1. User Guide
  2. Creating Accessible Content

Creating Accessible Content

One of the most important steps you can take when creating content for your site is to ensure that all pages are accessible to people with disabilities. Webaim.org provides a great introduction on web accessibility that you can review and reference when creating content along with the more advanced resources provided by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) at the W3C.

University of Arizona Accessibility Resources

The UA’s ITAccessibility website lists validation tools and techniques to test your website for accessibility as well as the option to contact them for support or consultation through the IT Accessibility Consultation Request Form.

Quick Tips for Creating Accessible Content in Quickstart

When creating content in Quickstart, remember to do the following things:

  • Utilize alt text for images in pages, blocks, marquees and carousels. This also includes other file types, such as PDFs.
  • Provide meaningful alt text for header and footer logos. You can edit this information in Appearance > Settings > UA Zen.
  • Avoid images that contain only words (with the exception of wordmarks and logos, which still require appropriate alt text).
  • Provide hover text descriptions for Main Menu items. You can edit this information in Structure > Menus > Main Menu.
  • Never use tables in your design for layout purposes.
  • Many people using screen readers navigate the page via headings. The h1 heading is typically taken care of for you because it is the page title. However, if you have chosen to Exclude title from Display, please be sure you have an h1 on your page.
  • Give links unique descriptive names that reflect where the link will go – avoid Click here, Learn More, etc… especially in card decks.
  • Use captions when embedding videos. If possible, provide a video transcript as well.

Accessibility Features in Quickstart

UADigital is committed to continuous improvement in the area of web accessibility. Quickstart menus and page structures have been developed with screen readers and other accessibility requirements in mind. Alt tags, document structure, table headers, and accessible forms are all included in out of the box Quickstart. If you come across something inaccessible in a Quickstart site, please let us know. If you would like to learn more about Website Accessibility, please visit UA’s ITAccessibility Website.