Accessibility Guidelines

Web accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 define how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities.  The video below from W3C provides a good summary of web accessibility.

The following guidelines are based on the W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, but is not a substitute for the WCAG specification. It was created to assist the TCS community, including web designers, developers, content creators, and purchasing agents, in creating accessible content and procuring accessible applications. Our intent in creating it is to present accessibility information in a way that we feel is easier to understand.

It is organized loosely using the four main principles of WCAG. In order to be accessible, content must be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust (POUR). Many of the items in these guidelines apply to multiple technologies (e.g., websites, documents, videos, online courses, online meetings).

The four main principles of accessibility are: 

Perceivable: Makes content and controls perceivable by all users.

1. Do headings form an outline of the page content?
2. Are lists used to identify all content that can be described as a list of something?
3. Are common regions of the web page properly identified (e.g., as banner, main content, or navigation)?
4. Does video have captions and audio description? Does audio have a transcript?
5. Do form fields within web pages and documents have appropriately coded labels and prompts, and do they provide helpful, accessible error and verification messages?
6. Do images have alternative text?
7. Are tables used solely for presenting rows and columns of data (not for layout), and are the column and row headers identified?
8. Is the tab order and read order logical and intuitive?
9. Have you avoided using visual characteristics to communicate information (e.g., “click the circle on the right” or “required fields are in red”)?
10. Does the interface have sufficient contrast between text color and background color?
11. Does the content scale well when text is enlarged?
12. Are pop-ups such as menus, dialogs, and tooltips accessible?
13. Is content accessible on mobile devices?

Operable: Make content and controls operable by all users.

1. Can all menus, links, buttons, and other controls be operated by keyboard, to make them accessible to users who are unable to use a mouse?
2. Are links and buttons used appropriately and labeled correctly?
3. Does the web page or document have a title that describes its topic or purpose?
4. Are mechanisms in place that allow users to bypass blocks of content (e.g., a “skip to main content” link on a web page or bookmarks in a PDF)?
5. Do features that scroll or update automatically (e.g., slideshows, carousels) have prominent accessible controls that enable users to pause or advance these features on their own?
6. Do pages that have time limits include mechanisms for adjusting those limits for users who need more time?
7. Have you avoided using content that flashes or flickers?

Understandable: Make content and user interfaces understandable to all users.

1. Has the language of the web page or document (or individual parts of a multilingual document) been defined?
2. Have you avoided links, controls, or form fields that automatically trigger a change in context?
3. Does the website have consistent navigation, including two or more ways of finding content?

Robust: Make content robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.

1. Is the web page coded using valid HTML?
2. Do rich, dynamic, web interfaces include ARIA markup?

What are the benefits of web accessibility?

Web accessibility benefits all users, including those without a disability. Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) has great resources showing how accessibility benefits everyone. Web Accessibility Perspectives: Explore the Impact and Benefits for Everyone.