Universal Design
- Include a document type declaration (DOCTYPE) in your web pages.
This declares what version of HTML you are using in your documents,
and assists the browser in rendering your pages correctly.
- Maintain a standard page layout and navigation method throughout the
web site.
- Use headings, lists, and consistent structure.
- Avoid the unnecessary use of icons, graphics and photographs.
- Use plain backgrounds and simple layouts to improve the readability
of text.
- 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.
- Provide a text-only index or site map of your site.
- Include textual as well as graphical navigation aids.
- Do not abbreviate dates; for example, use December 1, 2000 rather
than 12/1/00.
- Ensure that dynamic content is accessible or provide an alternative
presentation or page.
- Until user agents allow users to freeze moving content, avoid movement
in pages.
- Test your web pages with a variety of web technologies; including
,but not limited to, graphical browsers with the images turned off,
browsers with JavaScript disabled, a text based browser, using only
your keyboard, and using assistive technology.
- Avoid the use of HTML tags or extensions which are supported by only
one browser.
- Check web pages and images at different monitor resolutions, monitor
sizes and color depth settings.
- Hyperlinks to downloadable files should include a text description
that includes the file size and file type.
- You may consider the development of a text-only version of the document
or site to facilitate access not only by people with visual impairments,
but users of non-graphical browsers or slow Internet connections. Keep
in mind, however, this option requires considerable resources and discipline
to keep the two versions of the content in sync.
Text-Based Design
- End all sentences, headers, list items, etc. with a period or other
suitable punctuation.
- Avoid using side by side presentation of text, for example, columns
and tables.
- Provide alternate versions of forms; Alternatives might include a
simple list or paragraph of what is needed to submit a form entry and
then provide a link to a mailto: feature or simply an appropriate e-mail
address to send the text.
- Minimize the number of hyperlinks that appear in a single line of
text - one hyperlink is best; consider using vertical lists for links
wherever possible.
- Avoid/Limit the use of bitmap images of text, unless a textual alternative
is also provided.
- Consider beginning lists with a descriptive identifier and the number
of items so the users will have an idea of what the list represents
and the total length of the list. Using numbers instead of bullets will
also help the user to remember items that interest them.
- Provide meaningful and descriptive text for hyperlinks, don't use
short hand, e.g. "click here"; instead "Follow this link
to our News Page". (Screen readers can search specifically
for linked text, "click here" provides no indication of where
the link will take them.) If documents are provided in a specialized
format (e.g. PDF (Portable Document Format) , etc.) provide the equivalent
text in plain text or HTML format.
Graphics and Images
- Keep the number of colors in your images to a minimum.
- Minimize the file size and number of images you display on any one
page.
- Design your background image at the lowest color depth and resolution
you can.
- Ensure that text can always be clearly read at any location against
the background.
- Avoid/Limit using image maps; provide an alternate text-based method
of selecting options when image maps are used, e.g., separate HTML page
or menu bar.
- Use the ALT attribute with image tags to provide associated, meaningful,
text for all images, pictures and graphical bullets.
- Consider using the "longdesc" attribute of the IMG tag to
specify a link to a long description of the image. This description
should supplement the short description provided using the ALT attribute.
When the image has an associated image map, this attribute should provide
information about the image map's contents. This is particularly important
for server-side image maps.
- If image files are used for graphical bullets in place of standard
HTML, it is best to use a bullet character like an asterisk " *
" or "o" in the ALT = text field of the <IMG> tag
(rather than describing the bullet as: "This is a small purple
square").
Audio/Visual Features
- Provide text transcriptions of all video clips.
- If possible include captions or text tracts with a description or
sounds of the movie.
- Provide descriptive passages about speakers and events being shown
through video clips.
- Give a written description of any critical information that is contained
in audio files contained on your website.
- If you link to an audio file, inform the user of the audio file format
and file size in kilobytes.
Scripts, applets and plug-ins
- Provide alternative content in case active features are inaccessible
or unsupported.
|