Style Guide [part 6]
Accessibility Issues
An advantage of scripting with strict XHTML is that many accessibility barriers naturally disappear. But this is not enough. The most obvious accessibility issues you will need to address are as follows:
- Images:
- Always include the
alt="replacement text"attribute. If you need the null attribute (which looks likealt="") for a place holding graphic, speak to the web administrator. (Why would you need to do this?) - Forms:
- All form inputs need place holding text and should have a logical tab index sequence.
- Tables:
- Tables should be used only to present tabular data and should include the
summary="description"attribute as a starter. Making data tables accessible is a bit more involved. Speak to your web administrator. - Links:
- Link text should be short and clear. If additional information is needed, use the
title="description"attribute. Adjacent links need to be separated by more than white space.
Issues We Shouldn't Need to Address
Because you are working from a template, the following items which often present accessibility barriers should not be issues:
- animated images
- server side maps
- tables for layout purposes
- multimedia content
- scripts
- applets
- frames
If you need to include one of the items on a web page, speak to the web administrator.
Verifying Accessibility
All pages on Steely Library's Web site will verify as Bobby AAA Approved. Each page in the web site contains a link to the Bobby home page. Once you have completed your web page, go to the Bobby home page and run a test. If you are unsure about how to correct your page, speak to the web administrator.
Keep in mind that accessibility checkers such as Bobby can test for many barriers, but they cannot guarantee accessibility. Many accessibility features require judgment calls. Think about the spirit rather than the letter of the guideline.
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updated: Saturday, 20-Aug-2005 17:50:24 EDT