Website Content Accessibility Resources

An accessible website improves the overall user experience and satisfaction across different devices and user age demographics. It enhances our brand and extends our prospective reach. Ultimately, an accessible website allows for the possibility of easier access to information and interaction for many people with disabilities.

Introduction to Web Accessibility and W3C Standards

Source: https://www.w3.org/WAI/videos/standards-and-benefits/

Things to remember

• Content on the web will always be more accessible in the form of a webpage than content contained in an external file, such as a PDF or Microsoft Document.
• Webpages are more discoverable and searchable.
• Linking to files from our webpages are legally required to comply with accessibility guidelines/standards.
  • MN IT Services - Statutory Basis for Accessibility

Questions to ask yourself about the content you will be adding to your webpage(s) or website

• Is the information meant to be read online?
  • In either case, adding the content as a webpage is preferred. Webpages don't require special software other than a browser to display the content in a way that is responsive to the size of the browser on the screen it is displayed on. Webpages can also be printed to paper or other file formats for offline viewing.
• Will the information be updated frequently?
  • Again in either case, creating the content as a webpage allows it to be accessed more quickly and updated as needed through our Content Management System instead of having to update a source document, make accessibility fixes, export, re-upload, and update all links to it across your webpages.
• Would the information be just as easily printed from a webpage?
  • Our website's template provides a print stylesheet that allows users to print webpage content. Unless the content is a poster or a flyer your content should be added to the website as a webpage. Note: Even posters or flyers need to comply with accessibility standards.
• Have I ran an accessibility check on the file I'm about to upload?
  • If not, please do so and make sure it passes all accessibility checks PRIOR to uploading the document. You can also view the resources listed below to help guide you through checking your document for accessibility issues.
  • Please reach out to the Web Office or a member of the COLT staff if you need instruction on how to make your documents accessible.

Resources

General Accessibility Best Practices

• WebAIM: Web Accessibility in Mind: Introduction to basics and repository of tools for creating and checking web and document accessibility website
• Infographic of basic web accessibility for beginners website
• Webinar: An Introduction to Website Accessibility video
• Accessibility Matters from Minnesota IT Services video
• Learn about the impact of accessibility and the benefits for everyone in a variety of situations. videos

Accessible Word Documents

• MN IT Services - Accessible Word Document Training
• General Services Administration (GSA) Guide to Creating Accessible Documents video
• Ability Net’s guide to creating accessible documents article

Accessible PowerPoints

• University of Colorado-Boulder’s “Understanding PowerPoint Accessibility” article

Accessible PDFs

• PDF Accessibility Tutorials article
• Creating an Accessible PDF from Microsoft Word from the University of Northern Iowa article
• Accessible PDF Documents from Minnesota IT Services article
• Presentation on Accessible PDF Maps video

Accessible Tables

• Microsoft Support’s Creating Accessible Tables video

Charts and Graphs

• Accessible Bar Graph and Pie Chart video
• Data Visualizations, Charts and Graphs article

Maps

• MN IT Services - Map Accessibility Resources

Helpful Accessibility Tools

• Color Oracle
  Color Oracle is a free color blindness simulator for Windows, Mac and Linux. It takes the guesswork out of designing for color blindness by showing you in real time what people with common color vision impairments will see.
• WAVE Browser Extension
  The WAVE Chrome, Firefox, and Edge extensions allows you to evaluate web content for accessibility issues directly within your browser.
• WebAIM Contrast Checker
  The Contrast Checker tool allows you to check for the contrast ration of a foreground color against its background color to see if it meets WCAG guidelines. WCAG 2.0 level AA requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. WCAG 2.1 requires a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 for graphics and user interface components (such as form input borders).