Policy statementSelection criteriaSubmission criteriaDeselection Criteria
Web publishing guidelinesAuthoring committee

Among the most important steps in planning to publish Web documents is showing consideration for user needs. This consideration includes recognizing that other users may face technological limitations not faced by the site's author or publisher. Some users will not have capabilities like plug-ins for Adobe Acrobat files. In addition, graphics should be kept to a minimum because graphics that are too heavy can crash or tie up some computers for a long time. Users also face time pressures and want to be able to access materials quickly. Once users access materials, they also want to be able to utilize them quickly and without eye-strain. Users also want to be clear about who produced or published a document and how to find that document again.

Downloading:

• All documents should be one file.
• Table of Contents pages should be created for long documents with featured contents tagged and linked on the Table of Contents page.
• Try to keep Table of Contents page to one screen (using columns or tables helps).

Font size and printing:

• Font size for documents that you expect will be printed should be size 12 (same as standard size for most books).
• Fonts - Variable Width and Times New Roman, (non-italicized for the body of the text) are the most visually appealing for reading, especially for long documents.
• All lettering should be made with dark colors. Lighter shades do not print out well on standard black and white printers.
• Bold, italicize, and/or enlarge fonts to highlight passages and headings. Changing font styles within a document is hard on the eyes.
• All background colors and/or wallpaper should be neutral (non-distracting) and preferably be light shades so that the darker text is easy to read.

Identification:

• Have your logo or organizational name (with a link to your home page or area page within your Web site; e.g. LINCS Grants and Funding Sources), either at the top or the bottom of the document to remind the viewer that they are in your Web space.
• Provide a directional table or bar to all your pages (may take up a lot of space and may not be appealing for documents such as reports).

Searching:

• Use Adult Literacy Thesaurus (ALT) terms within the first page of your document to ensure that LINCS searches performed on the subject of your document will include your document in the search results.

NIFL Web Accessibility Standards

NIFL Web Accessibility Standards have been created in response to the amendment to section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which requires equal access to the Federal government's electronic and information technology. Standards are based on the "Requirements for Accessible Electronic and Information Technology Design" from the U.S. Dept. of Ed. Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO).

Provide text equivalents for non-text features
• All images and client-side image maps must have alternative text using the ALT or AREA attribute
• If server-side image maps must be used, make sure redundant text links are made available on the same web page.
• If an image conveys information beyond simple text, the LONGDESC attribute must be used to describe the image's information
• Text equivalents must be provided for all multimedia presentations. This includes all audio/visual content and other non-html content (such as Adobe Acrobat PDF files). The text alternatives should be made available on the web site or by other means (email, fax, or regular mail).
Do not use color solely to convey information
• Make sure that alternative formatting and information are provided if color is used for conveying information.
Identify any language changes in text
• Use the LANG attribute to identify any language change in text content.
Label data tables
• Use table headers (TH tag) and labels for the table cells when formatting data tables for web pages.
Create forms accessible to assistive technology
• Make sure form fields and labels correspond so that form directions can be easily followed.
• Use colons after labels to input fields
Do not use elements that create a flickering effect
• Design pages without any flashing or blinking.
Style sheet (CSS) formatting on pages must be readable without the use of style sheets
• All style sheet formatted pages must degrade gracefully so that they are still readable if style sheet technology is not available in client-side program.
All frames should be identified
• Make sure all frame pages contain valid titles and make sure a NOFRAMES element is set
Do not rely solely on scripts and applets
• Make sure pages that contain JavaScript and Java applets are still functional if these features are unavailable on the client-side program.
• If a script or applet can't be made accessible, an alternate way to perform the same function should be provided.
• If a timed response is required, make sure the user is alerted and given sufficient warning when more time is required.
A way to skip repetitive navigation should be provided
• If pages have a repetitive navigation area (usually a left navigation bar), provide an internal link at the top that will skip that navigation and go further into the content of the page.

Please refer to the following links for further guidance:

• Federal IT Accessibility Initiative - http://www.section508.gov/
• Standards for Electronic and Information Technology: An Overview - http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/summary.htm
• Requirements for Accessible Electronic and Information Technology Design -http://ocfo.ed.gov/coninfo/clibrary/software.htm
• Web Accessibility Initiative - http://www.w3.org/WAI/
• Bobby, a Web accessibility screening tool - http://www.cast.org/bobby/
• Web Accessibility In Mind - http://www.webaim.org/

Authoring Committee:

Jaleh Behroozi, National Institute for Literacy
Susan Clair, Virginia Adult Education and Literacy Center
Debra Fawcett, Colorado State Literacy Resource Center
Maryann Florez, Center for Applied Linguistics
Emily Hacker, Literacy Assistance Center (New York City)
Cheryl Harmon, ADVANCE Pennsylvania State Literacy Resource Center
William Hawk, National Institute for Literacy
Virginia Heinrich, Minnesota Literacy Resource Center
Christopher Hopey, National Center on Adult Literacy
Mary Jarvis, Wayne State University, College of Education
Jean Kish, National Institute for Literacy
Thomas Quigley, National Adult Literacy Database
Charles Ramsey, National Adult Literacy Database
Judith Rake, Illinois Secretary of State Literacy Office
Mary Dunn Siedow, North Carolina Literacy Resource Center
Frank Smith, Northwest Regional Literacy Resource Center
Lou Wollrab, Massachusetts System for Adult Basic Education Support (SABES)

Please contact lincs@nifl.gov with questions.

December 6, 1999.