Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

The following guidelines are a subset of W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. These priorities are the standard for University Web development. The guidelines are divided into levels of priority; priority 1 guidelines must be met in order to adhere to the following government policies:

• Rehabilitation Act, Section 504
• Rehabilitation Act, Section 508
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Telecommunications Act, Section 255

The second and third priority levels are suggested guidelines, and should be considered to broaden our scope of accessibility. We have chosen specific priorities for USI to conform to, these priorities are as follows:

For more information about each priority, how to identify the priority, and suggested solutions for the priority, click on the priority numerals.

Priority 1

• General Content Development
  1.1 Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element (e.g., via "alt", "longdesc", or in element content). This includes: images, graphical representations of text (including symbols), image map regions, animations (e.g., animated GIFs), applets and programmatic objects, ascii art, frames, scripts, images used as list bullets, spacers, graphical buttons, sounds (played with or without user interaction), stand-alone audio files, audio tracks of video, and video.

  2.1 Ensure that all information conveyed with color is also available without color. For example, if text of a specific color is set aside from the rest of the content.

  4.1 Clearly identify changes in the natural language of a document's text and any text equivalents (e.g., captions).

  6.1 Organize documents so they may be read without style sheets. For example, when an HTML document is rendered without associated style sheets, it must still be possible to read the document.

  6.2 Ensure that equivalents for dynamic content are updated when the dynamic content changes.

  7.1 Until user agents allow users to control flickering, avoid causing the screen to flicker ("blink" and "marquee" are not supported).

  14.1 Use the clearest and simplest language appropriate for a site's content.
   

• Images and image maps
  1.2 Provide redundant text links for each active region of a server-side image map.

  9.1 Provide client-side image maps instead of server-side image maps except where the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric shape.
   

• Tables
  5.1 Identify row and column headers in data tables.

  5.2 For data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers, use markup to associate data cells and header cells.
   

• Frames
  12.1 Title each frame to facilitate frame identification and navigation.
   

• Applets and scripts
  6.3 Ensure that pages are usable when scripts, applets, or other programmatic objects are turned off or not supported. If this is not possible, provide equivalent information on an alternative accessible page.
   

• General multimedia
1.3 Until user agents can automatically read aloud the text equivalent of a video, provide an auditory description of the important information in  the video. Equivalents for sounds can be provided in the form of a text phrase on the page that links to a text transcript or description of the sound file.

1.4 For time-based multimedia presentations (video or animation), synchronize equivalent alternatives with the presentation (captions or audio).
 

• If all else fails

11.4 If, after best efforts, you cannot create an accessible page, provide a link to an alternative page that uses W3C technologies, is accessible, has equivalent information (or functionality), and is updated as often as the inaccessible (original) page.

Priority 2

• General Content Development

2.2 Ensure that foreground and background color combinations provide sufficient contrast when viewed by someone having color deficits or when viewed on a black and white screen (Priority 2 for images, Priority 3 for text).

3.1 When an appropriate markup language exists, use markup rather than images to convey information.

3.2 Documents should validate to published formal grammars.

3.3 Use style sheets to control layout and presentation.

3.4 Use relative attribute values and style sheet property values rather than absolute units in markup language .

3.5 Use header elements to convey document structure and use them according to specification.

3.6 Mark up lists and list items properly.

3.7 Mark up quotations. Do not use quotation markup for formatting effects such as indentation.

6.5 Ensure that dynamic content is accessible or provide an alternative presentation or page.

7.2 Avoid causing content to blink.

7.4 Until user agents provide the ability to stop the refresh, do not create periodically auto-refreshing pages.

7.5 Until user agents provide the ability to stop auto-redirect, do not use markup to redirect pages automatically. Instead, configure the server to perform redirects.

10.1 Until user agents allow users to turn off spawned windows, do not cause pop-ups or other windows to appear and do not change the current window without informing the user.

11.1 Use W3C technologies when they are available and appropriate for a task and use the latest versions when supported.

11.2 Avoid deprecated features of W3C technologies.

12.3 Divide large blocks of information into more manageable groups where natural and appropriate.

13.1 Clearly identify the target of each link.

13.2 Provide metadata to add semantic information to pages and sites.

13.3 Provide information about the general layout of a site (a site map or table of contents).

13.4 Use navigation mechanisms in a consistent manner.

• Tables

5.3 Do not use tables for layout unless the table makes sense when linearized. Otherwise, if the table does not make sense, provide an alternative equivalent.

5.4 If a table is used for layout, do not use any structural markup for the purpose of visual formatting.
 

• Frames
  12.2 Describe the purpose of frames and how frames relate to each other if it is not obvious by frame titles alone.
   

• Forms
  10.2 Ensure that labels are properly positioned.

  12.4 Associate labels explicitly with their controls.
   

• Applets and Scripts
  6.4 For scripts and applets, ensure that event handlers are input device-independent.

  7.3 Until user agents allow users to freeze moving content, avoid movement in pages.

  8.1 Make programmatic elements such as scripts and applets directly accessible or compatible with assistive technologies (Priority 1 if functionality is important and not presented elsewhere, otherwise Priority 2).

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