My newest web design project is making sure a website I am developing is at least “ADA Compliant.” I quickly learned this is not a straightforward as it seems. After several days of independent research, I phoned Cynthia Ng who presented for Novare Library and Florida Library Webinars on Auditing Your Website for Accessibility Compliance and Understanding How ADA Applies and Making Web Services Accessible for Everyone
Through our conversation and my research, I created a list of resources I plan to use and feel I can recommend. The goal is to continually update this list as the project continues with the information I learn and use.
Resource Guide
- HTML CodeSniffer. HTML CodeSniffer is a browser plugin that shows you errors and warnings for each page.
- WAVE WebAIM. Run your website through this website and see the errors it generates. This can give you specific areas to focus on and improve.
- Cynthia Ng’s Blog Post Series on WCAG. The post puts the standards in an easy-to-understand language. The posts put understandable examples with the corresponding guideline.
- Cynthia Ng’s Webinar on Accessibility. The webinar walks you through the standards and how to comply in a straightforward manner.
- WCAG Standards – Quick Reference. One of the first things I have learned on this journey is the ADA doesn’t have the actual standards. The WCAG standards are the standards behind the ADA, Section 504, and Section 508.
- Introduction to WCAG. Need an overview before you jump in, this website is the place to start.
- W3C. Standards for web design.
- W3C Code Validator Run your website through the validator for a list of code that needs to be addressed.
- Improving Website Accessibility. From Section 508, this source will lead you through the specifics.
- Accessible Colors. Type in text color and size information and your background color for analysis. It will provide recommendations to fix issues.
- Website Planet. Great overview of what accessibility is, and what can be done on your site.
- Internet Navigation for the Visually Impaired. Easy to find instructions on how to find accessibility settings in different operating systems and browsers. In addition, it explains the adaptability issues you are trying to help, additional solutions, and more.
Overall, while it’s a bit overwhelming – most of the information points to three keys to accessibility: Making sure mark-up is complete especially image tags, following good coding standards and good writing/using headers, and overall creating a great page.