FAQs on Digital Accessibility
Below are answers to frequently asked questions about Digital Accessibility at Caltech.
For information on creating accessible digital content, see Caltech's Accessibility Guidelines for Content Creators.
"Digital accessibility compliance" describes digital content and platforms that comply with the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA (or the latest version of WCAG), or otherwise are accessible to individuals with disabilities.
Compliance with WCAG makes content accessible for people with disabilities including auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, speech, visual, and others.
Essentially, accessibility is the practice of making your websites and other platforms usable by as many people as possible, including those with disabilities.
Some examples of disabilities include vision Impairment, hearing impairment or deafness, mental health conditions, intellectual disability, and mobility-related disabilities.
Caltech is committed to providing all users with robust access to content, information, and services across the Institute's websites and digital properties. To support content creators and editors in their practice, the Insitute has developed a series of resources and tools, including a web-based training module and website that shares best practices and guidelines.
Websites are considered public accommodations, and under the American with Disabilities Act, they must be accessible to all visitors, including those with disabilities.
WCAG guidelines identify three levels of accessibility:
A = basic accessibility (must do)
AA = good accessibility, also the worldwide standard (should do)
AAA = excellent, for dedicated software (reaching for the stars)
Caltech's recommendation is to follow WCAG 2.1 at level AA, which would also ensure compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. [AB1] You can learn more at a high level by reviewing WCAG 2.1 at-a-glance.
Some of the most common errors include missing alternative text for images, unclear link text, incorrect use of headings, and low-contrast text.
No automated tool can catch all accessibility issues but a good first step is to use the WAVE browser extension. The WAVE Accessibility Checker is free and available for Firefox, Chrome, and Edge browsers.
Once you have fixed any issues WAVE has identified, you may want to move on to check with one of the more detailed testing tools such as axe DevTools (the tool used in the accessibility score in Chrome Lighthouse) or Site Improve. Please note that the last 2 have free versions but try get you to upgrade to their paid offerings. The paid versions may be useful but are not required.
- Caltech Accessibility Guidelines for Content Creators
- Caltech Digital Accessibility Training
- The custom module is available in the MyLearn Course Catalog (Access Caltech credentials required).
- WAVE Accessibility Checker
- Plain Language guidelines for writing
- Coblis color-deficiency tool
- WebAIM's contrast checker
- Web Accessibility Overview (W3C)
- Information on ADA Accessibility (U.S. Access Board)
- Accessibility Principles (W3C)
- Perspectives Videos (W3C)
- You are not your user (Youtube, by Microsoft)
- Models of Disability and Accessibility
Please refer to the training and resources above. If you continue to encounter difficulties, email digitalaccessibility@caltech.edu.
IMSS has updated websites on the Caltech Sites platform so that content managers are able to build a publish a website that is compliant at no cost.
If your group's website runs on another platform, it's possible that design and programming changes may be necessary. Your vendor may be able to provide an estimate on that work.
WAVE Accessibility Checker is a free browser extensions that can check the accessibility of a website and is available available on Firefox, Chrome, and Edge.
Yes. It is recommended that site owners require website vendors to conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA guidelines.
Please refer to the training and resources listed above. If you still have questions, email digitalaccessibility@caltech.edu.
If you cannot access content or use features on any Caltech website due to a disability, please report your accessibility concerns.
When an equivalent alternative for a complex image (chart, graph, map, etc.) will not fit inside a succinct alt attribute (perhaps a couple sentences in length), then the alternative must be provided elsewhere. This might be an adjacent data table on the same page, or it might be on a separate web page, linked from the page with the image. The link can be adjacent to the image, or the image itself could be linked to the description page. The alternative text for the image should still describe the general content of the image.