Accessibility

The instructions provided here are just a few of the steps needed to make a Web page Section 508 compliant. For a more in-depth look at accessibility and Section 508 compliance, please visit the online resources area.

Why Make Web Sites Accessible?

• Accessibility allows more viewers to visit and make use of a Web site.
• Accessibility helps to make the content easier to find and to understand.
• It is now part of the law. Section 508 requires any Federally-funded Web site be accessible, and South Carolina also requires their goverment Web sites to be accessible.
• For a more complete overview, please visit WebAIM's Introduction to Web Accessibility.

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Online Resources for Accessibility

• South Carolina Web Accessibility Site - http://www.access-sc.org/
• Section 508 of the Disabilities Act - http://www.section508.gov
• Access Board Section 508 Guide - http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/guide/1194.22.htm
• WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind) - http://www.webaim.org

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What is a screen reader?

A screen reader is a piece of assistive technology software that "reads" the content of the computer screen and outputs it into various formats, such as speech or braille.

A good overview page of screen readers can be found on WebAIM, as well as a screen reader simulation page and a Questions & Answer page.

Wikipedia also has an entry on screen readers.

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What is an alt attribute?

The ALT attribute stands for "alternative text," and it is a brief description of the image. The ALT attribute is important for several reasons:

• The ALT text will pop up when a mouse is moved over an image, to give the viewer a little more information about the image. (Figure 1) 
• If an image doesn't show up on a Web page, for whatever reason, the ALT text will be displayed in place of the image. Also, If a user has their images turned off, the ALT text will be displayed.  (Figure 2)
• Screen readers read the information in the ALT attribute out loud, which is helpful since the person using the screen reader probably cannot see the image. Otherwise, the screen reader will say "image" every time it encounters a graphic on the page.
• Empty ALT attributes are used for images that don't contribute anything to the content of the page. For example, any image that is used as a decorative element like a bullet or a page divider. (Figure 3 )

Examples of ALT Attributes

Figure 1	Figure 2	Figure 3
		List Item One List Item Two List Item Three

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What is an londesc attribute?

The longdesc attribute is only used on images that may require an in-depth description, like a chart or graph. It provides screen readers with a link to another page that contains the in-depth description.

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What is a summary attribute?

A summary attribute is an optional accessibility feature that you can add to a complex data table to summarize its contents. It is read by screen readers to help explain the information inside the table, but it is not visible on the Web page.

A summary attribute is not necessary for small, basic data tables, and should not be used for layout tables.

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What is a caption tag?

A table caption tagis an optional accessibility feature. It is a label that provides a brief description of the table and can be placed on the top or bottom of the table. By default, it is located at the top-center of the table.

A table caption is not necessary for small, basic data tables, and should not be used for layout tables.

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Updated 4/4/07