HTML and CSS Reference
In-Depth Information
Subpart B—Technical Standards
• 1194.21Softwareapplicationsandoperatingsystems.
• 1194.22Web-basedintranetandInternetinformationandapplications.16rules.
• 1194.23Telecommunicationsproducts.
• 1194.24Videoandmultimediaproducts.
• 1194.25Selfcontained,closedproducts.
• 1194.26Desktopandportablecomputers.
SubpartC—FunctionalPerformanceCriteria
• 1194.31Functionalperformancecriteria.
Subpart D—Information, Documentation, and Support
• 1194.41Information,documentation,andsupport.
Web developers should review these guidelines thoroughly. We focus on the
specific guidelines for intranet and Internet development in the following sections.
Subsection
§ 1194.22
of Section 508,
Web-based intranet and Internet
information and applications
, is the segment of the amendment that impacts Web
design.Thereare16paragraphswithin§1194.22,whicharelettered(a)through(p).
These16paragraphsdescribehoweachcomponentofaWebsiteshouldbedesignedto
ensureaccessibility.Thefollowingisalistofthe16paragraphs:
§ 1194.22 (a) A text equivalent for every non-text element shall be provided
(e.g., via “alt”, “longdesc”, or in element content).
Graphical images that contain Web page content should include a text alternative.
For good Web development practice, all images should include the alt attribute to
describe that image, as shown in Chapter 2. As mentioned earlier, longdesc is not
supported by HTML5.
§ 1194.22 (b) Equivalent alternatives for any multimedia presentation shall be
synchronized with the presentation.
Audio clips should contain a transcript of the content; video clips need closed
captioning.
§ 1194.22 (c) Web pages shall be designed so that all information conveyed
with color is also available without color, for example from context or markup.
Although color is an important component of most Web pages, you need to consider
those site visitors with forms of color blindness if the color contributes significantly to the
Web site content.
§ 1194.22 (d) Documents shall be organized so they are readable without
requiring an associated style sheet.
Style sheets have an important role in Web development. Some browsers, however,
allow users to create their own customized style sheets, which could alter the style sheets
that you have designated. When developing a Web site using style sheets, ensure that the
site maintains its functionality, even if your specified style sheets have been turned off.
§ 1194.22 (e) Redundant text links shall be provided for each active region of
a server-side image map.
and
