Fundamentals Checklist

Digital Accessibility Principles

The POUR principles provide a framework for making digital content accessible by ensuring it is perceivable, operable, understandable and robust for all users.

  • Perceivable – Information and interface elements must be presented so users can perceive them with their senses.
  • Operable – Users must be able to interact with the interface.
  • Understandable – Information and the operation of the interface must be clear.
  • Robust – Content must work reliably across different technologies, including assistive technologies.

Titles & Headings

  • Add a unique title to your web page or document that matches the content of the page.
  • Use one <h1> level heading for the title of a document or webpage.
  • Use headings in order from <h1> through <h6> without skipping levels.

Color Contrast

  • Check the contrast of text and other elements.
    • Minimum contrast ratios:
      • Normal-size text – 4.5:1
      • Large text (18+ point font) – 3:1
      • UI elements like icons, buttons, text boxes – 3:1
  • Avoid using images behind text because it can be distracting and make the text more difficult to read.
  • Use a solid-color background to get a better contrast ratio with text.
  • Avoid relying on color to convey information.

Text Styling

  • Use plain, preferably sans serif fonts for paragraph text.
  • Use at least 12-point font.
  • Keep text styling simple, with minimal bolding, italics, underlines and capitalization.
  • Apply title case and sentence case when appropriate; never use all caps.

Magnification

  • Use high-quality images that won’t blur when magnified.
  • Avoid using images of text, which might pixelate.
  • Give content enough space (between paragraphs, between lines of text, around images and other elements, etc.) to support enlarging the content.

Readability

  • Use plain language.
  • Support content scanning with good headlines, bullet points and content summaries.
  • Communicate content sections through visual design.

Alt Text

  • Keep alt text to 150 characters or fewer.
  • Describe the “why” of the image as well as the “what.”
  • Keep alt text and image captions unique.
  • Use longer image description for more complex images.

Image Descriptions

  • Add longer image descriptions to the main text of the page.
  • Describe major themes or takeaways from the image.

Tables

  • Set heading rows or columns to label data in the table.
  • Avoid complex tables with multiple heading rows.
  • Contextualize the table within the content of the page.
  • Use unique, descriptive text.
  • Make links stand out (typically blue and underlined).
  • Ensure good contrast between the link and regular text (3:1 contrast ratio minimum).
  • Use concise labels for buttons.
  • Open new content in the same web browser tab (unless you know a new tab is required).
  • Notify users in the text if a link will open a new tab or window.
  • Notify users if a link will open or download a special file type like a PDF.

Consistent Help

  • Include contact information in a consistent spot in your content.