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The ENGR Template
 

Keeping Content Accessible in the Template

Accessible content is of paramount importance. Our goal is to conform as much as possible to accessibility standards. For more information about what it means to have an accessible web site, please visit: Accessible Web Design.

In providing these templates, we have weighed many design considerations. There is currently only one point of web accessibility that is currently not completely addressed by this template and the provided tools:

  • Access via Portable Computing Devices/Cell Phones. While the template is compatible with text only browsers and screen readers, portable computing devices and cell phones introduce an additional dilemma: limited screen/memory size. Pages made with the template may not be conveniently usable on portable devices that try to implement CSS2 style sheets. Pages made by the template may not work on web-enabled mobile phones if the system they use to access the pages cannot handle the amount of textual content present in these pages or cannot navigate using anchor links within large text documents. There are plans to make the template more accessible via these two methods, but they are not yet implemented. When available, these methods will require PHP.

Many points of accessibility are met by the template. There are, however, points of accessibility that are beyond the scope of this template. The provided templates provide a framework that is accessible, but in order for pages made with the template to be accessible the content put into the template must also conform. Here are some common points that must be addressed in pages using the template. All are outlined or described in more detail at the Accessible Web Design site:

  • Images and other forms of non-texual content must have "alt" text. "Other forms" include sound files, Flash animations, and other types of audio/visual media. Javascript and inline frames are other examples of content that must have accommodating text/links in the case they are not supported by browsers.
     
    All images in and relating to content should have alt text.
     
  • All documents should have a proper title in the Title tag.
     
  • File names for all documents on the web should contain only lowercase alphanumeric characters, with the exception of the Period ( . ) and Hyphen ( - ). Spaces and Underscores ( _ ) should not be used. Capital letters should be used with extreme discretion.
     
  • Tables that create tabular data must be properly marked up to indicate what columns and rows are headers and cells that do not clearly fall under one header should be marked-up.
     
  • Text links should be descriptive when possible. Avoid using links with vague text such as "Click Here", "More", or "See Also" unless accompanied by other text as part of the link, or the previous link(s) gives an indication of what the link is for. "See Also: Undergraduate Admissions", for example, is fine since it clearly labels the link.
     
  • If you have a video, complex chart, or other media on a page that can't be explained in text on the same page, provide a "D-link" or "Full Text Description" link to a page that does provide the information in text.
     
  • Do not try to "color code" your text to convey meaning without providing some other indication in the context or markup of the page, such as a properly marked up table for tabular data. Do not design your page to rely on the ability to distinguish colors in order to be useable or understandable.
     
  • Do not add content that must be used in conjunction with a style sheet (cascading style sheet, Linked or Embedded) to be readable or understandable. The template itself properly linearizes when the style sheet is not used.
     
  • Make sure any image maps you use conform to accessibility standards.
     
  • Avoid using images or visuals that flicker or blink. Never use images or visuals that flicker or blink in excess of twice a second.
     
  • If a web page requires any plug-in or external application, you must provide links to download the needed supplemental software. This even includes "commonly" used file formats such as Realmedia, Flash, and PDF.
     
  • If you use a Javascript or meta-tag redirect, you should inform the user that the re-direct is happening and give sufficient time for users to read the indication. If an option is given that is an alternative to the redirect you, must give sufficient time to read and respond.