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Quick Tips to Make Accessible Web Sites [OUTDATED]
New Resources
See the more recent resources:
- WCAG 2.0 at a Glance - provides a short summary of the WCAG 2.0 guidelines
- Tips for Getting Started with Web Accessibility
- Designing for Web Accessibility: Tips for user interface and visual design
- Writing for Web Accessibility: Tips for writing and presenting content
- Developing for Web Accessibility: Tips for markup and coding
- Web Accessibility Perspectives: Explore the Impact and Benefits for Everyone - Explores the impact of accessibility for people with disabilities and the benefits for everyone. Introduces 10 web accessibility topics with short videos, brief descriptions, and links to learn more. Tag line:
Web Accessibility: Essential for some, Useful for all
Status note: The quicktips below were based on WCAG 1.0, which was published in 1999. WCAG 2.0 was published in 2008. Although most of these tips are still relevant, this list is not necessarily the top accessibility issues for most current websites.
For the latest information on WCAG, see the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Overview.
Page Contents
Sidebar
Introduction
The following ten "Quick Tips" summarize key concepts of accessible Web design. These tips are not complete guidelines; they are only excerpts of concepts from the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG 1.0).
WCAG 1.0 includes information critical to understanding and implementing the Quick Tips. See the WCAG Overview for descriptions of WCAG documents.
Quick Tips are available as a free business-card-size reference card in 11 languages, through the order form below. The previous online version is available in over 40 languages.
10 Quick Tips
- Images & animations: Use the alt attribute to describe the function of each visual.
- Image maps. Use the client-side map and text for hotspots.
- Multimedia. Provide captioning and transcripts of audio, and descriptions of video.
- Hypertext links. Use text that makes sense when read out of context. For example, avoid "click here."
- Page organization. Use headings, lists, and consistent structure. Use CSS for layout and style where possible.
- Graphs & charts. Summarize or use the longdesc attribute.
- Scripts, applets, & plug-ins. Provide alternative content in case active features are inaccessible or unsupported.
- Frames. Use the noframes element and meaningful titles.
- Tables. Make line-by-line reading sensible. Summarize.
- Check your work. Validate. Use tools, checklist, and guidelines at http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG
© W3C (MIT, INRIA, Keio) 2001/01
How to Order
Update: The cards are discontinued. In the future ,other cards may be available from WAI Handouts and WAI Flyer.