Accessibility Recommendations for Web Designers

Web designers and developers are required to ensure their websites are accessible to all individuals and to support the best possible user experience for people of diverse abilities. More than one in ten U.S. citizens has a disability, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the upcoming Canadian Federal Accessibility Act provide a framework for businesses to ensure their websites are widely accessible.

Here are a few screening tools that can help you determine your website's level of accessibility:

• Siteimprove
• Lighthouse
• WAVE
• Bureau of Internet Accessibility
• Dynomapper

Checklist

The checklist below is based on the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative and is provided as a courtesy. The Initiative is under regular examination and revision; please refer to the WCAG website for implementation details and the most up-to-date information.

Compliance levels – The WCAG contains three: A, A.A. & AAA. Customers are encouraged to meet Level A.A. Additional information on WCAG levels can be found on the WCAG website.

Animation & Interactivity

Level A Compliance

1. Motion Actuation: Functionality that can be operated by device motion or user motion can also be operated by user interface components, and responding to the motion can be disabled to prevent accidental actuation (some exceptions)
2. Flash threshold: Web pages do not contain anything that flashes more than three times in any one second, or the flash is below the general flash and red flash thresholds

See WCAG for more information on physical reactions.

Color

Level A Compliance

• Color is not the only visual means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual element.

Level A.A. Compliance

• The visual presentation of user interface components and states and graphical objects have a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 against adjacent color(s) (see exceptions)

Suggested Best Practice

1. Ensure that information conveyed by color differences is also available in text (i.e., required fields information)
2. Include a text cue for colored form control labels (i.e., 'Required fields are marked in red; red fields must include the text label 'required' as well)
3. Ensure that additional visual cues are available when text color differences convey information.
4. Use a contrast ratio of 3:1 with surrounding text and provide additional visual cues on focus for links or controls where color alone is used to identify them.

See WCAG for additional guidance on color.

Compatibility & Future Proofing

Level A Compliance

1. Parsing: In content implemented using markup languages, elements have complete start and end tags, elements are nested according to their specifications, elements do not contain duplicate attributes, and any I.D.s are unique, except where the specifications allow these features
2. Name, role, value: For all user interface components (including but not limited to form elements, links, and components generated by scripts), the name and role can be programmatically determined; states, properties, and values that the user can set can be programmatically set; and notification of changes to these items is available to user agents, including assistive technologies

Suggested Best Practice

• Status Messages: In content implemented using markup languages, status messages can be programmatically determined through roles or properties such that they can be presented to the user by assistive technologies without receiving focus.

Content

Flow

Level A Compliance

• All non-text content that is presented to the user has a text alternative that serves the equivalent purpose (with some exceptions)

Suggested Best Practice

1. Content can be presented without loss of information or functionality and without requiring scrolling in two dimensions for:

• Vertical scrolling content at a width equivalent to 320 CSS pixels
• Horizontal scrolling content at a height equivalent to 256 CSS pixels

Adaptive Content

Level A Compliance

1. Info & Relationships: Information, structure, and relationships conveyed through presentation can be programmatically determined or are available in text.
2. Meaningful Sequence: When the sequence in which content is presented affects its meaning, a correct reading sequence can be programmatically determined
3. Sensory Characteristics: Instructions provided for understanding and operating content do not rely solely on sensory characteristics of components such as shape, size, visual location, orientation, or sound

Level A.A. Compliance

1. Orientation: Content does not restrict its view and operation to a single display orientation, such as portrait or landscape unless a specific display orientation is essential
2. Identify Input Purpose: see the WCAG for full details
3. Reflow: Content can be presented without loss of information or functionality and without requiring scrolling in two dimensions for vertical scrolling content at a width equivalent to 320 CSS pixels; horizontal scrolling content at a height equivalent to 256 CSS pixels
4. Consistent identification: Components that have the same functionality within a set of Web pages are identified consistently

See WCAG for more info on Reflow and Adaptable methods.

Contrast

Level A.A. Compliance

1. Minimum contrast: Text and images of text should have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1, except for large text (contrast ratio of at least 3:1), text or images that are purely decorative, or a logotype. For enhanced contrast, a contrast ratio of 7:1 should be achieved.
2. Images of text: If the technologies being used can achieve the visual presentation, the text is used to convey information rather than images of text (see exceptions)

Suggested Best Practice

• Except for captions and images of text, text can be resized up to 200 percent without assistive technology and loss of content or functionality.

See WCAG for additional guidance on contrast.

Hover & Focus

Level A Compliance

1. On Focus: When any component receives focus, it does not initiate a change of context
2. On Input: Changing the setting of any user interface component does not automatically cause a change of context unless the user has been advised of the behavior before using the component.
3. Pointer gestures: All functionality that uses multipoint or path-based gestures for operation can be operated with a single pointer without a path-based gesture unless a multipoint or path-based gesture is essential
4. Pointer cancellation: See WCAG guidelines.

Level A.A. Compliance

1. Dismissable: A mechanism is available to dismiss the additional content without moving pointer hover or keyboard focus unless the additional content communicates an input error or does not obscure or replace other content;
2. Hoverable: If pointer hover can trigger the additional content, then the pointer can be moved over the additional content without the additional content disappearing;
3. Persistent: The additional content remains visible until the hover or focus trigger is removed, the user dismisses it, or its information is no longer valid.

Keyboard & Shortcuts

Level A Compliance

1. Keyboard Operation: All functionality of the content is operable through a keyboard interface without requiring specific timings for individual keystrokes, except where the underlying function requires input that depends on the path of the user's movement and not just the endpoints
2. Keyboard focus: can be moved to a component of the page using a keyboard interface, then focus can be moved away from that component using only a keyboard interface, and, if it requires more than unmodified arrow or tab keys or other standard exit methods, the user is advised of the method for moving the focus away
3. Keyboard shortcut: If a keyboard shortcut is implemented in content using only letters (including upper- and lower-case letters), punctuation, number, or symbol characters, then the user can turn off the shortcut, remap the shortcut to use non-printable keyboard characters or the keyboard shortcut is only active when that component has focus.

See more on the Keyboard in the WCAG.

Media

This only applies when video and audio are used.

Level A Compliance

1. Prerecorded Audio-only: An alternative for time-based media presents equivalent information for prerecorded audio-only content.
2. Prerecorded Video-only: An alternative for time-based media or an audio track presents equivalent information for prerecorded video-only content.
3. Captions: Captions are provided for all prerecorded audio content in synchronized media
4. An alternative for time-based media or audio description of the prerecorded video content is provided for synchronized media.
5. Auto Play: If any audio on a Web page plays automatically for more than 3 seconds, either a mechanism is available to pause or stop the audio, or a mechanism is available to control audio volume independently from the overall system volume level

Level A.A. Compliance

1. Captions (live): Captions are provided for all live audio content in synchronized media
2. Audio Description (Prerecorded): Audio description is provided for all prerecorded video content in synchronized media

See WCAG for more guidance on video & audio media.

Navigation

Level A Compliance

1. Consistent Navigation: Navigational mechanisms that are repeated on multiple Web pages within a set of Web pages occur in the same relative order each time they are repeated unless the user initiates a change
2. Bypass blocks: A mechanism is available to bypass blocks of content repeated on multiple Web pages.
3. Page titles: Web pages have titles that describe a topic or purpose.
4. Focus order: If a Web page can be navigated sequentially and the navigation sequences affect meaning or operation, focusable components receive focus in an order that preserves meaning and operability.
5. Link purpose: The purpose of each link can be determined from the link text alone or the link text together with its programmatically determined link context, except where the purpose of the link would be ambiguous to users in general.

Level A.A. Compliance

1. Multiple ways: More than one way is available to locate a web page within a set of web pages except where the web page is the result of, or a step in, a process
2. Headings & labels: Headings and labels describe the topic or purpose
3. Focus visible: Any keyboard-operable user interface has a mode of operation where the keyboard focus indicator is visible

Suggested Best Practice

1. Location: Information about the user's location within web pages is available.
2. Link purpose: A mechanism is available to allow the purpose of each link to be identified from the link text alone, except where the purpose of the link would be ambiguous to users in general.
3. Section headings: Section headings are used to organize the content.

See also Hover & Focus.

Text

Level A Compliance

1. Label in the name: For user interface components with labels that include text or images of text, the name contains the text that is presented visually
2. Error identification: If an input error is automatically detected, the item that is in error is identified, and the error is described to the user in text

Level A.A. Compliance

1. Resize text: Text can be resized without assistive technology up to 200 percent without loss of content or functionality
2. Error suggestion: If an input error is automatically detected and suggestions for correction are known, then the suggestions are provided to the user unless it would jeopardize the security or purpose of the content
3. Error prevention: For web pages that cause legal commitments or financial transactions for the user to occur, that modify or delete user-controllable data in data storage systems, or that submit user test responses, submissions are reversible or input data is checked for errors, and the user is provided an opportunity to correct them, or a mechanism is available for reviewing, confirming & correcting before finalizing the submission
4. Status messages: In content implemented using markup languages, status messages can be programmatically determined through roles or properties such that they can be presented to the user by assistive technologies without receiving focus

Suggested Best Practice

1. Labels or instructions are provided when content requires user input
2. Foreground and background colors can be selected by the user (unless no text or background color is specified, i.e., keep the defaults)
3. Width is no more than 80 characters or glyphs
4. Text is not justified
5. Line spacing (leading) is at least space-and-a-half within paragraphs, and paragraph spacing is at least 1.5 times larger than the line spacing.
6. Line height (line spacing) to at least 1.5 times the font size
7. Spacing the following paragraphs to at least two times the font size
8. Letter spacing (tracking) to at least 0.12 times the font size
9. Word spacing to at least 0.16 times the font size

Language – Level A Compliance

• The default human language of each web page can be programmatically determined.

Language – Level A.A. Compliance

• The human language of each passage or phrase in the content can be programmatically determined (see exceptions)

Advisory Techniques for Text – Suggested Best Practice

1. Using a hover effect to highlight a paragraph, list items, or table cells (CSS)
2. Presenting text in sans serif font or providing a mechanism to achieve this (CSS)
3. Using vertical (bulleted or numbered) lists rather than inline lists
4. Using upper and lower case according to the spelling conventions of the text language
5. Providing large fonts by default
6. Avoiding the use of text in raster images
7. Avoiding scaling font sizes smaller than the user-agent default
8. Providing sufficient inter-column spacing
9. Avoiding centrally aligned text
10. Avoiding chunks of italic text
11. Avoiding overuse of different styles on individual pages and sites
12. Making links visually distinct
13. Providing expandable bullets
14. Show/hide bullet points
15. Putting an em-space or two spaces after sentences

See WCAG for more info on text in Visual Presentation.

Timing & Notification

Language – Level A Compliance

1. Set time limits: For each time limit that is set by the content, the user can: Turn off the time limit before encountering it; adjust the time limit before encountering it over a wide range that is at least ten times the length of the default setting; is warned before time expires and given at least 20 seconds to extend the time limit with a simple action that can be extended at least ten times. See more scenarios for adjustable timing.
2. Moving, blinking, scrolling: For any moving, blinking, or scrolling information that (1) starts automatically, (2) lasts more than five seconds, and (3) is presented in parallel with other content, there is a mechanism for the user to pause, stop, or hide it unless the movement, blinking, or scrolling is part of an activity where it is essential.
3. Auto updating: For any auto-updating information that (1) starts automatically and (2) is presented in parallel with other content, there is a mechanism for the user to pause, stop, or hide it or to control the frequency of the update unless the auto-updating is part of an activity where it is essential

Suggested Best Practice

1. Interruptions: Interruptions can be postponed or suppressed by the user, except for interruptions involving an emergency.
2. Continuation: When an authenticated session expires, the user can continue the activity without losing data after re-authenticating.
3. Inactivity: Users are warned of the duration of any user inactivity that could cause data loss unless the data is preserved for more than 20 hours when the user does not take any actions.

See Timing in WCAG for more information.