Checklist

Accessibility Checklist for IPFW Web Authors

1. Text Content
   • Headings are being used properly and according to hierarchy (e.g., Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, etc.)
   • Paragraphs are short and simple
   • Ambiguous or generic text labels are not used for hyperlinks (e.g., "Click here", "More", etc.)
   • URLs are not used as labels for hyperlinks
   • <strong> for bold text, <em> for italics; neither being used for entire sentences or paragraphs
   • First instances of acronyms, initialisms, and abbreviations are spelled out on each page
   • Page titles (Friendly Names) are displayed properly ("Department/Office Name - Page Title" for search engine optimization
   • Metadata keywords and descriptions are provided for each page
2. Images
   • Meaningful alt text is provided for photos and images that convey information
   • Description text is provided for images with more complex visual information
   • Graphs and charts are given good text descriptions
   • In-text descriptions can be used as a substitute for description text
3. Color and Contrast
   • Color is not used as the only means to convey important information (e.g., "Important" in red text, "Click on red button")
   • Color combinations (e.g., red/green, blue/brown) are avoided
   • Text in images has sufficient contrast
   • Sufficient contrast in text and images
4. Tables
   • Code headers (<th>) are provided for header rows and header columns in data tables
   • Tables are not being used to create page layout (e.g., create text in columns)
5. Forms
   • <input>, <textarea>, and <select> elements have label elements associated with them in the markup or are given a descriptive title attribute
   • Keyboard-friendly form controls
6. Time
   • <meta> elements are not being used to refresh content of a page
   • Scripts
   • User has control over timed events (i.e., photo transitions/slideshows) and is not required to react within limited time constraints
   • User has control over audio and videos starting; these files do not play automatically
7. Flickering
   • Animation is not being used
   • No element on the page flashes at a rate of 2 to 55 cycles per second
8. Multimedia, Scripts, Plug-ins, and Widgets
   • Alternative content is provided for multimedia.
   • Text (.txt) file provides a linear narrative of the content in Flash movies/files.
   • Closed captioning is provided for video; subtitles are not a substitute for synchronous closed captioning
   • <noscript></noscript> is provided for browsers that do not support scripts
   • Widgets — To be handled on a case-by-case basis
   • Plug-ins — Case by case basis
   • Recommendations: Avoid using plug-ins such as Java
9. PDFs and Other Non-HTML Documents
   • Content in non-HTML documents should be constructed in natural order
   • Web authors should publish documents as PDFs if the content is read-only
   • Other common documents may be included on websites if the file is to be shared and edited by end users
10. Text-only Pages
    • Text-only content is supplied for complex multimedia, scripts, and plug-ins when accessibility methods cannot be achieved
11. Skip Links
    • Provided in WebCMS templates
12. Image Maps
    • Image maps (client- and server-side) are obsolete.
    • CSS-based image maps should be used instead.
13. Frames
    • Frames are obsolete and should not be a factor in WebCMS pages.

(Adapted from WebAIM's 508 Checklist)