Accessible Web Design
Accessible Web Design
AccessVT is home to an ongoing collaboration between the Accessibility Standards Committee (ASC) and the university community to maintain policies, standards, training, and services needed to create accessible websites for teaching and learning, research and outreach, and administrative systems at Virginia Tech. The ASC is comprised of advisory members from all parts of the university, including users, the Colleges, Human Resources, University Relations, Learning Technologies, Institute of Distance and Distributed Learning, Office of Multicultural Affairs, and Information Technology.
The ASC welcomes participation from all members of the university community. For more information on becoming an ASC advisory member, please contact the ASC Chairperson. The Chairperson of the ASC reports to the Vice President of Information Technology regarding university web accessibility policies, standards, tools for web development, training, support services, and monitoring overall compliance.
Access Policies
What everyone should know. University policy requires that websites be accessible to people with disabilities. This section lists the benefits of using accessibility standards and guidelines based on U.S. law (Section 508 Standards) and international guidelines (WCAG), as well as the benefits of assistive technologies.
- Introduction to Web Accessibility by WebAIM at webaim.org highlights the reasons for WCAG guidelines by the W3C and U.S. law Section 508 for web accessibility standards.
Putting People at the Center of the Process
by Constructing a POUR Website an article on the benefits of accessibility by WebAIM- University Policy 7215 IT Accessibility (HTML) or (PDF), requires Virginia Tech websites and information technology (IT} to be aligned with W3C guidelines and Section 508 Standards.
- More on Access Policies
Standards and Guidelines
Why standards are important. Standards and guidelines explain the what, why, and how of making web content accessible. Web content comprised of text, images, sound, video, and other media includes markup languages or code to define structure, presentation, and alternatives for people with disabilities.
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Overview by the World Wide Web Consortium W3C© at w3.org .
- Table of Contents: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 by the W3C at w3.org
- U.S. Access Board Section 508 Web Standards and Guide to the (Full) Section 508 Standards for Electronic and Information Technology
- Virginia Tech Standards and Guidelines Web Accessibility Standards and Guidelines the Booklet Version
- More on Standards and Guidelines
Tools and Training
How to get started. These pages are for web developers and content providers creating accessible websites. Tools include university licensed software and other resources for website development. Accessibility training features various sources for instructor-led training, consulting, on-line tutorials with coding references, articles, and book repositories for additional reading.
- W3C Quality Assurance Tools HTML/XHTML Validator, CSS Validator, and Link Checker for testing single web pages
- AccVerify Professional from HiSoftware website quality, accessibility evaluation, link validator, and captioning toolset
- WebAIM Tutorial and Articles by WebAIM.org
- WAI Web Content Accessibility Curriculum by W3.org
- More on Tools and Training
Support Services
When help is needed. Services are meant to answer questions and resolve issues for web developers, content providers, and users. Support covers questions on web design, accessibility standards and guidelines, tools, and training. Other references involve university services for students and employees with disabilities.
- How to locate Web Development Toolkit and VT Templates
- Web Hosting Service for a Web presence without the costs of maintaining a server
- Blacksburg Electronic Village and Software Technical Laboratory are Virginia Tech entities providing web design and maintenance support services
- AccVerify Professional software problems are reported to assist@vt.edu or to 4Help
- More on Support Services
Quick Reference
Access Policies
- Policy 178 Accommodations for Disabilities
- Policy 7215
IT Accessibility
(HTML) or (PDF) - Introduction to Web Accessibility by WebAIM
- Constructing a POUR Website an article on the benefits of accessibility by WebAIM
Standards and Guidelines
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Overview
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
- U.S. Access Board Section 508 Web Standards
Tools and Training
- W3C Quality Assurance Tools
- Check Your Web Site by Craig Cecil
- WebAIM Tutorial and Articles by WebAIM
- WAI Web Content Accessibility Curriculum by W3C
Support Services
- How to locate Web Development Toolkit and VT Templates
- Web Hosting Service for a Web presence without the costs of maintaining a server
- Blacksburg Electronic Village and Software Technical Laboratory are Virginia Tech entities providing web design, maintenance support services
Contact Information
Request for Comments
Send an e-mail to assist@vt.edu