(Draft 4/29/99 Debby And Kathy: I've annotated the checklist according to our discussion. I'd like to add a section under testing that points people to our test machines that would have a good selection of available browsers including screen reader types. Where the comment says "Needs direct link", it refers to a section in an existing doc that does not have an internal relative lnk: URL#linkname)

Universal Design Web Publishing

Web Accessibility Policy (Draft)

MIT is committed to providing equal access to web based information in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. This ensures that MIT web pages will be readable by users with disabilities.

The concept of Universal Design means designing for the widest range of people's abilities. The guidelines below apply this concept to web page design. Following them will ensure that your web pages are robust, standard, and accessible to the fullest possible range of users. As you build your web pages keep in mind that your audience is diverse. Not all web page visitors are using the standard graphical browsers. They may using screen readers, text-based browsers, have their browser graphics turned off, or may not be able to use, or have access to a mouse or keyboard. Eventually we may be using cell phones or audio devices from our cars to access the web. Designing for Universal Accessibility not only ensures that your information will be accessible to people with various types disabilities, but also to those using old, alternate, or emerging technologies.

(Kathy: It would be nice to have some sort of explanation of assistive tecnology for the web (screen readers, text-based based browsers and navigation without a mouse or keyboard, ETC.). Maybe you already have something like this to point to on the ATIC pages?)

This may sound daunting, but the good news is that designing accessible web pages means concentrating on the content of your web documents by adhering to present HTML standards and using the HTML language as it was intended, to structure the information, not to control the presentation. This generally means simpler, easier to build web pages. This is not to say that you can't design attractive pages, just that the content should always be your first priority

What about the future of HTML? If it's replaced by some other language will you need to rewrite all of your web pages? If you create your pages with standard HTML you should not need to rewrite because converter applications could accurately convert your pages to the new language.

Web Page Authoring Guidelines

Guidelines Checklist

(* denotes Universal Accessibility aid)

Follow the links for more detailed information about each guideline and for examples.

  1. Concentrate on content structure rather than presentation by adhering to current standards. (Reword - Jean)
  2. Use graphics wisely and with restraint. (Jean)
  3. Provide alternate access for non-textual content.
  4. Validate and Test your pages. (Exists - needs direct link; mention media station(s) for testing?(we are setting up a PC for this purpose as well) - Debby)
  5. Web Page Enhancements
  6. Provide for feedback about your pages

Common pitfalls to Universal Accessibility: