Web Accessibility at the University of California
Remember that accessibility and design are complementary: No matter who your audience is, your Web site should be designed for simplicity and ease of use. Simple Web sites emphasize content over style; however, almost any design can be adapted to comply with the Section 508 standards without sacrificing aesthetics and functionality.
Practice user-centered design: Typically, people are alone when accessing Web content, so Web pages must provide them with guidance and direction. Web pages should be designed with your audience in mind and should be useful and usable, easy, efficient, and engaging. The pages should help your audience accomplish tasks and find what they need.
Separate style from content when possible: Separate the style of your Web pages from the content so you have more precise control over the layout. With this control, you can change the linear layout of a page (important to screen readers) without altering the visual layout.
Organize sites for consistency and clarity: Consistent page layout and navigation, recognizable graphics, and easy-to-understand language benefit all audiences. Use the clearest and simplest navigation and organization appropriate for a site's content and audience.
Test sites: While it is important to test your sites using software tools, such tools do not present a true picture of what it is like for a person to go through your Web pages with or without assistive technology. Always validate both the presentation and content of your Web pages with both people and validation tools.
Write concisely and clearly: Seven million new Web pages are published every day. When people come to the Web, they must navigate through volumes of information to find what they're looking for. The best thing writers can do for Web readers is present information clearly and concisely so people can read quickly, find what they want, and move on.
Don't rely on alternative, text-only sites: It's better to develop a site that integrates everyone's needs, rather than "separate but equal" alternative, text-only sites. For one thing, most "text only" alternatives generally become quickly out of date. Additionally, while text-only sites are usually accessible to a person using a screen reader, people with partial sight, learning or cognitive disabilities, limited hand use, or hearing impairments may find text-only sites as difficult or even more difficult to access than the regular site.
