All of the East Penn School District’s web content will conform to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and the W3C WAI’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 or updated equivalents of these guidelines.
- Use alternative text with photos and images (Section 508: 1194.22.a/WCAG 2.0: 1.1)
- Helps people who have difficulty perceiving visual content. Assistive technology can read text aloud, present it visually, or convert it to braille.
- Provide closed captions or transcripts for audio and video (Section 508: 1194.22.b/WCAG 2.0: 1.2)
- Helps people who have difficulty perceiving visual content. Assistive technology can read text aloud, present them visually, or convert them to braille.
- Do not solely use color to convey information (Section 508: 1194.22.c/WCAG 2.0: 1.4)
- Assists people with partial sight often experience limited color vision, and many older users that do not see color well. In addition, people using text-only, limited-color or monochrome displays and browsers will be unable to access information that is presented only in color.
- Documents shall be organized so they are readable without requiring an associated style sheet (Section 508: 1194.22.d/WCAG 2.0: 1.4.1)
- Provides the information conveyed with color through another visual means ensures users who cannot see color can still perceive the information.
- Redundant text links shall be provided for each active region of a server-side image map (Section 508: 1194.22.e/WCAG 2.0: 1.3.1)
- Web pages must use redundant text links so that screen readers can provide choices to people who cannot see the choices presented on the image.
- Client-side image maps shall be provided instead of server-side image maps except where the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric shape (Section 508: 1194.22.f)
- The client-side image maps allow an author to assign text to each image map “hot spots.” This feature means that someone using a screen reader can easily identify and activate regions of the map.
- Row and column headers shall be identified for data tables (Section 508: 1194.22.g/WCAG 2.0: 1.3.1)
- Provides assistance people with different disabilities by allowing user agents to adapt content according to the needs of individual users.
- Markup shall be used to associate data cells and header cells for data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers (Section 508: 1194.22.h/WCAG 2.0: 1.3.1)
- Provides assistance people with different disabilities by allowing user agents to adapt content according to the needs of individual users.
- iframes must be titled when embedding them to a website (Section 508: 1194.22.i/WCAG 2.0: 2.4.2)
- Helps people with visual disabilities to able to differentiate multiple frames or content when on a website.
- Do not use flashing GIFs or elements that may cause seizures (Section 508: 1194.22.j/WCAG 2.0: 2.3.1)
- Aids individuals who have seizures when viewing flashing material. Users will be able to view all of the material on a site without having a seizure and without having to miss the full user experience.
- A text-only page, with equivalent information or functionality, shall be provided to make a web site comply with the provisions of this part, when compliance cannot be accomplished in any other way. The content of the text-only page shall be updated whenever the primary page changes (Section 508: 1194.22.k)
- If you cannot create an accessible page, provide a link to a text-only page that uses W3C technologies, is accessible, has equivalent information (or functionality), and is updated as often as the inaccessible (original) page.
- When pages utilize scripting languages to display content, or to create interface elements, the information provided by the script shall be identified with functional text that can be read by assistive technology (Section 508: 1194.22.l/WCAG 2.0: 4.1.1)
- Ensures that web pages have complete start and end tags and are nested according to specification, allowing assistive technologies to parse the content accurately and without crashing.
- Websites that require a special plugin or software need to provide a source link (Section 508: 1194.22.m)
- When electronic forms are designed to be completed on-line, the form shall allow people using assistive technology to access the information, field elements, and functionality required for completion and submission of the form, including all directions and cues (Section 508: 1194.22.n/WCAG 2.0: 3.3)
- Provides information about input errors in text allows users who are blind or colorblind to perceive the fact that an error occurred.
- When label elements are associated with input elements the label is spoken by screen readers when the field receives focus and users with impaired motor control are helped by a larger clickable area for the control, since clicking on the label or the control will activate the control.
- A method shall be provided that permits users to skip repetitive navigation links (Section 508: 1194.22.o/WCAG 2.0: 2.4.1)
- Aids people who use only the keyboard or a keyboard interface reach content with fewer keystrokes. Otherwise, they might have to make dozens of keystrokes before reaching a link in the main content area. This can take a long time and may cause severe physical pain for some users.
- Time based content must provide a start, stop, pause or extend function (Section 508: 1194.22.p/WCAG 2.0: 2.2.1)
- Benefits people with physical disabilities that often need more time to react, to type and to complete activities. People with low vision need more time to locate things on screen and to read. People who are blind and use screen readers may need more time to understand screen layouts, to find information and to operate controls. People who have cognitive or language limitations need more time to read and to understand. People who are deaf and communicate in sign language may need more time to read information printed in text (which may be a second language for some).
Source: Web Content Accessibility (WCAG) 2.0 and Section 508 Guidelines