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Tips and Tools

Digital Accessibility Tips

Below are some general tips and online tools to help anyone get started with digital accessibility. The tips are based on global industry web standards created by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative.

Use color wisely

  • Do not use color alone to convey information
  • Check that contrast between text or UI elements and background meet WCAG 2.1 AA contrast standards

Create structure with headings and proper markup

  • Pages that are well structured, follow proper syntax, and pass the W3C validator are most accessible
  • Heading tags (<H1> - <H6>) can make the site more navigable to users of assistive technology like screen readers
  • Use skip links to allow users to go directly to desired content or to skip over navigation elements that are common to each page. Skip links benefit screen reader users and other users who do not use a mouse

Use ALT text on all images

  • Alt text should be included for all images on a web page
  • Structural or decorative images (spacers, backgrounds) can contain empty or “null” text, i.e. alt=""
  • For more detailed information see our Alt text page

Provide captions for video and transcripts for audio

  • Auto captions are not sufficient.  Captions must be accurate and synchronized with the video.  
  • Make sure any podcasts or audio-only files include a transcript of the audio 

Use Descriptive language

  • Use descriptive titles, headers, and link text to provide added Context. Avoid using the terms Click Here, See More, or Learn More
  • Do not rely solely on references to shape, size, or position to describe content

Avoid using tables for layout

  • Use stylesheets and div tags for visual layout
  • Use basic header information for data tables (the <th></th> element)
  • Use linearized data tables for complex data

Create accessible forms

  • Ensure forms are logical and easy to use, are keyboard accessible, and also associate form labels with controls
  • Reference WebAim's Creating Accessible Forms to ensure forms are accessible

Tools

MIT-related accessibility materials

External accessibility resources 

Evaluation Tools

  • WAVE Toolbar from WebAIM
  • ANDI from the United States Social Security Administration

All inquiries are welcome at accessibility [at] mit.edu.