Accessibility Requirements

Section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act requires all state and federal agencies to provide accessible Web pages for people with disabilities. To comply with federal, state and World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) guidelines, the university Web leadership adopted the following standards for use on all UTHSC-H Web pages.

1. Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element (audio tracks, images, etc.).

• Provide Alt descriptions for every image, Java applet, Flash file, video file, audio file, plug-in, etc.
• Include detailed text descriptions for complex graphics (graphs, charts, etc.)
• Use link destinations within alt descriptions for images.
• Use empty alt descriptions (alt=” “ for decorative graphics with no other function.)

2. Caption and synchronize multimedia presentations (such as video with audio) on Web pages.

3. Design Web pages so that all information conveyed with color is also available without color, either from context or tags. Distinct contrasts between the foreground and background elements are preferable.

4. Organize documents so they are readable without a style sheet.

• Color, indentation and other presentation effects, may use style sheets but the document should still be understandable (even if less visually appealing) when the style sheet is turned off.

5. Use client-side image maps instead of server-side image maps except where the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric shape.

• User standard HTML client-side image maps, and provide appropriate alt tags for images as well as hot spots.

6. Provide redundant text links for each active region of a server-side image map.

• Supply separate text links outside of the server-side image map to access the same content that the image map hot spots access.

7. Identify row and column headers for data tables. Do not have header rows or columns for tables used strictly for layout purposes.

• Appropriately identify data table column and row headers using the <th> tag.

8. Use markup (HTML tags) to associate data cells and header cells for data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers.

• Associate table cells with the appropriate headers (i.e. with the id, headers, scope and/or axis HTML attributes that will link to explanatory definitions).

9. Use frames titles to indicate frame content and navigation.

• Frame titles help the user understand the frame's purpose.

10. Do not design a page that causes the screen to flicker with a frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz thus reducing the risk of optically induced seizures.

• Technologies such as animated gif's, Java applets, or third-party plug-ins or applications add flashing or flickering elements.

11. Use functional text that can be read by assistive technology to identify the script information on those pages that use scripting languages to display content, or create interface elements.

• Provide an alternative method of accessing (e.g. a standard HTML link) for all scripts (e.g. Javascript pop-up menus) or make accessible to assistive technologies by using keyboard accessibility or skip navigation.

12. Provide a link to an appropriately accessible applet, plug-in, or other application when a Web page requires that an applet, plug-in or other application be present on the client system to interpret page content.

13. Allow people using assistive technology to access and complete electronic forms by providing information, field elements, and functionality including all directions and cues.

• Create text labels adjacent to form controls.
• Label form elements in the markup.
• Do not allow dynamic HTML scripting of the form to interfere with assistive technologies.

14. Provide a method for users to skip repetitive navigation links.

15. Alert the user via a prompt when a timed response is required and then provide the user sufficient time to indicate to the system that more time is required. (i.e., do not design Web pages with scripts that cause the Web page to disappear or "expire" if a response is not received within a specified amount of time.).

16. When compliance cannot be accomplished in any other way, provide a text-only page, with equivalent information or functionality, to make a Web site comply with the provisions of these standards. Update the content of the text-only page whenever the primary page changes.

Date modified: 08/18/2008