ADA Requirements for University of Arkansas Web Pages

People with disabilities should have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access and use by people who do not have disabilities.

ADA
Americans with Disabilities Act - a comprehensive civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability

Over 54 million Americans are disabled; over 750 million worldwide. 10% of the online population is disabled.

These people...

Might be using...

Search engine robots are essentially "blind". They are text-only and usually only support a lower HTML version. Being ADA compliant helps a site be listed higher in search engines.

ADA Compliancy Checklist (HTML version)
ADA Compliancy Checklist (PDF version for printing) - requires Adobe Reader

ADA Accessibility in Macromedia Dreamweaver

The Guidelines

The World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
World Wide Web Consortium

  1. Provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content.
  2. Don't rely on color alone.
  3. Use markup and style sheets and do so properly.
  4. Clarify natural language usage.
  5. Create tables that transform gracefully.
  6. Ensure that pages featuring new technologies transform gracefully.
  7. Ensure user control of time-sensitive content changes.
  8. Ensure direct accessibility of embedded user interfaces.
  9. Design for device-independence.
  10. Use interim solutions.
  11. Use W3C technologies and guidelines.
  12. Provide context and orientation information.
  13. Provide clear navigation mechanisms.
  14. Ensure that documents are clear and simple.

The Laws

Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998
Section 508, Subpart B, § 1194.22

Web-based intranet and internet information and applications (Section 508)
Web-based Intranet and Internet Information and Applications - annotated (U.S. Access Board)

Access Board

These laws should have been complied with by June 21, 2001.

  1. A text equivalent for every non-text element shall be provided (e.g., via "alt", "longdesc", or in element content).
  2. Equivalent alternatives for any multimedia presentation shall be synchronized with the presentation.
  3. Web pages shall be designed so that all information conveyed with color is also available without color, for example from context or markup.
  4. Documents shall be organized so they are readable without requiring an associated style sheet.
  5. Redundant text links shall be provided for each active region of a server-side image map.
  6. Client-side image maps shall be provided instead of server-side image maps except where the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric shape.
  7. Row and column headers shall be identified for data tables.
  8. Markup shall be used to associate data cells and header cells for data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers.
  9. Frames shall be titled with text that facilitates frame identification and navigation.
  10. Pages shall be designed to avoid causing the screen to flicker with a frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz.
  11. A text-only page, with equivalent information or functionality, shall be provided to make a web site comply with the provisions of this part, when compliance cannot be accomplished in any other way. The content of the text-only page shall be updated whenever the primary page changes.
  12. When pages utilize scripting languages to display content, or to create interface elements, the information provided by the script shall be identified with functional text that can be read by assistive technology.
  13. When a web page requires that an applet, plug-in or other application be present on the client system to interpret page content, the page must provide a link to a plug-in or applet that complies with §1194.21(a) through (l).
  14. When electronic forms are designed to be completed on-line, the form shall allow people using assistive technology to access the information, field elements, and functionality required for completion and submission of the form, including all directions and cues.
  15. A method shall be provided that permits users to skip repetitive navigation links.
  16. When a timed response is required, the user shall be alerted and given sufficient time to indicate more time is required.

State of Arkansas Act 1227 of 1999

Arkansas Website Accessibility Standards

(5.1 - 5.15)

  1. Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element (e.g., via alt, longdesc, or in element content). This includes: images, graphical representations of text (including symbols), image map regions, animations (e.g., animated GIFs), applets, and programmatic objects, ASCII art, frames, scripts, images used as list bullets, spacers, graphical buttons, sounds (played with or without user interaction), stand-alone audio files, audio tracks of video, and video.
  2. Clearly identify the target of each link.
  3. Ensure that pages are usable when scripts, applets, or other programmatic objects are turned off or not supported. If this is not possible, provide equivalent information on an alternative accessible page.
  4. If, after best efforts, you cannot create an accessible page, provide a link to an alternative page that uses W3C technologies, is accessible, has equivalent information (or functionality), and is updated as often as the inaccessible (original) page.
  5. Create a logical tab order through links, form controls, and objects. Provide keyboard shortcuts to important links (including those in client-side image maps), form controls, and groups of form controls. Make sure the shortcuts do not conflict with standard Windows shortcuts.
  6. Associate labels explicitly with their controls.
  7. Until user agents support explicit associations between labels and form controls, for all form controls with implicitly associated labels, ensure that the label is properly positioned.
  8. Until user agents (including assistive technologies) render side-by-side text correctly, provide a linear text alternative (on the current page or some other) for all tables that lay out text in parallel, word-wrapped columns.
  9. Ensure that dynamic content is accessible or provide an alternative presentation or page.
  10. Ensure that equivalents for dynamic content are updated when the dynamic content changes.
  11. Ensure that foreground and background color combinations provide sufficient contrast when viewed by someone having color deficits or when viewed on a black and white screen. (Priority 2 for images, Priority 3 for text).
  12. Until user agents allow users to turn off spawned windows, do not cause pop-ups or other windows to appear automatically and do not change the current window without informing the user.
  13. Organize documents so they may be read without style sheets.
  14. Ensure that all information conveyed with color is also available without color, for example from context or markup. Ensure that information is not conveyed through color alone.
  15. For data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers use markup to associate data cells with header cells.

Checking Pages for ADA Accessibility

Validation

Checking with a Screen Reader or Text Browser

Other Links

Device independent (definition from W3C)

Users must be able to interact with a user agent (and the document it renders) using the supported input and output devices of their choice and according to their needs. Input devices may include pointing devices, keyboards, braille devices, head wands, microphones, and others. Output devices may include monitors, speech synthesizers, and braille devices.
Please note that "device-independent support" does not mean that user agents must support every input or output device. User agents should offer redundant input and output mechanisms for those devices that are supported. For example, if a user agent supports keyboard and mouse input, users should be able to interact with all features using either the keyboard or the mouse.