1. These standards will serve us well in any technical communication job.
COMPOSITION UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
The University of Minnesota has established website accessibility standards that we need to observe as staff/faculty/students.
These standards will serve us well in any technical communication job.

2. COMPOSITION 2334 UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
It is the responsibility of the Web page author to present information in a manner that ensures access by a diverse audience.
See for a full discussion of the standards outlined here.

3. COMPOSITION 2334 UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Introductory Screens
Put some some text on the initial screen view of a Web page that describes the affiliation and purpose of the page.

4. Use a consistent look and navigational scheme for all pages of a site.
COMPOSITION UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Design Consistency
Use a consistent look and navigational scheme for all pages of a site.
Provide a method that permits users to skip repetitive navigation controls and jump to the main content of a page.

5. STANDARD: Document Length
COMPOSITION UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Document Length
Present large documents in smaller sub-units where natural and appropriate.
Offer complete full-length versions for download.

6. COMPOSITION 2334 UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Frames
Avoid the use of frames.
Title frames with text that facilitates frame identification and navigation.
Use the HTML <noframes> element to point to an alternate page that does not use frames.

7. COMPOSITION 2334 UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Browser-Specific HTML Tags
Do not use HTML constructs (tags) that are specific to (and only supported by) one browser.

8. COMPOSITION 2334 UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Cascading Style Sheets
Organize documents so they are readable without requiring an associated style sheet.

9. COMPOSITION 2334 UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Scripts
Ensure that pages are usable when scripts, applets, or other programmatic objects are not supported or have been disabled.
Provide equivalent information and/or functionality on an alternative accessible page when direct access cannot be achieved.

10. Do not use the "onChange" event-handler in a drop-down list.
COMPOSITION UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Roll-Over Controls
Do not use roll-over controls that load a new page or otherwise move the user from the current location.
Do not use the "onChange" event-handler in a drop-down list.
Include text descriptions and redundant links for pop-up information and menus.

11. Avoid the automatic refreshing of a page.
COMPOSITION UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Screen Refresh
Avoid the automatic refreshing of a page.
Provide a method for disabling the automatic refreshing of a page.

12. A method for indicating that more time is needed.
COMPOSITION UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Timed Responses
Alert users when a timed response is required and provide one or more of the following options:
A method for indicating that more time is needed.
A method for the user to adjust the time interval.
A non-time-dependent alternative.

13. Do not use font face, size, or color alone to convey information.
COMPOSITION UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002 University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Font (face, size, color)
Do not use font face, size, or color alone to convey information.
Specify font sizes in relative rather than absolute units.

14. Do not use backgrounds or wallpaper to convey information.
COMPOSITION UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Backgrounds and Wallpapers
Do not use complex backgrounds or wallpaper that may interfere with the readability of overlying text.
Do not use backgrounds or wallpaper to convey information.

15. Avoid blinking page elements and scrolling marquees.
COMPOSITION UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Blinking Elements and Marquees
Avoid blinking page elements and scrolling marquees.
Blinking page elements and the refreshing of the screen to animate marquees shall do so at a frequency of less than twice a second (2 Hz) or greater than 55 times a second (55 Hz).

16. Avoid the use of acronyms and abbreviations in link text.
COMPOSITION UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Acronyms and Abbreviations
Precede the first occurrence of an acronym on a page with the full title to which the acronym refers.
Avoid the use of acronyms and abbreviations in link text.
Do not use acronyms and abbreviations in the alternative text for images or other non-text elements.

17. Provide appropriate alternative text for graphical bullets.
COMPOSITION UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Bullets
Provide appropriate alternative text for graphical bullets.
Use simple alternative text for graphical bullets—an asterisk (*), a single letter (A) or single number(1).
Unless required to convey information visually depicted by a bullet, avoid alternative text that describes the bullet (e.g., "This is a small black ball").

18. COMPOSITION 2334 UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: List Tags
When bullets created using the <ul> list tag are important for comprehension of the document or numbered bullets created using the <ol> list tag are to be referenced elsewhere in the document, include additional markup that promotes accessibility.

19. COMPOSITION 2334 UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Punctuation
Titles, headings, list items, sentences, and ALT tags should end with suitable punctuation.
Include closing punctuation on list items, even if the items are not grammatical sentences.

20. Avoid the use of multiple-column layouts for non-tabular information.
COMPOSITION UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Multiple-Column Layout
Avoid the use of multiple-column layouts for non-tabular information.
Do not use the <PRE> tag (preformatted) to layout tabular information.
Include row and column headers for data tables.
Ensure that information in a multi-column format, whether static or dynamically generated, is accessible, or provide an alternative means of acquiring the information.

21. Include alternative text for all graphics.
COMPOSITION UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: ALT Tags
Include alternative text for all graphics.

22. COMPOSITION 2334 UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Non-Link Graphics
Make alternative text for images that convey information or otherwise contribute to the understanding of the page clear, concise, and informative.
Where appropriate, use the alternative text for transparent graphics and other structural images to provide a description of subsequent information and controls on the page.

23. Provide accessible text descriptions for graphical tables and charts.
COMPOSITION UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Tables and Charts
Provide accessible text descriptions for graphical tables and charts.

24. Include alternative text for all animations.
COMPOSITION UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Animations
Include alternative text for all animations.
Make alternative text for animations clear, concise, and informative.
If an animation uses audio to convey information, provide a text equivalent of the audio portion.

25. Give preference to vertical lists of well-spaced text links.
COMPOSITION UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Text Links
Avoid the use of single-word links—make links shall be clear, descriptive, and able to stand alone.
Give preference to vertical lists of well-spaced text links.
Make links listed horizontally or in a multiple column layout visually distinct and separated by appropriate punctuation or graphics.
Avoid enclosing text links in brackets, braces, parentheses, or other punctuation.

26. Include the E-mail address in the text of a mailto link.
COMPOSITION UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Mailto Links
Include the address in the text of a mailto link.

27. Use 36-pt by 36-pt or larger buttons and icons.
COMPOSITION UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Graphical Links
Include clear, concise and informative alternative text for all non-text controls.
Use 36-pt by 36-pt or larger buttons and icons.

28. Avoid the use of server-side image maps.
COMPOSITION UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Image Maps
Include clear, concise and informative alternative text for each region of a client-side image map.
Avoid the use of server-side image maps.
Include alternative links for each active region of a server-side image map.

29. Indicate alternatives to completing online forms.
COMPOSITION UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Forms
Do not use font styles, sizes, colors or other non-textual elements as the only means of indicating required fields.
Indicate alternatives to completing online forms.

30. Accompany audio presentations with text captioning.
COMPOSITION UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Multimedia
Accompany multimedia presentations with text and/or audio descriptions of visual content.
Accompany audio presentations with text captioning.
Synchronize the equivalent accessible alternatives for a multimedia presentation (e.g., text captioning and/or audio description) with the presentation.
Provide a link to the plug-in or applet required for a multimedia presentation.

31. The information in an alternative accessible format.
COMPOSITION UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Fall 2002  University of Minnesota, Crookston
STANDARD: Downloads
Include the following options for information presented in a proprietary file format:
The information in an alternative accessible format.
A link to the appropriate plug-in.
A link to an accessibility plug-in or conversion site, if available.
An alternative means of obtaining the information.
When feasible, make information to be downloaded available in a variety of file types.

32. http://www.e-accessibility.com http://www.visugate.org
Links