Content accessibility principles

Web accessibility is the ability for a person with a disability to understand and use a web site, application, intranet, or program. It allows people with disabilities to access information like anyone else; interact with others without being classed as “disabled” and allows them to undertake activities which they may not otherwise be able to do.

Website content accessibility is important to people with the following disabilities:

• Blindness
• Colour-blindness
• Low vision
• Deafness
• Motor impairments
• Cognitive impairments

The types of content covered by this checklist are: page titles; content i.e. the textual page content; headings and link text. Accessibility principles specific to these types of website content, include but are not limited to:

Page titles

• Page titles should not be missing or empty;
• Page titles should be legible, accurate, unique, concise and descriptive; and
• Page titles should include a consistent reference to the site.

Text content

• Page content is correctly spelt and meaningful;
• Any instructions are device independent and do not depend on location or visual appearance;
• Colour, shape or shading alone is not used to convey information;
• The default language is English, all foreign language has been marked up correctly and the page DOCTYPE is correct;
• Images of text are not used in preference to HTML; and
• Dates are in an unabbreviated, easy to read, format.

Headings

• Headings should not be empty, missing or incorrect;
• Headings should be coded with H1, H2 etc.
• Headings should be at the right level and nested correctly; and
• Headings should be descriptive and concise

Link text

• Link text should be clear, not capitalised, descriptive and avoid the use of ASCII characters;
• Link text should be device independent i.e. ‘Click here’ is not used; and
• Links should not be empty or broken.