The user guides under this heading dive into Accessibility concepts and tips for writing strong content that can be accessed by all users.
Digital Accessibility Basics
First, it's important to understand what "Digital Accessibility" means and why it is important. "Digital Accessibility" means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so people with disabilities can also use them. This is similar to creating a building with physical accessibility, such as ramps and elevators, in mind.
For example, people who are blind use screen reading software to engage with digital content. Screen readers pull information from a website so the user can hear the content or read it on a refreshable braille display. Screen readers engage with content differently than sighted users. Two key differences include:
Pulling up a list of headings so the user can skip to the content section of interest, rather than reading the entire page. This is similar to sighted users visually scanning a page and jumping to the section they're interested in.
Pulling up a list of all links contained on the webpage. This allows users to quickly find what they are looking for without having to listen to the entire page.
It is our job as web editors to ensure all of our content is accessible to these tools and others so that all users, regardless of disability, can access everything Stanford has to offer.
Ensuring Accessibility
This may sound overwhelming. Where do you even start?
Our websites are built with accessibility in mind. All of the tools are present to ensure you can create accessible content. Some examples of what to do include:
.1Ensure the proper use of headings. Whether you're creating a webpage or a document, headings help everyone - regardless of disability status - because they organize content into digestible pieces of information, present the main points of a section, and provide a logical structure for your information. From an accessibility standpoint, properly labeled headings work with screen reading software to ensure users with disabilities can find their content quickly and effectively.
.2Add alt text to images. Alt text is a short image description that provides equivalent information to users who are blind. Alt text should be:
.aAccurate: including spelling, grammar, and proper punctuation.
.bConcise: using the fewest words possible while providing a meaningful description of the image.
.cEquivalent: presenting the same content and/or function of the image.
.3Provide captions for video content. Captions provide a text equivalent of the audio information contained within a video and are synchronized with the video presentation. They are an accessible alternative for people who cannot hear the content due to a hearing disability. Taking this a step further, all individuals can benefit from captions on a video. For example, there may be times when it's too loud to hear the audio on a video or when doing so would be disruptive to others in the vicinity.
.4Provide transcripts for audio files such as podcasts. Similar to the point above regarding captions, not all users can hear a podcast, and those who can may need or want to read a transcript for other reasons.
.5Write meaningful text in any hyperlinks within your content. Screen reading software pulls up a list of all links on a page. They are presented in a separate list, out of context from the page content. Users who are blind will hear the list of links, but it is only helpful if the link text is meaningful. "Click here" and "learn more" mean nothing out of context. Better examples would be "Learn more about graduate admissions" or "Check out our guide on digital accessibility." The key to meaningful link text is to ensure users know exactly where the link goes when reading the link text out of context.