The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, requires any organization that receives federal funds to provide website accessibility to people with disabilities. Compliant websites are compatible with assistive technologies such as screen readers.
While School Loop continuously strives to ensure its content management system (CMS) is compliant with all standards, webmasters must also ensure that the content they create is compliant by following the guidelines set forth in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act as well as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
To assist webmasters with their efforts to build accessible websites, School Loop has compiled a set of online resources and useful tips for ensuring compliance. While these resources are a good place to start, they are by no means comprehensive.
Tips for Creating Compliant Content
These tips cover the most common types of content used on websites that can result in non-compliance issues.
Accessibility Resources
Websites
Section508.gov — Official government website for Section 508
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 — W3C guidelines for accessibility
WebAIM — A non-profit organization based at the Center for Persons with Disabilities
Tools and Resources
WAVE — Web Accessibility Versatile Evaluator. This tool is also available in a Chrome Extension as well as in a web developer toolbar available for Chrome, Firefox and Opera.
Quick Reference Guide (PDF) — Provided by WebAIM
Accessibility Infographic — Provided by WebAIM
Ensuring your site is up to accessibility standards is important to us, and something we take very seriously. Please feel free to reach out to School Loop Support with questions.
