Standards and Guidelines

Adding color to a page is a great way to emphasize content, but it must be done correctly to ensure accessibility. Do not rely on color as the only indicator of meaning; someone who cannot see or interpret the color will miss the meaning.

Additionally, make sure your colors have enough contrast to be easily readable. Generally, this means avoiding using bright, neon colors or any font color that is too light on a white screen. For example, ODU's Hudson Blue color cannot be used for text on a white background because the contrast ratio is too low.

WCAG guidelines define a range of color contrast ratios that are accessible. Use the WebAIM Contrast Checker tool to test the contrast ratio of text and background colors on your page. Some software has accessibility checkers that will detect insufficient contrast, including Canvas and Microsoft apps.

Headings establish a clear hierarchy that helps all users navigate and understand the structure of a web page or document. When headings are created correctly, assistive technology can use them like a dynamic Table of Contents to help users navigate. Headings also help sighted users scan and comprehend content structure at a glance. 

To make them accessible, headings in documents should be formatted with built-in tools, and headings in web pages must be correctly coded (H1, H2, H3, etc.). Manually changing text to bold or increasing the font size can make text look like a heading, but it lacks the information necessary for digital accessibility. 

This is also why headings should be used hierarchically in documents and web pages. For example, there should only be one Heading 1 (H1) in your document or web page, followed by the first major topic marked as Heading 2 (H2), and a subtopic marked as Heading 3 (H3). Do not skip levels, such as following a H2 heading with an H4 heading. Skipping levels can confuse screen reader users, who may think that they've missed an entire section of content.

Use built-in text formats for bulleted and numbered lists as well, to ensure this content will be read correctly by assistive technology. Typing out numbers or inserting multiple spaces to make content look look like a list does not tell a screen reader to interpret it as a list.

Links and buttons must be labeled so that assistive technology understands how they function. Linked text should be unique, be descriptive and provide context about where the link goes. “Click here,” “Learn more” and similar language is too generic.

Images require a text alternative for assistive technology to interpret them for individuals with vision impairments. The simplest method is to add alternative text—commonly called “alt text”—to the image’s properties. Alt text can be added to images in documents, web pages, and email. The alt text should describe the intended purpose of the image in the context in which it is provided. For example, alt text on a photograph would describe the contents of the photo.

Avoid redundant information in alt text—there's no need to say "image of" or "graphic of". If an image is purely decorative and does not add meaning to the page, label it as "decorative" so assistive technology skips over it.

Do not put important information exclusively in images. For example, an email invitation for an event should not place the date, location, URL, or other event instructions only in an image.

Tables should be used for data, not for layout purposes. Additional properties must be set to help assistive technology correctly interpret the content. For example, you must indicate which row or column contains a heading, so that a screen reader can identify the heading's relationship with the data in the cells.

Do not split or merge cells, as this makes it harder for assistive technology to interpret the data's relationship with headings and may cause it to lose its place on the map of your table data.

Video with audio should always be accompanied by closed captions which benefit everyone, not just those with disabilities. Any pre-recorded video requires human-edited, 99% accurate captions, including recordings of live events. Automatic or AI-generated captions must be audited and edited by a human. When non-speech sounds are relevant or meaningful, they must be captioned (e.g., [Alarm blares] or [Liquid begins to sizzle]). While transcripts are not required for videos, they can be helpful.

Additional consideration must be taken on videos that contain important visual information. The information should be audibly described as it's being recorded so it's captured in the closed captions, or a separate audio track is required to provide that information. For example, an instructional video telling students how to navigate the course registration system should have descriptive narration—rather than saying “click here” and relying on the visuals to indicate where a user should click, the narration should include that location information, such as “click on the search button at the top of the list.”