The Web Design Process: Accessibility
Can Your Page be Read by a Blind Person?
Your answer should be yes! Blind or disabled web users browse the web utilizing special software to accommodate their disability.
With just a few adjustments, your HTML code should be accessible.
- Use headings, lists, table summaries and consistent page structure to make the page easier to scan.
- Each link should make sense when the text is read.
- Provide a text equivalent for non-text - "alt" for images. Make the "alt" tag statement brief and explanatory.
Ex: <"img src="lake.gif" alt="White Rock Lake" height="140" width="50" />
- Avoid strongly textured backgrounds.
- Choose background and text colors that provides good contrast. Some color combinations make pages invisible for color-blind users.
- Include text links when using image maps.
- Summarize each table.
- Title each frame to facilitate frame identification and navigation.
- Provide alternatives to a high-tech pages that includes Java or DHTML.
Additional Information:
- W3 Content Accessibility Guidelines
- Ask Bobby: Accesibility Checker and Code Validator
- Could Helen Keller Read Your Page?
- Why is Accessibility so Important?
- Accessibility: the Politics of Design
- Accessibility Myths
- Accessible Web Page Design: Links
- All Things Web: Compatibility & Accessibility
- Could Helen Keller Read Your Page?
- WebAim: Creating Web Sites: Accessibility
- Web-Savvy Accessibility Links