W3C Accessibility Guidelines

The W3C Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 3.0 provide a wide range of recommendations for making web content more accessible to users with disabilities. Following these guidelines will address many of the needs of users with blindness, low vision and other vision impairments; deafness and hearing loss; limited movement and dexterity; speech disabilities; sensory disorders; cognitive and learning disabilities; and combinations of these. These guidelines address accessibility of web content on desktops, laptops, tablets, mobile devices, wearable devices, and other web of things devices. They address various types of web content including static content, interactive content, visual and auditory media, and virtual and augmented reality. The guidelines also address related web tools such as user agents (browsers and assistive technologies), content management systems, authoring tools, and testing tools. Read more at W3C Accessibility Guidelines.

WCAG 3.0 is designed to be easier to learn, and for its results to better reflect the experience of people with disabilities on the web. This has resulted in a structure for WCAG 3 that is substantially different from the WCAG 2.x series. Read What to Expect from WCAG 3.0 to learn more.

WebAIM

WebAIM's goal is to help make the web more accessible to individuals with disabilities. We can't do that on our own. Since 1999, WebAIM has helped build a large community of developers, webmasters, individuals with disabilities, and others who share this goal. In the sharing of resources and information, the web accessibility community benefits. WebAIM provides several ways for you to both learn and share with others. Learn more at WebAim.

Guidance on Web Accessibility

This guidance describes how state and local governments and businesses open to the public can make sure that their websites are accessible to people with disabilities as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Read more at Guidance on Web Accessibility

Sitemaps and Search Engine Optimization

A sitemap’s purpose is to spell out a website’s main content and to provide search engines with the content they should present to visitors who search keyword phrases. Back in the early days of websites and search engines, SEO firms made huge profits by submitting websites they supported to thousands of search engines that were in existence. Today’s SEO is much different; we seek to take full advantage of any opportunities to provide our content in all of the appropriate types of media available. Visit Sitemaps and SEO to learn more about creating a site map, review tips for an effective and useful sitemap, and learn how to implement it into your website.

Section 508 Trusted Tester

The Department of Homeland Security Office of Accessible Systems & Technology is committed to the development of the common testing approach for accessibility compliance and conformity, named Trusted Tester Version 5 (TTV5). TTV5 provides a code-inspection-based test approach for determining web content conformance to the Section 508 standards. Learn more at Section 508 Trusted Tester.

Bureau of Internet Accessibility

The Bureau of Internet Accessibility offers an Ultimate Guide to Website Accessibility.

- - Chapter 1: Web Accessibility - What you need to know
  - Chapter 2: How to prevent a Web accessibility lawsuit
  - Chapter 3: The most common Web accessibility issues to avoid
  - Chapter 4: How to ensure your website is ADA compliant

Last updated: June 7, 2022