Digital Accessibility

Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5200 USA

Websites and Applications

All University websites, web pages, and web-based software, whether hosted on campus or by a vendor, must be accessible. Features that help make web spaces accessible include headings, alternative text, color contrast, hyperlink text, and use of native HTML elements, among many others.

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, web pages and web-based software, whether hosted on campus or by a vendor and used for University business, must comply with the required WCAG 2.1 AA standards and include a plain-text contact method for people with disabilities who experience access issues. These guidelines are referenced in WMU’s Web Accessibility Policy and in the ADA Title II federal regulations.

What to do? (Checklist)

Use the following best practices to help ensure your pages, components and apps are accessible to all users.

Web content editors

  1. Headings: Add descriptive headings to organize content for readers. Headings should always be nested and consecutive. Never skip a heading level for styling reasons.
  2. Directional language: Avoid directional instructions and any language that requires the reader to see the layout or design of the page.
  3. Links: Use descriptive links. Links should provide information on the associated action or destination. Avoid "click here" or "learn more." Fix broken links.
  4. Images: Informative images require meaningful descriptive alt text. Describe the information, not the image. Decorative images should have empty alt text (alt="").
  5. Lists: Use bullets and numbered lists to organize information.
  6. Tables: Use tables to organize data (not for layout!). Use headers/scope for data tables.
  7. Media: Provide captions for video and transcripts for audio. Use audio descriptions when visuals convey essential info.

Web designers or developers

  1. HTML: Use semantic HTML first; add ARIA only when necessary.
  2. Keyboard access: Ensure full keyboard access, logical focus order, and a visible focus indicator.
  3. Skip links: Provide skip links, unique page titles, clear headings/landmarks.
  4. Color contrast: Meet color contrast (text and UI); don’t use color alone for meaning.
  5. Forms: explicit labels, instructions, error messages, and programmatic associations; announce async updates.
  6. Custom widgets: Expose correct name/role/value; manage focus; support arrow keys where appropriate.
  7. Responsive/reflow: Content works at 200%+ zoom without loss; no horizontal scroll for text.
  8. 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

Siteimprove users receive monthly reports with fixes that need to be made to ensure their section of the University website is accessible.