Level of Accessibility of the Websites of the Higher Education Institutions in the Department from Cauca-Colombia

The Internet has become a fundamental means of communication, with the World Wide Web (Web) serving as a universal platform for data transmission. This article presents a study reflecting on the evaluation of website accessibility among Public and Private Higher Education Institutions (IES) in the department of Cauca, Colombia. The study encompasses a total of 13 IES, including 9 located within the department and 4 based in Cauca. The public sector comprises 3 IES, while the private sector comprises 10. Notably, the department of Cauca boasts 2 IES with high quality accreditation, as recognized by the Ministry of National Education in 2021, benefiting 47,561 students enrolled in non-accredited IES and 22,110 enrolled in accredited ones. Websites play an indispensable role in higher education, necessitating free access to information. However, with a rising number of students with disabilities enrolled in higher education, it is imperative to address accessibility issues to ensure a high level of inclusivity. Many websites currently face accessibility challenges, highlighting the need to raise awareness of the benefits of accessibility. This analysis is based on the WCAG 2.1 standard, (level A , AA and AAA), which encompasses four accessibility principles: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. The Taw online tool was employed as an evaluation method to communicate and discuss the results.