Making Your Website Accessible, The University of Arizona

General Design Guidelines:

Avoid misleading use of structural elements on pages. Use a heading tag for all headings, use a list structure for listed items, use a blockquote for quoted material.
Do not use display fonts that cannot be resized such as pixels, points, or picas. Acceptable variable font size values includes ems, percentage, named values xx-small to xx-large, and exs.
Avoid using tables for page layout.
Use variable column and page widths.

Text Only Equivalent:

A text-only version of a web page should be created only when there is no other way to make the content accessible, or when it offers significant advantages over the main version for certain types of disabilities. When used, the text-only version must provide equivalent information and functionality as the main version and must be kept up-to-date.

Text-Only Drawbacks:

The Text-Only alternative forces the web master to maintain two versions of a page -- the main version and the text-only version. Text-only pages are easily forgotten during updates. Often, they are not up-to-date or equal to the main version.

Tutorials:

Alt Tags
All graphics within a website must contain an 'alt tag' for accessibility.
Image Maps
All image maps must have alt tags for hotspots and a properly set tab index.
Color
Color coding shall not be used as the only means of conveying information. The contrast between colors used should be distinct.
Hyperlink Titles
Each hyperlink title is meaningful and adequately describes the link's destination.
Tables:
There are two basic uses for tables on the Web: as data tables, and as layout tables.
- Data Tables
- Page Layout Tables
Frames
To be accessible, each frame must be given a title that helps the user understand the frame's purpose. Equivalent no frames information must be provided.
Charts & Graphs
The content and meaning of a chart or graph must be described in text to make it accessible to all users.
Forms
Form elements must be tagged with the label attribute. Contact information must be provided on each page with a form.
Skip Navigation
Provide a way to skip over navigational menus or other lengthy lists of links.
Cascading Style Sheets
When Cascading Style Sheets are used, the web page must make sense when the style sheets are turned off.
Scripts, Events, & Plug-Ins/PDF
Provide contact information on each page with a script, applet, or plug-in so that users can ask questions or request the information in an alternative format.