Start Here: Accessibility Basics Checklist

To comply with Binghamton University’s Accessibility Policy, as well as with all laws and standards regarding accessibility, digital content must meet certain standards and criteria. Digital content includes all:

• webpages
• electronic documents
• electronic communications
• Brightspace courses

This is a list of basic requirements to achieve accessibility standards and ensure that your content can be fully accessed and understood by people of all abilities. This list has been simplified for brevity and is not all-inclusive. If you need further information on a specific topic, please follow the resource links provided.

Document structure

Heading styles - H1, H2, H3, etc.

• Headings are used to logically organize the content.
• Heading levels are not skipped.

List styles

• Bulleted and numbered list styles are used.

Additional Resources

• MS Word Headings and MS Word Lists
• Google Docs headings
• Headings and lists in HTML pages
• Watch a short video on Headings for Web Accessibility

Links have meaningful link text.

• The link text conveys the purpose/destination of the link.
• Generic link text like “click here” or “read more” is avoided.

Knowledge Base Resource

• Accessible Links

Color

Color is not used as the only visual means of conveying information.  

• Color is paired with text, icons, pattern, or another visual signal.
• In charts and graphs, direct labels are used rather than a legend.

Additional Resources

• About Use of Color
• Video on Use of Color to Convey Information

Contrast

• Text has strong contrast against the background.
• Buttons and other functional components have strong contrast.

Knowledge Base Resource

• Color Contrast and How to Check It

Images

All non-decorative images have alternative text.

• The important information conveyed by an image is also provided as text in the alt text attribute, the caption, or the main text.
• Images of text are avoided, unless the same text is included as alternative text.

Knowledge Base Resource

• Alternative Text: Tips and Best Practices

Tables are formatted correctly.

Simple tables are used.

• Complicated and nested tables are split up into smaller tables.
• Cells, rows, or columns are not merged.

Table Header <th>

• Every table has a header row and/or column designated.
• Header labels are accurate and descriptive.

Table caption/title

• Table caption is meaningful and unique

Additional Resources

• Create Accessible Tables in Word
• Accessible HTML tables
• Watch a short video on Accessible Tables

Multimedia

Videos

• All videos have accurate closed captions.
• Text transcripts are provided for all videos.
• Audio descriptions are provided for important visual-only content in videos.

Audio

• Text transcripts are provided for all audio tracks or files.

Additional Resources

• Captions, Transcripts, and Audio Descriptions
• The shortfalls of Automatic Captioning video
• Automatic Captioning in Panopto
• Adding Audio Descriptions in Panopto

Forms

• All input fields have accurate labels.
• On focus, the input field is highlighted visually.
• Error messages are given in context and use text and color to indicate the problem.

Additional Resources

• Create accessible forms
• Google Forms Accessibility
• Video on Fillable Forms

Animation and flashing

• Moving, blinking, and scrolling content can be paused, stopped, or hidden.
• Nothing flashes more than three times in a one second period.

Additional Resources

• Designing accessible animation
• Pause, Stop, Hide
• Seizure and Vestibular Disorder

Keyboard navigation

• Content can be accessed without the use of a mouse.
• There is an obvious focus indicator when keyboard navigating through a page.

Additional Resources

• Keyboard Accessibility and Testing
• Keyboard Access and Visual Focus video

Resize text

• Text can be resized up to 200% without loss of content or functionality.

Additional Resources

• About Resizing Text
• Test resizing text in browser

Reading Level

• Keep text as simple and understandable as possible.
• For general audiences, strive for an 8^th grade reading level.
• For an advanced or specialized audience, strive for a 12^th grade reading level.

Additional Resources

• Writing Clearly and Simply
• Class Ace reading level checker