What

What

Web Accessibility Definition:  "Development of information systems flexible enough to accommodate the needs of the broadest range of users...regardless of disability." — Cynthia Waddell

What are the Principles of Web Accessibility (POUR)? 

  • Perceivable – available through sight, hearing, or touch
  • Operable – compatible with keyboard or mouse
  • Understandable – user-friendly, easy to comprehend
  • Robust – works across browsers, assistive technologies (such as screen readers), mobile devices, old devices/browsers, etc. Follows standards.

How do they translate to what you do?

At a high level it means:

  • content is well structured and clearly written
  • links make sense out of context
  • not relying on color alone to convey meaning
  • providing appropriate alternative text for non-text elements (i.e., images and charts)
  • helping users navigate to relevant content
  • ensure accessibility of non-HTML content (PDFs, Word docs, Powerpoint files, etc.)
  • providing headers for data tables
  • users can complete and submit all forms
  • captioning and/or providing transcripts for media

See the WebAIM Quick Reference: Web Accessibility Principles PDF for a quick, but comprehensive look at the principles and how they translate to what you need to do.