Web Content Accessibility Checklist

Structure

• Content is organized with headings and section titles (on WordPress, all panels have a title)
• Content is organized semantically and reads from top to bottom
• All headings are semantic (heading levels aren’t skipped. For example, H1, H2, H3, H3, H2)
• Page title describes the page and is no more than 150 characters

For tips, go to Using accessible panels on WordPress.

Text

• Headings are used to describe and organize content
• Text is clear and descriptive, following standard formatting conventions
• Text is not underlined
• When applicable, text uses strong tags instead of bold tags
• Bulleted and numbered lists are used when applicable and appropriately

Images

• All images have a descriptive alternative text
• Images do not contain text (images of flyers should have a full-text alternative clearly present on the page)
• Linked images use alt text to describe what page the image links to.

For additional information, go to Reviewing images guidelines and Using flyers on the web

Tables and Graphs

• Tables are only used when absolutely necessary to display data
• Tables are not used for layout or formatting
• No rows or columns are merged
• Tables and graphs have a clear text alternative describing the purpose of the content
• Tables are made using Tablepress (university WordPress sites only)

For tips, go to Creating Accessible Data Visualization.

Links

• Link text is clear and descriptive for the user
• Link text makes sense when read out of context (avoid generic text like “Click here” and “Read More,” as it doesn’t provide any information to the user)
• Links are not just page URLs
• All links have been tested and are working as intended

Monitor your links and web content with Monsido.

Video and Audio Media

• Media has a text alternative available on the page.
• Media does not rely on video or audio alone to present essential information
• Videos have captions and audio descriptions available (auto captions have been reviewed and edited for clarity)
• Videos and Audio have transcripts available
• Speakers in video/audio clearly identify themselves (this provides clarity when multiple speakers are present)

Details available at Video and Audio Content accessibility resources.

PDFs

• PDFs have a web alternative (unless absolutely necessary, don’t publish PDFs on the web. Determine if PDFs are really needed for your site)
• PDFs have been reviewed and remediated using an accessibility checker (Adobe Acrobat, Commonlook PDF, Monsido)

Additional resources are available on the Publishing Documents webpage.

Quality Assurance Review

• No empty elements are on the page (no empty titles, links, or headings)
• All links are working as intended
• Content has been reviewed and tested before publishing
• Use the WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool or Perform Single Page Scan in Monsido

More Information

Contact the Web Accessibility Team for questions or additional information about any checklist item.