Using Web Content Management Systems for Accessibility: The experience of a Research Institute Portal

A vast number of guidelines have been set up to regulate accessibility and conformance to standards of web pages. However, it is a fact that the percentage of fully accessible web sites is still low. When designing accessible web portals, knowledge of technologies and a good familiarity with interpreting guidelines are certainly required, but other factors have to be considered. This paper describes the process of implementation of the web site of the e-Inclusion Lab research group, using an Open Source Web Content Management System, and constitutes an example of good practice in how accessibility can be made mainstream in a research portal. The experience revealed that key factors for mainstreaming accessibility also include the acceptance of the overall solution by content authors and the system administrators.