Accessibility standards
In its broadest definition, "Web accessibility" is an approach to Web design that aims to include the widest number of people and user agents as possible. Commonly, when people speak of Web accessibility they are referring to access for disabled user groups.
Policy and legislation
The university has a legal obligation under the state of Arkansas Act 1227 of 1999 to develop and maintain accessible Web pages. Our Web sites are also required to comply with the accessibility standards developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These standards are the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Some Web sites owned by groups that receive federal funding must also abide by Section 508 laws.
Three priority levels for accessibility on the Web
WCAG1.0 contains a number of checkpoints. All Web sites must meet all of the priority 1 checkpoints. In addition, all priority 2 checkpoints should also be met. These checkpoints are grouped into the following priority levels:
- Priority 1 checkpoints are "must dos." If these requirements are not met, Web sites will present significant barriers to some users.
- Priority 2 checkpoints are "should dos." If these requirements are met, barriers to access will be significantly reduced.
- Priority 3 checkpoints are "may dos." Meeting these checkpoints will further enhance accessibility.
