Information Architecture for the Web: Coding

Making your website accessible is an important part of web development.

Basics for Accessibility

Title. Be sure to include a title in the head section of the document.

Text. For text, use style sheets and class names that are descriptive. Add voice families for listeners.

The easiest way to get started is by making sure you have included alternative text for all visual and auditory elements of your page such as images, links, tables, videos, and sounds.

Images. For images, use alternative text.

Tables. For tables, use a table summary and caption.

Avoid frames and complex layouts that would be difficult for web assistants to interpret.

Considerations in Text-Only Versions

Needs

Meet special needs associated with visual and auditory challenges
Provide alternative presentation method to address roll-over and other technical issues
Incorporate option for printing

Basic Elements of Text-Only

Equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content
Convey information without color
Remove formatting such as tables
Provide alternatives to interactive activities (i.e., roll-overs, pop-ups)
Provide context and orientation information & clear navigation mechanisms

Suggested Format
[This page contains the text of the entire first module titled Module A: Overview. This module contains 16 numbered screens.]

[Start Screen A-1 of 16]

What is Outcomes Based Evaluation?

Your work in a library or museum makes a difference in the life of visitors. What is the best way to demonstrate that difference?

[End Screen A-1 of 16]

Test for Web Accessibility

When you think you've made your website web accessible, it's time to check with HiSoftware® Cynthia Says™ Portal to see if your page is really compliance with current guidelines. It is an automatic verifier of web site accessibility designed to expose possible barriers to website use by those with disabilities. HiSoftware® Cynthia Says™ checks your web page to determine how well it addresses Section 508 of the US Rehabilitation Act and W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). It will check one page at a time and provide feedback. Your job is not to address everything, but to be aware of barriers to accessibility.

Running the Test

Go to the HiSoftware® Cynthia Says™ website. Enter your URL.

image of HiSoftware Cynthia Says Portal

Copy and paste the URL of the webpage which you want to check into the 'Web Page (Required)' text box. Avoid keyboarding / typo errors by Copying and pasting the URL directly in place rather than entering manually. Check to be sure that you have the URL correct.
Be sure that Section 508 is selected underneath of Accessibility Report Mode.
Read through the information provided in the 'Completing this form' section (bottom of page).
Then check your URL by clicking on the 'Test your site' button.

closeup image of Cynthia Says web form

Using the guidelines established by the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Access Initiative (WAI) and the Section 508 guidelines from the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) of the U.S. Federal Government, HiSoftware® Cynthia Says™ will test your web pages.

Examining the Results

When you get your Verification results, you'll want to go back and make changes that might increase the accessibility of your pages. Unless you're a state or federal government agency (Check individual states for exact requirements), you don't have to make all the recommended changes. However you should be aware that if your pages aren't Section 508 compliant, some people may not be able to use your site.

You should make changes so that 0 errors occur. It's okay if you have a few warnings, as long as you're aware of the issue and understand why the warning is given. Oftentimes it is a situation that cannot be automatically checked by the software and is something that you can check yourself. Read and understand Cynthia™ Tested Button Guidelines - When, Why, and How to use. If and only if your webpage passes the accessibility test with no errors, then you should follow the directions and use / place the Cynthia Tested Logo on the webpage (Displayed here).

The system does not automatically create an icon like the HTML or CSS validation. However you are free to add the WebXACT icon and logo to your page but only if your webpage passes with no errors.

Note: If you get a message saying that the system is busy, just try again later.

Try It

Conduct a HiSoftware® Cynthia Says™ validation on your practice page. For help in interpreting the results, explore the documents connected in the Learn More section below. How can you improve your web authoring to be more accessible?

Learn More

HiSoftware provides online tutorials that explain and guide your coding for passing accessibility tests.

Creating Alt Text for Images - good and bad practices used in describing images with alternative text or long descriptions.

Section 508 Standards (a) / WCAG Guidelines 1.1 - guide to complying with the Section 508 guidelines.

Section 508 Standard (b) & W3C WCAG 1.0 Guidelines 1.1 - tips for Section 508 with quivalent alternatives for presentation of multimedia elements.

Section 508 (c) W3C Guidelines 2.1 - information conveyed with color is also available without color.

Section 508 (g&h) W3C Guidelines 5.1 &5.2 - use of columns, cells, tables and their headings.

Section 508 (i) W3C Guidelines 1.1 &12.1 - use of frame and frameset elements.

Section 508 (j) W3C Guidelines 7.1 - alternatives for BLINK and MARQUE elements.

Section 508 (l)&(m) W3C Guidelines 6.3 - Ensure that pages are usable or provide equivalent information when scripts, applets, or other programmatic objects are turned off or not supported.

Section 508 (0) - provide method that allows users to skip repetitive navigation links.

The above tutorial guide sections are from the book Understanding Accessibility, published by HiSoftware Publishing... The entire book can be viewed online in accessible HTML Help format. Also find more information at:

Section 508: The Road to Accessibility - information from the federal government.

Web Accessibility Initiative - informatin from W3C.