Websites and Applications
All University websites, webpages and web-based software, whether hosted on campus or by an outside vendor, need to be accessible. This includes all of the content on those sites and applications. Things like clear headings, alternative text for images, good color contrast, meaningful link text, and using standard HTML elements all play an important role in making our web spaces usable for everyone.
Who is responsible?
- Anyone who manages or edits web content for their college, unit or department.
- wmich.edu administrators.
- Web designers and developers.
What standards do you need to meet?
All WMU websites, webpages and web-based tools, whether hosted on campus or by an outside vendor and used for University business, must comply with the required WCAG 2.1 AA standards. They also need to include a plain‑text contact option for users with disabilities who run into access issues. These guidelines are referenced in WMU’s Digital Accessibility Policy (coming soon) and in the ADA Title II federal regulations.
Third-party content and products
If you plan to use third-party content (links, documents, images, videos, tools, etc.) in your course or work at WMU, you are responsible for making sure it’s accessible before you post or share it.
What to do?
Use the following best practices to help ensure your pages, components and apps are accessible to all users.
Web content editors
- Headings: Add descriptive headings to organize content for readers. Headings should always be nested and consecutive. Never skip a heading level for styling reasons.
- Directional language: Avoid directional instructions and any language that requires the reader to see the layout or design of the page.
- Links: Use descriptive links. Links should provide information on the associated action or destination. Avoid "click here" or "learn more." Fix broken links.
- Images: Informative images require meaningful descriptive alt text. Describe the information, not the image. Decorative images should have empty alt text (alt="").
- Lists: Use bullets and numbered lists to organize information.
- Tables: Use tables to organize data (not for layout!). Use headers/scope for data tables.
- Media: Provide captions for video and transcripts for audio. Use audio descriptions when visuals convey essential info.
Web designers or developers
- HTML: Use semantic HTML first; add ARIA only when necessary.
- Keyboard access: Ensure full keyboard access, logical focus order, and a visible focus indicator.
- Skip links: Provide skip links, unique page titles, clear headings/landmarks.
- Color contrast: Meet color contrast (text and UI); don’t use color alone for meaning.
- Forms: explicit labels, instructions, error messages, and programmatic associations; announce async updates.
- Custom widgets: Expose correct name/role/value; manage focus; support arrow keys where appropriate.
- Responsive/reflow: Content works at 200%+ zoom without loss; no horizontal scroll for text.
- Performance and timing: Avoid timeouts that hinder assistive tech; provide controls for moving/auto-updating content.
What tools are available?
Siteimprove
Siteimprove is a platform that Western uses to help manage and improve our websites by checking for issues in accessibility, quality assurance and SEO.
Siteimprove resources
To request user access to Siteimprove, contact the Digital Accessibility Team.
Siteimprove users receive monthly reports with fixes that need to be made to ensure their section of the University website is accessible.
What training and resources are available?
Web content editors
- Siteimprove’s Siteimprove Onboarding: Introduction and Accessibility
- Siteimprove’s Accessibility for Content Contributors
- Siteimprove’s Accessibility Fundamentals for the Web
- Siteimprove’s Accessibility Testing for the Web
Web designers or developers
Siteimprove Learning Hub
To learn how to sign in to Siteimprove's Learning Hub using WMU's single sign-on (SSO) and access training resources, visit the Siteimprove: Learning Hub initial setup help article in goWMU.