Accessibility and Design Features of the Website

The Office of Disability Services (ODS) and Office of Equal Opportunity Programs (EOP) websites have been designed to be aesthetically pleasing, useful, and most of all accessible to the widest audience possible. To achieve these goals, the website were developed to follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG) and the Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards (Section 508). Both sets of guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with disabilities as well as beneficial to all users.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0

The WCAG 1.0 was established by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Within the WCAG 1.0, there are three priority checkpoints:

• Priority 1 (must satisfy for basic accessibility)
• Priority 2 (should satisfy to remove significant accessibility barriers)
• Priority 3 (may satisfy to improve accessibility).

The ODS and EOP websites have Level "Triple-A" Conformance to the WCAG 1.0; all WCAG 1.0 Priority 1, 2, and 3 checkpoints are satisfied.

The WCAG 1.0 guidelines also define two major themes of accessible web design:

1. Ensuring web content gracefully transforms regardless of constraints, such as work environment, technological barriers, and sensory, physical, or cognitive disability.
2. Making web content understandable and navigable.

Section 508 Standards for Electronic and Information Technology

Section 508 was established through Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) of the U.S. Federal Government. The scope of Section 508 is limited to the Federal sector. It does not apply to the private sector, nor does it generally impose requirements on the recipients of Federal funds. However, States receiving assistance under the Assistive Technology Act (AT Act) State Grant program are required to comply with Section 508 according to the Department of Education, which administers the AT Act.

The Section 508 Standards define the types of technology provided and set forth provisions that establish a minimum level of accessibility within four subparts:

• A: General (defines terms, exemptions)
• B: Technical Standards (application criteria specific to various types of technology )
• C: Functional Performance Criteria (overall product evaluation and for technology not specifically covered in Subpart B )
• D: Information, Documentation, and Support (addresses access of materials provided to end users)

Within Section 508 Subpart B (Technical Standards), the provisions for Web-based Intranet and Internet Information and Applications (1194.22) are specifically addressed in paragraphs (a) through (p). These sixteen provisions, which were based on the WCAG, must all be followed for a website to be in compliance with the Section 508 Standards.

The ODS and EOP websites are 508 Approved; all sixteen provisions are satisfied.

Keyboard shortcuts

The ODS and EOP websites have been programmed to offer keyboard shortcuts for navigation among some frequently used links (Skip to Content, Top of Page). In describing the "shortcut keys" below, the letter key and the corresponding letter within the link name have been listed in bold. For example: m to go to the Site Map.

Please note there is variable support among browsers and systems for using these shortcuts. Currently, Internet Explorer 4.0 or above but NOT Netscape Navigator allows the user to select the appropriate "attention" key (this also varies but usually "Cmd" for Macintosh machines and "Alt" for Windows machines), then select the following letter:

•   k   to Skip to Content or return to "Top of page"
•   n   to go to the Navigation for a page
•   m   to go to the Site Map

However, since technology changes so rapidly, also realize that besides the above technique, there may be other systems which could use different shortcut methods, or perhaps even allow the "shortcut key" to be used by itself (without the need for the "attention" key).

An example of the HTML coding for the shortcut key (ACCESSKEY) of a "skip-link" (which will directly access the content of a page) using the letter "k" is as follows:
  <a href="http://www.emory.edu/ODS/index.htm"   target="_self"   ACCESSKEY="k" >Skip to Content</a>

Logical and consistent navigation

The ODS and EOP websites provide logical and consistent navigation and offer linked text that is brief and meaningful when read out of context. For example, to inform a user viewing News of more articles, instead of "Click here", the linked text would say "View more News". Linked text like the "View" example, if read by itself, informs the user of what to expect and is helpful when scanning information. It also assists users whose technology can list all of a webpage's links and takes into consideration people who may be using alternative computer access technology (i.e. "click" is specific to a mouse).

Navigation links are location sensitive; that is, the current page is displayed as text to provide the user with an indication of the current location within the structure of the website. Links, such as "Skip to Content" and "Top of Page" , have been programmed into each page as they are particularly helpful for enabling people using non-graphical or text browsers and people using alternative computer access technology like screen readers and refreshable Braille displays to directly access the content of a page. Without these "skip-links", keyboard-only users and users with voice-enabled browsers would have to redundantly listen to all the heading and navigation information each time a webpage is accessed.

A Site Map link is available from every page to provide users information about the general layout and sections of the website. Additionally, the website design and its accessibility features have been described on this page ("Accessibility and Design Features of the Website"), which is available through the "Accessibility" link in the footer of every page. Furthermore, mechanisms to aid in navigation have prominently provided through keyboard shortcuts and consistently located features such as:

• "Skip Content" link as the first line in every page to take the user over the navigation and directly to the title/text of the page
• Website navigation bars at the top and left of each page
• "Top of Page" link for multi-part or long pages and at the end of each page's content to take the user back to the top of the page where the content starts.

The ODS and EOP websites are organized according to a common hierarchical structure based on specific areas of information, then divided into related topics and/or documents.

Although there may be some overlap of content among these divisions, they serve as useful guideposts in directing users to the content for their area of interest. The "Skip to Content" and Site Map Links are located on each page in the upper-right hand corner. A row containing the Emory logo and website name (ODS or EOP) comes next. Then, the navigation for each main website section is displayed on two levels: a) Categories are displayed as tabs and serve as primary navigation links; b)The related topics and/or documents links (secondary navigation) are listed vertically in the left navigation box. Adjacent to the left navigation, the title and content of the current page are displayed.

Remember, navigation links (whether primary or secondary) are location sensitive; that is, the current page is displayed as text to provide the user with an indication as to their current location within the structure of the website.

Alternative text and descriptions for graphics (non-text)

The ODS and EOP websites, aside from the text-based navigational structures, have been designed to be all content and have avoided gratuitous use of graphic elements to assist in faster downloading of the website. When a graphic is used, alternative text (ALT) is provided; this is a short, literal description (150 characters maximum) of what the image represents. This alternative text is displayed in the browser of people using non-graphical or text browsers, users who may have images "turned off", and other users who may have difficulty viewing the graphics. Otherwise, for people using graphical browsers, such as Internet Explorer, the alternative text appears when the pointer hovers over the graphic.

Additionally, for complex graphics, more detailed information is offered through a long description (LONGDESC). However, as there is minimal support for LONGDESC, a description link or d-link is used for the same function. For people using non-graphical or text browsers and users who have images "turned off" in their browser, the d-link will be displayed as [d] next to the graphic. Otherwise, the d-link may not be visible in graphical browsers as it has been programmed for aesthetics to be "hidden".

An example of the HTML coding for the alternative text and descriptions for the image (IMG) of the Emory logo is as follows:
  <IMG src="logo.gif" ALT="Emory Logo" LONGDESC="logodescription.htm" >
  <a href="logodescription.htm" title="Description of Emory Logo" >[d]</a>

Cascading style sheet (CSS)

The ODS and EOP websites use templates and a cascading style sheet (CSS) to achieve a consistent style of presentation across all webpages and to facilitate separating the content from the layout or format. The CSS itself applies to each webpage and is used to specify such characteristics as color, font type, font size, and spacing for a particular feature, such as a page title. Thus, if a change of color is desired for the page title, altering the CSS for that change becomes reflected in all the webpages with that feature. However, users can choose to use the website CSS, their own customized CSS, or "turn off" CSS altogether. Accordingly, the websites have been tested to be usable with the style sheets "turned off". In addition, the W3C CSS Validator has been used to verify that the CSS meets established specifications; this is represented by displaying this icon: .

Furthermore, the website's coding integrity has been verified. Besides the web guidelines, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) defines specifications for using HyperText Markup Language (HTML), the publishing language of the World Wide Web. The W3C HTML Validation Service was used to verify the webpages meet the established W3C HTML 4.01 Specification; this is represented by displaying in the footer of each page this icon:.

Usability with alternative computer technology

The ODS and EOP websites have been created and tested to be usable with alternative computer technology. The websites has been tested utilizing popular screen reader technologies such as Jaws. Furthermore, the websites were tested in various operating systems (Windows, Macintosh) running different browsers under various combinations of conditions, such as sounds and/or images "turned on" or "turned off". The tested browsers include text-only browsers, such as Lynx, and various popular graphic browsers such as Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, Opera, and Mozilla. Additionally, the websites have been designed and tested to be usable without a mouse, on small or low-resolution screens, with only voice or text output, and with alternative keyboards. The website was also check to ensure important information is not conveyed with color, and that foreground and background colors provide sufficient contrast.

Clear and simple language

The ODS and EOP websites have tried to utilize clear and simple language appropriate for the their content. Large blocks of information have been divided into more manageable groups using such elements as paragraphs, lists, and headings. Scanning of information has been facilitated by front-loading headings and paragraph text. Furthermore, where necessary, supplemental text has been provided with some graphic elements to facilitate comprehension.