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Web sites should be designed to ensure that everyone, including users who have difficulty seeing, hearing, and making precise movements, can use them. Generally, this means ensuring that Web sites facilitate the use of common assistive technologies.
1.Design Forms for Users Using Assistive Technologies
Ensure that users using assistive technology can complete and submit online forms.Much of the information collected through the Internet is collected using online forms. All users should be able to access forms and interact with field elements such as radio buttons and text boxes.
2.Do Not Use Color Alone to Convey Information
Ensure that all information conveyed with color is also available without color. Never use color as the only indicator for critical activities. About eight percent of males and about one-half of one percent of females have difficulty discriminating colors. Most users with color deficiencies have difficulty seeing colors in the green portion of the spectrum. To accommodate color-deficient users, designers should:
- Select color combinations that can be discriminated by users with color deficiencies;
- Use tools to see what Web pages will look like when seen by color deficient users;
- Ensure that the lightness contrast between foreground and background colors is high;
- Increase the lightness contrast between colors on either end of the spectrum (e.g., blues and reds); and
- Avoid combining light colors from either end of the spectrum with dark colors from the middle of the spectrum.
3.Enable Users to Skip Repetitive Navigation Links
To aid those using assistive technologies, provide a means for users to skip repetitive navigation links. Developers frequently place a series of routine navigational links at a standard location—usually across the top, bottom, or side of a page. For people using assistive devices, it can be a tedious and time-consuming task to wait for all of the repeated links to be read. Users should be able to avoid these links when they desire to do so.
4.Provide Text Equivalents for Non-Text Elements
Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element that conveys information. Text equivalents should be used for all non-text elements, including images, graphical representations of text (including symbols), image map regions, animations (e.g., animated GIFs), applets and programmatic objects, ASCII art, frames, scripts, images used as list bullets, spacers, graphical buttons, sounds, stand-alone audio files, audio tracks of video, and video.
5.Test Plug-Ins and Applets for Accessibility
To ensure accessibility, test any applets, plug-ins or other applications required to interpret page content to ensure that they can be used by assistive technologies. Applets, plug-ins and other software can create problems for people using assistive technologies, and should be thoroughly tested for accessibility.
6.Ensure that Scripts Allow Accessibility
When designing for accessibility, ensure that the information provided on pages that utilize scripting languages to display content or to create interface elements can be read by assistive technology. Whenever a script changes the content of a page, the change must be indicated in a way that can be detected and read by a screen reader. Also, if ’mouseovers’ are used, ensure that they can be activated using a keyboard.
7.Provide Equivalent Pages
Provide text-only pages with equivalent information and functionality if compliance with accessibility provisions cannot be accomplished in any other way. When no other solution is available, one option is to design, develop, and maintain a parallel Web site that does not contain any graphics. The pages, in such a Web site should be readily accessible, and facilitate the use of screen readers and other assistive devices.As a rule, ensure that text-only pages are updated as frequently and contain all of the same information as their non-text counterparts. Also inform users that text-only pages are exactly equivalent and as current as non-text counterparts.
8.Provide Client-Side Image Maps
To improve accessibility, provide client-side image maps instead of server-side image maps.Client-side image maps can be made fully accessible, whereas server-side image maps cannot be made accessible without employing a text alternative for each section of the map. To make client-side image maps accessible, each region within the map should be assigned alt text that can be read by a screen reader or other assistive device. Designers must ensure that redundant text links are provided for each active region of a server-side image map.
9.Do Not Require Style Sheets
Organize documents so they are readable without requiring an associated style sheet.Style sheets are commonly used to control Web page layout and appearance. Style sheets should not hamper the ability of assistive devices to read and logically portray information.
10.Provide Frame Titles
To ensure accessibility, provide frame titles that facilitate frame identification and navigation. Frames are used to divide the browser screen into separate areas, with each area presenting different, but usually related, information. For example, a designer may use a frame to place navigational links in the left page, and put the main information in a larger frame on the right side. This allows users to scroll through the information section without disturbing the navigation section. Clear and concise frame titles enable people with disabilities to properly orient themselves when frames are used.
11.Avoid Screen Flicker
Design Web pages that do not cause the screen to flicker with a frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz. Five percent of people with epilepsy are photosensitive, and may have seizures triggered by certain screen flicker frequencies. Most current monitors are unlikely to provoke seizures.
You can visit Bobby Online Portal, and get your web site accessibility report. |
