U

U.S. Department of Justice

Civil Rights Division

Disability Rights Section

P.O. Box 66738

Washington, DC 20035-6738

Web Page Accessibility Checklist1

This Checklist should help you evaluate the extent to which Web pages are accessible to most

people with disabilities.

This Checklist is based on the September 18, 1998 Working Draft of the Web Content

Accessibility Guidelines of the World Wide Web Consortium's ("W3C") Web Accessibility 2

Initiative ("WAI"). W3C/WAI guidelines are the result of a compilation and technical upgrading

of a number of different Web accessibility guidelines from around the world. They are developed

by a consensus process through a W3C working Group involving Web industry, disability

organizations, research organizations, and governmental organizations.

More information about the WAI and its products is available at: http://www.w3.org/WAI.

The status of this Checklist's source material as a W3C Working Draft indicates that it is a draft

document and may be updated, replaced or made obsolete by other documents at any time. The

status as a W3C Working Draft means that one should not imply endorsement by, or the

consensus of, either W3C or members of the WAI Working Group. Likewise, the Department of

Justice's Web Page Accessibility Checklist has not been adopted, endorsed by, or in any way

approved by the WAI, W3C, or any component.

For persons with disabilities, additional copies of this document are available on 1

computer disk and in alternate formats including large print, Braille, and audio cassette, by calling

the U.S. Department of Justice at the following numbers:

Section 508 Coordinators: 1-202-305-8304 (voice)

1-202-353-8944 (TTY)

ADA Information Line: 1-800-514-0301 (voice)

1-800-514-0383 (TTY)

Alternate format copies for persons with disabilities may also be requested via e-mail to:

sec508.questions@usdoj.gov

This document is available on the Section 508 Home Page of the Civil Rights Division, U.S.

Department of Justice:

http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/508

"The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines" were formerly known as the "Page Author 2

Guidelines."

Web Page Accessibility Checklist

page 2 of 4

The W3C Working Draft of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines can be found at:

http://www.w3.org/TR/1998/WD-WAI-PAGEAUTH-19980918

Users are strongly encouraged to go to that site for guidance on the appropriate use of and

context for the information contained in this Checklist. The most updated version of the W3C

Working Draft of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines can be found at:

http://www.w3.org/TR/WD-WAI-PAGEAUTH.

Use of the W3C guidelines does not constitute an endorsement of the organization or its materials

by the U.S. Department of Justice. The WAI's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines may

differ from the legally-enforceable standards that the Access Board will promulgate by

February 7, 2000. The Department of Justice is providing this information only as interim

guidance while the Access Board develops the binding standards.

Person filing out this Checklist:

Component/Agency: ____________________________________________________________

Name: ________________________________________________________________________

Title: _________________________________________________________________________

Telephone: ____________________________________________________________________

Fax number: ___________________________________________________________________

E-mail address: _________________________________________________________________

Web page under review:

URL/URI/other identifier: ________________________________________________________

Indicate the most appropriate description for the web page:

(a) online form for services or benefits

(b) other online form

(d) description of activities

(e) employment postings

(f) inherently graphical content (e.g., map or photograph)

(g) other (describe): _______________________________

Estimate the average number of times the page is accessed on a weekly basis: _______________

Web Page Accessibility Checklist

page 3 of 4

Question	Y	N	N/A
1. For all images, is alternative text provided? Note. This includes images used as spacers, bullets in lists, and links
2. For all applets, are alternative text and content provided?
3. For all image map links, is alternative text provided?
4. If server-side image maps were used, are text links provided for each hotspot in the image map?
5. For all graphical buttons, is alternative text provided?
6. Is there an absence of ASCII art, and, instead, are images and alternative text used? E.g., use "smile" or an image with alt text instead of: :)
7. If OBJECT was used to incorporate an image, applet, or script into a page, is the information also conveyed in an alternative means in cases where the OBJECT cannot be perceived, such as with "title" or within the body of the OBJECT element?
8. Are long descriptions provided of all graphics that convey important information? To do so: use "longdesc." Until most browsers support "longdesc," also use a d-link (description link) or invisible d-link.
9. For stand-alone audio files, are textual transcripts of all words spoken or sung as well as all significant sounds provided?
10. For audio associated with video, are captions -- textual transcripts of dialog and sounds -- synchronized with the video?
11. Where sounds are played automatically, are visual notification and transcripts provided?
12. For short animations such as animated "gifs" images, are alternative text and a long description provided, if needed?
13. For movies, are auditory descriptions provided and synchronized with the original audio?
14. If color is used to convey information, is the information also clear from the markup and/or text? Hint: One way of testing this is to ask yourself whether the information is available if one is viewing it on a black and white screen.
15. Are foreground and background color combinations used that provide sufficient contrast when viewed by someone with color blindness or when viewed on a black and white screen?

Any "no" answer may indicate a problem with accessibility.

Web Page Accessibility Checklist

page 4 of 4

Question	Y	N	N/A
16. For auto-refreshing or timed response pages, is a second copy of the page provided where refresh only happens after a link has been selected (until user agents provide this ability themselves)?
17. Is the Web page free from any blinking or updating of the screen that causes flicker?
18. Is a fallback page provided for pages that contain frames?
19. For scripts that present critical information or functions, is an alternative, equivalent presentation or mechanism provided?
20. For pages that use style sheets, are the contents of each page ordered and structured so that they read appropriately without the style sheet?
21. If frames are used, are titles provided so that users can keep track of frames by name?
22. Do you provide a "text only" alternative page to the original page?
23. If you provide a "text only" alternative page, does it contain substantially the same information as the original page?
24. If you provide a "text only" alternative page, is it updated as often as the original page?

25. After you have evaluated this Web page using the Checklist, test it by running it with a

text-only browser, such as Lynx, a public domain text browser that is available at

http://lynx.browser.org. Describe the accessibility successes and problems you encountered

during this exercise, including your plans for addressing any problems:

______________________________________________________________________________

Any "no" answer may indicate a problem with accessibility.