Training Techniques

• Add alt to images

  Images, photos, and graphics are unusable by screen reading programs unless they are assigned alternative text.

• Allow pausing of animations

  Automatically updating content can be extremely distracting for users with attention difficulties.

• Provide sufficient color contrast

  Users in general, and particularly those with low vision, have trouble reading text if the contrast against the background is insufficient.

• Add labels to forms

  Unless form elements are grouped and have labels associated with them, assistive technologies cannot tell the user what data needs to be entered.

• Use content headings

  64% of screen reader users use headings to navigate the page, whereas only 8.5% read through the page.

• Avoid unusual words and jargon

  Users with English as a second language find it difficult to understand made up words.

• Provide keyboard access

  40% of people with a motor impairment have difficulty using their hands. Many cannot use a mouse.

• Provide meaningful link text

  Link text should describe what it is linking to.

• Add a meaningful page title

  Users with visual disabilities rely on page titles to identify pages when they have multiple pages open.

• Make PDF's accessible

  The preferred format for content at The University of Melbourne is HTML.

• Use table headings and lists

  Screen reader users may have trouble telling where they are when listening to table cell contents.

• Accessible SVGs

  An SVG is not an image, it is a graphics-document.

• Allow text resizing

  Users with low vision increase the size of content by up to 200% to make it readable.

• Add transcripts of audio and captions of video

  If video files are used, captions or a synchronized text transcript should be provided.

• Social Media Accessibility

  Tips about making social media content accessible such as Facebook , Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

• Examples

  Various examples illustrating these techniques.