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San José State University ATI Initiative -Web Committee

Accessibility Tips – Web Sites

This document is meant to be a resource for staff/faculty responsible for the maintenance of SJSU web sites that comply with accessibility standards. The items below were compiled from both the experiences from the web conversion team, advice from the SJSU web conversion staff, and various documents developed by the center for faculty development. The list is by no means complete, but it should help with maintenance of an accessible web site.

Once a site is in the SJSU WebCMS7 format, a link becomes available where you can check the compliance of your site:

http://webcheck.sjsu.edu

This is the single best resource presently available to check for most accessibility problems. Once problems are identified, then you can proceed to make corrections to your site.

Likely trouble spots with respect to accessibility to keep in mind:

• Tables (use layout tables sparingly and only when no other format is appropriate)
  • Make sure cells have complete content and that info in table makes sense when reading left to right.
  • Remember to put a caption at the top of data tables (in grey space) so it is connected to the table.
  • Remember you need to have column/row header(s) for data tables.
  • Don’t assign characteristics (like table size) manually.
• Links in text: Text should describe where a link takes you. Do not use link text that is vague. For example:
  • Bad: This document provides… This is too vague. Software reading this to an unsighted person will simply convey that there is a link and the only info will be the word document.
  • Better: The undergraduate handbook [pdf] provides… This is much better since the nature of the content as well as its type is conveyed by the link text.
• Image alt text:
  All images need to have associated with them alternate text that is descriptive of the image. If you select an image from the SJSU archive this information is already provided. If you upload images of your own you must attach alternate text &emdash; which can be done from the image gallery folder where you put the image. Images that are purely decorative can have alt text with no content (alt="").
• Headings
  Use appropriate headings. If you are creating a sub-heading, don't use bold text, use the appropriate heading level. For example, if you are creating a new heading that is a sub-heading of an h3, the new one should be h4. Heading levels should be chosen based on the structure of the page, not on their visual appearance.
• Non-html documents:
  If you are linking to a downloadable document rather than a Web page, then indicate in the link text what type of document it is (i.e. PDF, PPT, doc, xls, etc.).
• Layout tables
  If you are using a table to create columns of text, use a layout table (not a data table) with only one row. Layout tables should not have headings or descriptions.
• Colors
  Do not use color alone to emphasize text. Use bold or italic in addition to color.
• Pop-Up windows
  Avoid opening links in new windows. If you feel you need to do it, let users know that the link will open in a new window. This information should come before the link.

Web Resources:

ADA Compliance Office
Accessibility Resources

Note: WebCMS7 Training Dates: RSVP by phone to 924-2303 or by email to cfd@sjsu.edu

Where to go for help:

Visit the CFDS Open Lab in IRC 202 from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday to receive one-on-one consultation in adapting your course/department materials to accessible formats. Contact Jean Shiota, lab coordinator (4-2884) or Mei Fang, instructional designer (4-2456) to make an appointment.

In addition, faculty needing assistance with instructional materials can check Faculty in Residence for Instructional Materials

Your ATI liaison is the person to go to in order get documents on your web site converted to an accessible format. This service is available to help departments with conversions. It is important that staff/faculty responsible for the site learn how to create documents in an accessible format so that new documents posted will be in an appropriate format.

ATI Liaisons: