California State law (GC § 11135) directs all state entities to comply with the accessibility requirements of Section 508 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. Sec. 794d). In addition, Title II of the Americans With Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act effectively require that public websites be made accessible. 

 

Accessibility Principles*

 

Perceivable:

• Provide text alternatives for non-text content.
• Provide captions and other alternatives for multimedia.
• Create content that can be presented in different ways, including by assistive technologies, without losing meaning.
• Make it easier for users to see and hear content.

 

Operable:

• Make all functionality available from a keyboard.
• Give users enough time to read and use content.
• Do not use content that causes seizures.
• Help users navigate and find content.

 

Understandable:

• Make text readable and understandable.
• Make content appear and operate in predictable
• Help users avoid and correct mistakes.

 

Robust:

• Maximize compatibility with current and future user tools

 

*Source: http://webtools.ca.gov/web-content/web-accessibility/

 

Accessibility Best Practices

• Images: Provide a text description of what a viewer will see. Use the alt attribute to describe the function of all visuals. Use the alt tag with a blank space (i.e.: alt=” “) for images that provide divisional or space functionality.
• Image Maps: Use client-side maps for all image maps and alt descriptive text for hotspots. Provide text descriptions of the images in hotspot areas.
• Hypertext Links: Hyperlink the descriptive text that makes sense when read out of context. Do not use “click here.”
• Scripts, Applets, and Plug-ins: Provide alternative content in case active features are inaccessible or unsupported.
• Tables: Make line-by-line reading sensible. Summarize. Avoid using tables for column layout.

 

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 covers a wide range of recommendations for making Web content more accessible.