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 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.

Mason, A., Compton, J., & Bhati, S. (2022, May). Identifying accessibility improvement opportunities for environmental communication websites. [poster presentation]. International Communication Association, Paris, France.