library Accessibility and Usability Guidelines (DLAUG) to Support Blind and Visually Impaired Users. Web page. Retrieved from: https://sites.uwm.edu/guidelines/