The Iowa School for the Deaf provides a place where deaf and hard of hearing students of all ages can grow academically and socially. A key factor in their success is language immersion. Throughout their experience at the ISD campus and extracurricular activities, students are primarily exposed to American Sign Language (ASL).
The Challenge
The primary challenge with this project was finding an innovative way to incorporate sign language into a traditional website alongside written English in a way that would remain mobile friendly. In addition, the old site had a dated look and feel that made it difficult for all users to locate the resources they need.
Summary of Solutions
- Sign language videos for portions of the site’s content
- Refocusing navigation based on users’ needs
- Updated and refreshed look and feel for the site
- 508 Compliance and WCAG 2.1 AA Standards
- Content strategy and organization aligned to accurately reflect ISD’s services
Before & After
Webspec worked with the ISD staff to create ASL videos for select portions of the site’s content. These videos were implemented with an innovative “Click for ASL” button that replaces the written content with the appropriate video in order to maintain the language immersion environment.
