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Accessibility Checklist for Website Design to Comply with Section 508 of the
Workforce Investment Act Of 1998 and the Americans with Disabilities Act
(from
W3.org)
Priorities
Each checkpoint has a priority level assigned by the Working Group based on
the checkpoint's impact on accessibility.
[Priority 1]
A Web content developer
must satisfy this checkpoint. Otherwise, one or more groups will find
it impossible to access information in the document. Satisfying this checkpoint
is a basic requirement for some groups to be able to use Web documents.
[Priority 2]
A Web content developer
should satisfy this checkpoint. Otherwise, one or more groups will find
it difficult to access information in the document. Satisfying this checkpoint
will remove significant barriers to accessing Web documents.
[Priority 3]
A Web content developer
may address this checkpoint. Otherwise, one or more groups will find it
somewhat difficult to access information in the document. Satisfying this
checkpoint will improve access to Web documents.
Some checkpoints specify a priority level that may change under certain
(indicated) conditions.
Priority 1 checkpoints
In
General (Priority 1) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
1.1 Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element (e.g., via
"alt", "longdesc", or in element content). This includes:
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 (played with or without user
interaction), stand-alone audio files, audio tracks of video, and video.
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2.1 Ensure that all information conveyed with color is also
available without color, for example from context or markup. |
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4.1 Clearly identify changes in the natural language of a document's
text and any text equivalents (e.g., captions). |
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6.1 Organize documents so they may be read without style sheets. For
example, when an HTML document is rendered without associated style
sheets, it must still be possible to read the document. |
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6.2 Ensure that equivalents for dynamic content are updated when the
dynamic content changes. |
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7.1 Until user agents allow users to control flickering, avoid
causing the screen to flicker. |
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14.1 Use the clearest and simplest language appropriate for a site's
content. |
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And if
you use images and image maps (Priority 1) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
1.2 Provide redundant text links for each active region of a
server-side image map. |
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9.1 Provide client-side image maps instead of server-side image maps
except where the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric
shape. |
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And if
you use tables (Priority 1) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
5.1 For data tables, identify row and column headers. |
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5.2 For data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or
column headers, use markup to associate data cells and header cells.
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And if
you use frames (Priority 1) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
12.1 Title each frame to facilitate frame identification and
navigation. |
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And if
you use applets and scripts (Priority 1) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
6.3 Ensure that pages are usable when scripts, applets, or other
programmatic objects are turned off or not supported. If this is not
possible, provide equivalent information on an alternative accessible
page. |
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And if
you use multimedia (Priority 1) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
1.3 Until user agents can automatically read aloud the text
equivalent of a visual track, provide an auditory description of the
important information of the visual track of a multimedia presentation.
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1.4 For any time-based multimedia presentation (e.g., a movie or
animation), synchronize equivalent alternatives (e.g., captions or
auditory descriptions of the visual track) with the presentation. |
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And if
all else fails (Priority 1) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
11.4 If, after best efforts, you cannot create an accessible page,
provide a link to an alternative page that uses W3C technologies, is
accessible, has equivalent information (or functionality), and is
updated as often as the inaccessible (original) page. |
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Priority 2 checkpoints
In
General (Priority 2) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
2.2 Ensure that foreground and background color combinations provide
sufficient contrast when viewed by someone having color deficits or when
viewed on a black and white screen. [Priority 2 for images, Priority 3
for text]. |
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3.1 When an appropriate markup language exists, use markup rather
than images to convey information. |
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3.2 Create documents that validate to published formal grammars.
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3.3 Use style sheets to control layout and presentation. |
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3.4 Use relative rather than absolute units in markup language
attribute values and style sheet property values. |
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3.5 Use header elements to convey document structure and use them
according to specification. |
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3.6 Mark up lists and list items properly. |
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3.7 Mark up quotations. Do not use quotation markup for formatting
effects such as indentation. |
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6.5 Ensure that dynamic content is accessible or provide an
alternative presentation or page. |
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7.2 Until user agents allow users to control blinking, avoid causing
content to blink (i.e., change presentation at a regular rate, such as
turning on and off). |
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7.4 Until user agents provide the ability to stop the refresh, do
not create periodically auto-refreshing pages. |
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7.5 Until user agents provide the ability to stop auto-redirect, do
not use markup to redirect pages automatically. Instead, configure the
server to perform redirects. |
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10.1 Until user agents allow users to turn off spawned windows, do
not cause pop-ups or other windows to appear and do not change the
current window without informing the user. |
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11.1 Use W3C technologies when they are available and appropriate
for a task and use the latest versions when supported. |
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11.2 Avoid deprecated features of W3C technologies. |
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12.3 Divide large blocks of information into more manageable groups
where natural and appropriate. |
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13.1 Clearly identify the target of each link. |
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13.2 Provide metadata to add semantic information to pages and
sites. |
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13.3 Provide information about the general layout of a site (e.g., a
site map or table of contents). |
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13.4 Use navigation mechanisms in a consistent manner. |
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And if
you use tables (Priority 2) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
5.3 Do not use tables for layout unless the table makes sense when
linearized. Otherwise, if the table does not make sense, provide an
alternative equivalent (which may be a linearized version). |
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5.4 If a table is used for layout, do not use any structural markup
for the purpose of visual formatting. |
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And if
you use frames (Priority 2) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
12.2 Describe the purpose of frames and how frames relate to each
other if it is not obvious by frame titles alone. |
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And if
you use forms (Priority 2) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
10.2 Until user agents support explicit associations between labels
and form controls, for all form controls with implicitly associated
labels, ensure that the label is properly positioned. |
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12.4 Associate labels explicitly with their controls. |
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And if
you use applets and scripts (Priority 2) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
6.4 For scripts and applets, ensure that event handlers are input
device-independent. |
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7.3 Until user agents allow users to freeze moving content, avoid
movement in pages. |
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8.1 Make programmatic elements such as scripts and applets directly
accessible or compatible with assistive technologies [Priority 1 if
functionality is important and not presented elsewhere, otherwise
Priority 2.] |
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9.2 Ensure that any element that has its own interface can be
operated in a device-independent manner. |
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9.3 For scripts, specify logical event handlers rather than
device-dependent event handlers. |
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Priority 3 checkpoints
In
General (Priority 3) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
4.2 Specify the expansion of each abbreviation or acronym in a
document where it first occurs. |
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4.3 Identify the primary natural language of a document. |
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9.4 Create a logical tab order through links, form controls, and
objects. |
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9.5 Provide keyboard shortcuts to important links (including those
in client-side image maps), form controls, and groups of form controls.
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10.5 Until user agents (including assistive technologies) render
adjacent links distinctly, include non-link, printable characters
(surrounded by spaces) between adjacent links. |
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11.3 Provide information so that users may receive documents
according to their preferences (e.g., language, content type, etc.) |
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13.5 Provide navigation bars to highlight and give access to the
navigation mechanism. |
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13.6 Group related links, identify the group (for user agents), and,
until user agents do so, provide a way to bypass the group. |
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13.7 If search functions are provided, enable different types of
searches for different skill levels and preferences. |
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13.8 Place distinguishing information at the beginning of headings,
paragraphs, lists, etc. |
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13.9 Provide information about document collections (i.e., documents
comprising multiple pages.). |
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13.10 Provide a means to skip over multi-line ASCII art. |
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14.2 Supplement text with graphic or auditory presentations where
they will facilitate comprehension of the page. |
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14.3 Create a style of presentation that is consistent across pages.
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And if
you use images and image maps (Priority 3) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
1.5 Until user agents render text equivalents for client-side image
map links, provide redundant text links for each active region of a
client-side image map. |
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And if
you use tables (Priority 3) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
5.5 Provide summaries for tables. |
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5.6 Provide abbreviations for header labels. |
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10.3 Until user agents (including assistive technologies) render
side-by-side text correctly, provide a linear text alternative (on the
current page or some other) for all tables that lay out text in
parallel, word-wrapped columns. |
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And if
you use forms (Priority 3) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
10.4 Until user agents handle empty controls correctly, include
default, place-holding characters in edit boxes and text areas. |
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[more
guidelines]
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