Web Page Authoring Guidelines
Guidelines Checklist
(* denotes Universal Accessibility
aid)
Follow the links for more detailed information about each guideline and for
examples.
-
Concentrate on content structure rather
than presentation by adhering to current standards.
-
Use graphics and colors wisely and with
restraint.
-
Provide alternate access for non-textual content.
-
Use ALT tags
for inline images. *
-
If images are used in place of bullets in unordered lists, place an
asterisk "*" or dash "-" or " " (blank) in the ALT attribute of the IMG tag.*
-
Provide alternate mechanism for online forms.*
-
Provide alternate navigation means for image maps.* (Debby)
-
Provide text transcripts or descriptions for auditory and visual
content. (Do we need something here about streaming video and captioning?)*
(Kathy)
-
Provide alternate formats for graphical documents such as PDF files.*
(FAQ update -
Jean)
-
Validate and Test your
pages.
-
Web Page Enhancements
-
Scripts, applets, multi media, etc (Debby)
-
Provide for feedback about your pages
-
Include contact name and email address signature.*(Jean)
-
Indicate last updated date. (?)
Common pitfalls to Universal Accessibility:
-
Frames
-
proprietary browser extensions (e.g.,BLINK)
-
image maps (Debby)
-
nonstandard color schemes (Jean)
-
ASCII art
-
nonsense link names (e.g., click here)
-
links that aren't separated by printable characters
-
Flashingor blinking graphics
-
Proprietary file formats such as MS Word,
Powerpoint, PDF, etc