Research Guides: Digital Scholarship Services: Web Accessibility

What is Web Accessibility and Why Is It Important

According to W3C, "web accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them." Essentially, this means that your website is usable by anyone regardless of ability. Web accessibility benefits every user. All Create UMKC sites are required to meet web accessibility standards. Use the resources below to learn more.

Web Accessibility Resources

WebAIM: Contrast Checker
Use this to ensure that your color choices are sufficiently contrasting according to the guidelines.
Authoring Meaningful Alternative Text
Learn about alternative text, how to write it for your images, and why it is important.
WebAIM: Headings
Headings aren't only important for outlining content on a page, but for assistive technology users to navigate. Learn about heading structure and how to use it properly.
PDF Accessibility Checker
Easy-to-use PDF accessibility checker.
UMKC- Digital Accessibility
Find additional resources on the University's official page for web accessibility.
W3C Easy Checks – A First Review of Web Accessibility
Learn about web accessibility and how to basically assess your site.
ANDI
ANDI is simple to install and to assess accessibility. It will detect accessibility issues and give suggestions for improvements.

Create UMKC Guidelines

The World Wide Web Consortium outlines four guidelines for web accessibility: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. Listed below are ways these guidelines apply to Create UMKC sites. Most applications available from Create UMKC will automatically be accessible, but you should use these guidelines when creating content for your site. For more information about this policy visit the Create UMKC Terms of Service for information about accessibility requirements and the UM accessibility policy.

Perceivable

Content is presented in a way that is perceivable by all users.

All images, buttons, and logos have appropriate alternative text. This includes linked images. Decorative images are also marked accordingly. Read about writing meaningful alternative text from Harvard’s Digital Accessibility resource.
Media like podcasts or recorded interviews should have a descriptive transcript available.
There is sufficient color contrast between text and background colors, 4.5:1. Use WebAIM’s Contrast Checker to check your choice of text color. Create UMKC sites only need to pass WCAG AA.

Operable

Navigation is operable by all users.

Users can navigate the website by using the tab key. Check out this video from Silktide to learn more about keyboard navigation and why it’s important.
Page titles, headings, and labels are descriptive and informative.

Understandable

Content and user interface are understandable by all users

Elements (like the search box) used on multiple pages remain in the same place.
Links are underlined to distinguish difference between regular text. Use descriptive language when naming links. Avoid using “click here” to describe a link.

Robust

Content can be interpreted by all users, including those using assistive technologies.

Headings, landmarks, lists, and italicized or bolded text are formatted correctly with semantic HTML. This is so a screen reader can tell the difference between a new section, how text is formatted, and for navigation. Learn more about the importance of headings from Yale’s Web Accessibility resource.
Information isn’t conveyed with color.

Digital Scholarship Services