Web Accessibility
New and redesigned websites
The Chancellor’s office set September 1, 2007 as the date that all new and major redesign web projects meet accessibility standards. “New and updated administrative websites, web applications, and web content produced by the CSU or by third-party developers should, at a minimum, conform to baseline accessibility standards as defined in Section 508, Subpart B, and where appropriate, Subpart C. This timeline applies only to administrative sites.There is a separate deadline for instructional websites; they are due to "be designed and authored in a manner that incorporates accessibility" by Fall 2008.
SF State, through the Web Accessibility Work Group, is working to comply with this deadline and is currently focusing on new sites that are under development and sites that are undergoing a major revision. The goal is to ensure that new Web sites and services incorporate accessibility in the design and authoring process. Training, technical assistance and resources are in development and will be offered to Web site owners throughout this process.
Web Accessibility Standards
These procedures assist web developers to determine if a webpage meets the 16 technical standards for web accessibility outlined in Section 508 and 8 additional SF State guidelines. All SF State webpages and services are required to meet these technical standards.
SF State’s Manual Assessment Procedures - Word
Manual Assessment Summary - Word
The Web Accessibility section of the SF State Access website will eventually contain comprehensive guidelines and resources to facilitate the construction and deployment of accessible websites (including training materials, checklists, policies and procedures).
Assessment procedure for websites migrating to the new SFSU web template
Before you publish your website using SFSU's new template, you need to perform the following steps:
- Choose five pages from your new website which represent different web elements that might pose accessibility problems. For example, you can choose a page with a form, a page with a table, a page with images and so on.
- Perform a manual assessment on each of these five pages. The self-assessment procedure instructions are available at SF State’s Assessment Procedures - Word.
- After completing this self-assessment using the assessment summary document, you should email your results to access@sfsu.edu. This summary document is available at Manual Assessment Summary - Word. Note that you need to complete one for each page you assess.
- The ACCESS team will review your results and/or help you with any problems you're having with the assessment. In addition, we might perform User Testing with a screen reader depending on the content of your website. Our turnaround time is usually 5 business days from the receipt of your self-assessments.
If you have any questions on the process, please contact the ACCESS team at access@sfsu.edu.
Additional information on the SFSU template is available at www.sfsu.edu/~news/webtemplate
Ten tips to make your website more accessible
San Francisco State University is committed to providing equal access to web-based resources for all students, faculty and staff. The Web Accessibility Work Group offers support and guidance to help web producers throughout the University follow through on that commitment.
The following list highlights ten common web accessibility issues. Links to resources are provided, to help web producers to remediate webpages and remove accessibility barriers from existing websites or new projects.
- Provide a text alternative for non-text elements
- Label form elements
- Provide a method to skip repetitive navigation links
- Ensure that data tables are accessible
- Ensure that dynamic menus are accessible
- Create meaningful page titles
- Use meaningful text for links
- Inform the user about pop-ups or new windows
- Create accessible PDF Files
- Create structured content
Why Web accessibility?
The ubiquity of the World Wide Web in delivering information and providing services is the main reason to make web accessibility a priority for SF State. Additionally, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 require SF State to provide qualified individuals with disabilities equal access to our programs, services, or activities. Access to the Internet and its resources is considered an area where the ADA applies. The need to make websites, web applications, and digital content accessible is also underscored by California Government Code 11135, which applies Section 508 requirements to the CSU.
