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    Accessibility, Checklist
Hawaii State Department of Education
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Need a "Cliff's Notes®" for web site accessibility?
Work on these common problems to start:

Accessibility Checklist
(roughly in order of importance)
OK? What to check...
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Make sure each image has an ALT or LONGDESC.

  • Use ALT for short desciptions:

    <img src="checkbox.gif" alt="check box">

  • Use LONGDESC for long descriptions:

    <img src="orgchart.gif" longdes="orgchart.htm">

    In this example, orgchart.htm would be a separate web page with a complete description of the image.

  • Hint: In general each image requires an explanation (ALT or LONGDESC). But if the image adds nothing, such as an invisible "spacer" image for layout, use ALT=" " (with a single space). This is a signal to screen readers to ignore the image. Do not abuse this convention.

  • Advanced: If you use image maps, remember to label each image area with a separate ALT or LONGDESC explanation.
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Make sure each multimedia presentation, e.g. Flash, video, or Powerpoint, has a transcript of audio, and description of video.

  • Best: sychronized text
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Make sure your data tables use appropriate coding to identify headers for rows and columns.

  • A "data table" shows tabular information, e.g. teachers and assigned room numbers.

  • To identify headers, use <TH> (instead of <TD>) for the header cells.
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Use markup to associate data cells and header cells for data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers.

  • This refers to complex table headings with merged cells covering subordinate cells.
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Design your web pages so that color perception is not necessary for navigation or understanding.

  • e.g. Don't say "parent information is in the blue section," unless you have somehow made it obvious (in text) where the blue section is.
check box Make a link at the top of your page to let the user jump over repetitive menus to the content.
check box Provide a link to a plug-in or applet when it is required to view the page.
check box (Forms) Where electronic forms are designed to be completed on-line, the form shall allow people using assistive technology to access the information, field elements, and functionality required for completion and submission of the form, including all directions and cues. Where compliance is not practical, an alternative method of assistance shall be provided.
check box (Forms) When a timed response is required, the user shall be alerted and given sufficient time to indicate more time is required.
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Consider creating text-only pages with equivalent content or functionality when compliance cannot be accomplished in any other way.

  • Remember to update the content of the text-only page whenever you update the "regular" page.
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(Advanced) Make sure your pages are still readable without an associated style sheet.

  • Cascading style sheets (CSS) advanced features that will let you display text in specific positions. This item simply warns us not to depend on CSS to make our content readable.
check box (Scripting) Make sure content displayed via scripting is available to assistive technology, e.g. screen readers.
check box (Frames) When you use frames give each frame a titled (in text) to help users identify frames and to aid navigation.
check box (Advanced) Use client-side image maps instead of server-side image maps.
check box (Advanced/archaic) Provide redundant text links for each active region of a server-side image map.
check box

(Advanced) Design pages to avoid causing the screen to flicker with a frequency in the 2 -55 Hz range.

Huh? I'm not sure what this means either. My suggestion: be careful in your use of animation.


get Acrobat Reader plug-in

© Hawaii State Department of Education, P.O. Box 2360, Honolulu, HI 96804; Physical address: 1390 Miller St, Honolulu, HI 96813; phone: 808-586-3230; fax: 808-586-3234. All rights reserved. For problems/questions concerning this web site, please email the webmaster. Links to other web sites should not be considered an endorsement. DOE is not responsible for the content of external web sites.

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