Additional Accessibility Resources

Kara Franco

December 12, 2017 18:56

Web Accessibility

These resources cover the basics of accessibility on the web - why it's important and what it looks like in action.

Laws and Regulations

Sections 508 and 504 are key components of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 508 defines accessibility standards for digital content, including websites, software and PDFs. In January 18, 2018, Section 508 was updated to align with the WCAG 2.0 international standard. Section 504 protects the rights of people with disabilities in any program that receives federal funding.

Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act extends Section 504 to any public school, regardless if they receive Federal financial assistance. In recent court cases, there has been an uptick in private companies and organizations receiving web accessibility complaints under Title III of the ADA.

WCAG 2.0

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (currently in their second edition) are compiled by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) - the same global body which defines standards for HTML, CSS, and other foundational web technologies. The WCAG spells out the correct ways to implement accessibility criteria.

Accessibility Statements

A website's Accessibility Statement is a textual description of any accessibility criteria or features that website has implemented.

Assistive Technology

Assistive technology is any type of software or device that helps an end user access your content. The most common assistive technology that we should all be aware of are screen readers.

Evaluation Tools

Evaluation tools can be used to test your site pages, one by one, for accessibility barriers. The following is a list of resources about common, free evaluation tools and more information about testing. Remember, evaluation tools are known to only catch between 10%-30% of accessibility issues found on a page. The remaining errors are found with human judgement and manual assistive technology testing.

Alternative Text

These resources describe how to best add alternative text to visual media.

Link Language

The text of a link has special consideration in the context of accessibility - learn about what makes some links more accessible than others.

Descriptive Links - General Description
Descriptive Links - Technical Description
Example of Good Link Language

Logical Page Structure

HTML heading elements are a key component of constructing an accessible website.

Logical Headings

Color Contrast Ratio

Some visual impairments make certain colors or color combinations difficult to perceive; there's guidance available on how to implement color schemes that are both attractive and effective.

Accessible PDF Resources

PDFs are everywhere, but they present some very specific accessibility challenges. These resources can help you deploy PDFs in ways that will not work against your accessibility goals.

Accessible Forms

Accessibility information specific to online forms.

Accessible Videos

Videos are web content and are also subject to accessibility criteria, particularly regarding captions. Learn about how text captions can be added even to existing videos.

Quick References for Content Creators

Accessibility is a vast topic with plenty of details to keep track of! Use these resources to stay on top of what's important in presenting text effectively to all readers.