Accessible Web Sites

Keep the needs of visitors with disabilities and those with older technology in mind by following the New York State Web Accessibility Standards (June 2004). See www.newpaltz.edu/accessibility for detailed information on creating pages that are in compliance with these standards. Here are some minimum guidelines for creating accessible Web sites:

• Use the ALT attribute to provide a text alternative for all visual and auditory content, including images, INPUT elements, and APPLET elements.
• Don't rely on color alone to convey information. (Avoid: the list in green represents trains leaving at 8 a.m., the list in red represents trains leaving at 10 p.m.)
• Ensure that pages are functional even when scripts, applets, and other new technologies are turned off or not supported by the browser. Provide text equivalents to provide the same functionality.
• Use client-side image maps instead of server-side maps so that the ALT attribute can be used to label map areas.
• Do not use frames. Frames are difficult for the average viewer to maneuver, even harder for a novice Web developer to code properly, and nearly impossible for people with disabilities to navigate.
• When dowonloadable documents, such as PDF files, are used, a link to accessible HTML or text version(s) will be made available.