Accessibility In an effort to make Marshall University's online presence compliant with Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), we have compiled a overview of simple things that you can do to improve usability regardless of platform or assistive technology. Provide Text Alternatives for Non-Text Content For example: <img src="./mona-lisa.jpg" alt="The Mona Lisa" /> Use Descriptive Links Links shoud be descriptive of the content you are linking to. Keep descriptions of links consistent throughout your page for clarity. Don't use the destination URL as the anchor text. Imagine relying on a screen-reading tool that would speak out every character in the URL. Alternatively, imagine the same screen-reading tool to skip through links described as 'click here' with no point of reference. Font Faces, Text Sizes, and Text Colors Must Not be Modified They were chosen carefully to the branding through from the established print guide- lines and to ensure legibility for a variety of visual impairments. The primary text color was chosen to provide adequate contrast for color vision deficiencies but not so much that it becomes difficult to be read by those with dyslexia. The text size we have chosen is considered to ideal for easily scanning the content of the page and reducing eyestrain. Used in conjunction with the standard page template provided, it also ensures that the optimal line length is not exceeded. Do Not Center or Justify Blocks of Text Centering blocks of text can make it very difficult for to quickly scan the page. Justifying text creates spaces between words. These spaces create "rivers of white" running down the page, which can make it difficult for people to read. For best practices, keep your text and headings aligned to the left.
Accessibility In an effort to make Marshall University's online presence compliant with Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), we have compiled a overview of simple things that you can do to improve usability regardless of platform or assistive technology. Provide Text Alternatives for Non-Text Content For example: <img src="./mona-lisa.jpg" alt="The Mona Lisa" /> Use Descriptive Links Links shoud be descriptive of the content you are linking to. Keep descriptions of links consistent throughout your page for clarity. Don't use the destination URL as the anchor text. Imagine relying on a screen-reading tool that would speak out every character in the URL. Alternatively, imagine the same screen-reading tool to skip through links described as 'click here' with no point of reference. Font Faces, Text Sizes, and Text Colors Must Not be Modified They were chosen carefully to the branding through from the established print guide- lines and to ensure legibility for a variety of visual impairments. The primary text color was chosen to provide adequate contrast for color vision deficiencies but not so much that it becomes difficult to be read by those with dyslexia. The text size we have chosen is considered to ideal for easily scanning the content of the page and reducing eyestrain. Used in conjunction with the standard page template provided, it also ensures that the optimal line length is not exceeded. Do Not Center or Justify Blocks of Text Centering blocks of text can make it very difficult for to quickly scan the page. Justifying text creates spaces between words. These spaces create "rivers of white" running down the page, which can make it difficult for people to read. For best practices, keep your text and headings aligned to the left.
Electronic%20Branding%20Standards%20Manual.docx