Advanced search
Publication Cover
Western Journal of Communication Volume 88, 2024 - Issue 1
Submit an article Journal homepage
182
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Article

Identifying Accessibility Improvement Opportunities for Global Environmental Communication Websites

Alicia M. Masona Alicia Mason is a Professor in the Department of Communication at Pittsburg State University. Her research focuses on health, environmental, risk and crisis communication. Mason is the Director of Graduate Studies and Director of the Communication Research Lab at Pittsburg State University. Mason teaches within the Strategic Communication emphasis area and serves as a faculty contributor to the Bachelor of Integrated Studies (SSRM) degree program: Society, Sustainability and Resource ManagementCorrespondence[email protected]
ORCID Iconhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-0844-7707
ORCID Icon,
Josh Comptonb Josh Compton is Professor of Speech at Dartmouth College. He has been studying inoculation as a way to confer resistance to influence for more than 20 years. Most of his work of late focuses on the theory itself—how it works, why it works, and whether it might work better. His applied work is mostly in mis- and disinformation, science communication, health communication, and sport. Josh has been named Distinguished Lecturer by Dartmouth College and has won the Outstanding Professor Award from the National Speakers Association and has twice won the L. E. Norton Award for Outstanding ScholarshipORCID Iconhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-4625-3823
ORCID Icon &
Sakshi Bhatic Sakshi Bhati is a Ph.D. Candidate, in the Leadership Communication Doctoral Program at Kansas State University and serves as a graduate teaching assistant, A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications
Pages 68-82 | Published online: 28 Dec 2022
 
Sample our Communication Studies journals, sign in here to start your access, 2013 & 2014 volumes FREE to you for 14 days

Abstract

Digital environmental information presented with low web accessibility reduces participation in environmental advocacy and information seeking behaviors for many people with disabilities, creating a consequential digital divide. We use WEB AIM computer automated analysis of web accessibility to assess the general accessibility of online environmental communication messages. Results show 95.3% of the popular websites in our sample had indicators of potentially critical accessibility errors. Our findings highlight the importance of addressing digital environmental information accessibility shortcomings so that educational, informational and persuasive environmental messages can increase environmental literacy of vulnerable populations and help to bridge the digital divide.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Log in via your institution

Access through your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

Restore content access

Restore content access for purchases made as guest
Purchase options * Save for later

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 53.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.