Structure
- Content is organized with headings and section titles (on WordPress, all panels have a title)
- Content is organized semantically and reads from top to bottom
- All headings are semantic (heading levels aren’t skipped. For example, H1, H2, H3, H3, H2)
- Page title describes the page and is no more than 150 characters
For tips, go to Using accessible theme blocks in WordPress.
Text
- Headings are used to describe and organize content
- Text is clear and descriptive, following standard formatting conventions
- Text is not underlined
- When applicable, text uses strong tags instead of bold tags
- Bulleted and numbered lists are used when applicable and appropriately
Images
- All images have a descriptive alternative text
- Images do not contain text (images of flyers should have a full-text alternative clearly present on the page)
- Linked images use alt text to describe what page the image links to.
For additional information, go to Reviewing images guidelines and Using flyers on the web
Tables and Graphs
- Tables are only used when absolutely necessary to display data
- Tables are not used for layout or formatting
- No rows or columns are merged
- Tables and graphs have a clear text alternative describing the purpose of the content
- Tables are made using Tablepress (university WordPress sites only)
For tips, go to Creating Accessible Data Visualization.
Links
- Link text is clear and descriptive for the user
- Link text makes sense when read out of context (avoid generic text like “Click here” and “Read More,” as it doesn’t provide any information to the user)
- Links are not just page URLs
- All links have been tested and are working as intended
Monitor your links and web content with Acquia Optimize (Monsido).
Video and Audio Media
- Media has a text alternative available on the page.
- Media does not rely on video or audio alone to present essential information
- Videos have captions and audio descriptions available (auto captions have been reviewed and edited for clarity)
- Videos and Audio have transcripts available
- Speakers in video/audio clearly identify themselves (this provides clarity when multiple speakers are present)
Details available at Video and Audio Content accessibility resources.
PDFs
- PDFs have a web alternative (unless absolutely necessary, don’t publish PDFs on the web. Determine if PDFs are really needed for your site)
- PDFs have been reviewed and remediated using an accessibility checker (Adobe Acrobat, Commonlook PDF, Acquia Optimize)
Additional resources are available on the Publishing Documents webpage.
Quality Assurance Review
- No empty elements are on the page (no empty titles, links, or headings)
- All links are working as intended
- Content has been reviewed and tested before publishing
- Use the WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool or Perform Single Page Scan in Acquia Optimize (Monsido)
More Information
Contact the Web Accessibility Team for questions or additional information about any checklist item.