ADA Requirements for University of Arkansas Web Pages

ADA is the Americans with Disabilities Act, a comprehensive civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability; it says that 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. Accessibility in web development enables people with disabilities such as blindness, hearing impairment, low vision, and cognitive or mobility impairments to read, hear, and interact with computer-based information and content with or without the aid of assistive technology. People with low vision might use a screen magnifier; those who are blind might use a screen reader which will read the page aloud. People with mobility impairments might not be able to use a mouse and must be able to access the information on the web page using only the keyboard. They might require transcripts or closed captioning for audio and video. An accessible document has built-in information that enables the assistive technology to interpret the document's structure and present the information in a logical reading order.

The Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 Section 508, Subpart B, § 1194.22 outlines the specific laws that pertain to the development of web pages for state agencies. Complying with these laws constitutes ADA or Section 508 compliance. Section 508 contains laws which dictate how to create web pages so that they are accessible to those with disabilities who might be using assistive technology. The Section 508 laws are mostly based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), but there are some laws which are not in the W3C guidelines.

WebAIM, WAI Resources , and Accessify have lots of information regarding ADA accessibility and compliance.

Federal (Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, Section 508) and state (Arkansas Act 1227 of 1999) laws governing ADA accessibility are based on the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) guidelines. The guidelines are:

1. Provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content.
   This means that you will need a good ALT tag for every image which conveys any information in the image; use the LONGDESC tag if the text is over 150 characters. Image maps must also have an ALT tag for the map and ALT tags for each area. Provide synchronized textual transcripts for the audio in videos and a synchronized auditory description of the visual track for multimedia presentations.
2. Don't rely on color alone.
   All information should be available without using color to convey the information. There should also be sufficient contrast between colors.
3. Use markup and style sheets and do so properly.
   Use style sheets for page layout, but make sure that the page will still be usable without the styles. Do not use styles that generate text; do not use ! important rules (which override user styles). This also means that every page should have a DOCTYPE declaration. Sizes in the HTML should be relative, not absolute. The page should use heading tags properly and use ordered or unordered lists for bullet or numbered lists. You should not use the BLOCKQUOTE tag for indenting (without an actual quote) nor the PRE tag. STRONG tags should be used instead of bold tags, and every page should have a TITLE. Deprecated tags such as CENTER and FONT should not be used.
4. Clarify natural language usage.
   Identify the primary language of the page, identify any changes in language, and use the ABBR and ACRONYM tags when needed.
5. Create tables that transform gracefully.
   Do not use tables for layout. Make sure that all data tables have identified header cells, use SCOPE or ID, and have a SUMMARY and a CAPTION.
6. Ensure that pages featuring new technologies transform gracefully.
   Pages must still be usable when scripts, applets, or other programmatic objects are turned off or not supported. Make sure that pages using style sheets will still be usable without the styles.
7. Ensure user control of time-sensitive content changes.
   When a timed response is required, the user must be alerted and given sufficient time to indicate more time is required. Do not create periodically auto-refreshing pages. Do not use markup to redirect pages automatically; configure the server to perform redirects. The screen should never flicker; do not use BLINK, MARQUEE, nor animated GIF images that flicker.
8. Ensure direct accessibility of embedded user interfaces.
   Make sure that any link requiring a plug-in such as Acrobat Reader, RealPlayer, Flash Player has a link to the download of that plug-in next to the original link, or use the PLUGINSPAGE or PLUGINURL attibute of the EMBED object.
   Make sure that PDFs and Flash videos use all accessibility options.
9. Design for device-independence.
   A mouse should never be required to view or navigate any web page or access any information. Use the NOSCRIPT tag with scripts. Check all scripts and forms for accessibility. Use the LABEL tag with all forms (or the LABEL, FOR, and ID tags if necessary); always use the FIELDSET and LEGEND tags when appropriate. Never use Javascript jump menus. Create a logical tab order through links, form controls, and objects.
10. Use interim solutions.
    Do not cause pop-ups or other windows to appear automatically and do not change the current window without informing the user.
11. Use W3C technologies and guidelines.
    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 (and/or functionality), and is updated as often as the inaccessible (original) page.
12. Provide context and orientation information.
    Frames must include the TITLE and NAME attributes, and the NOFRAMES tag must be used. Each frame should have a TITLE.
13. Provide clear navigation mechanisms.
    A "skipnav" is required for pages with a navigation bar so that the user can skip over the repetitive navigation bar. Clearly identify the target of each link; link text should make sense out of context (don't use only "click here" for a link). Different links require different text. Links should always reference a web page, not just an image or object. Use a character other than a space between links.
14. Ensure that documents are clear and simple.
    Use the clearest and simplest language appropriate for a site's content, and create a style of presentation that creates consistent site navigation across pages. Include a title on every web page, and group related links.