WEB ACCESSIBILITY POLICY (5.1)

Policy Number: 
5.1
Date Issued: 
7/03
Applicability: 
ALL NEW AND UPDATED WEB SITES AT UNT

The University of North Texas is committed to making its web sites and web applications accessible to all users. We have created the following web accessibility requirements that are designed to improve accessibility for users with disabilities. The requirements are based on federal and state guidelines, policies and coding standards for creating accessible web sites.

In accordance with the State of Texas definition of a "state web site," this policy shall apply to all UNT web sites and pages including UNT's home page and any key public entry points. The requirements listed below shall be required to be followed for every new web site or page that is created or updated starting after the publication date of this policy. UNT also encourages site administrators to examine existing sites and implement accessibility features to provide equivalent access.

New web sites shall be checked for compliance when a link is requested on the UNT home page. Existing UNT web sites shall be contacted for accessibility issues as complaints or concerns are initiated.

Further explanation for each requirement and technical resources can be found at http://www.unt.edu/webinfo/accessibility.

The UNT web accessibility requirements:

Every image used on the UNT web site shall use an “alt tag” to provide access for people using assistive technologies. Images used to convey information not duplicated in an accessible format elsewhere on the page require a descriptive alt to provide equivalent information. Images used only for design, structure or that do not provide unique information shall have a “null” or “blank” alt (alt=”” or alt=” “).

Whenever multimedia presentations or streaming video (such Real, Quicktime, Flash or Microsoft streaming media formats, etc.) are used on the web, the presentation shall be evaluated to determine the best method for providing equivalent access. Access options can include captioning or providing a text transcript for the presentation.

Web pages shall be designed so that all information conveyed with color is also available without color for those with color blindness or viewers with devices that do not display color.

When style sheets are used, the pages shall be created so that the documents are still readable if the web viewer does not have style sheet capabilities, or if the viewer has disabled style sheets. Text presented in a web document shall be created in such a manner that the web viewer can adjust the text size to promote readability.

When image maps are used as a navigational element in the page, client side image maps shall be used (instead of server-side image maps) in conjunction with alt tags to provide text equivalents for those using assistive technologies.

When tables are used to present data (as opposed to create design), markup shall be used to designate the relationships between the rows, columns and cells in a table for web viewers using assistive technologies.

Frames used on the UNT web site shall be created using techniques that facilitate frame identification and navigation including the use of the “title=” attribute inside of the <frame> tag.

The use of animated content on a web site (animated gifs, plug-ins, or other technologies) requires that the page be evaluated to make sure that people with disabilities are not adversely affected and that the information is still accessible.

A text-only page of web content shall be created and maintained only when a web page cannot comply through any other means. The text-only version shall be updated when the regular page content is updated.

When scripting languages (javascript, vbscript, java, etc) are used to convey essential information or to create navigation or interface elements, functional text shall be used to convey equivalent information.

When plug-ins are required in order to display information, it is the responsibility of the web developer to make sure that the plug-in and the plug-in’s content comply with assistive technologies or to provide the web viewer with alternative content that is accessible. The web developer must also link to the download location of the plug-in on the pages that require the plug-ins to be installed.

Electronic forms designed to be completed online shall be designed so that all input fields, cues and directions are available to those using assistive technologies. This includes making sure that the titles or descriptions of input fields can be read in an order that clearly identifies the information being requested for each form elements.

A method shall be provided that permits users to skip repetitive navigation links.

When a timed response is required, the user shall be alerted and given sufficient time to indicate more time is required.

To improve the accessibility of all UNT web sites, all new and updated web sites should be tested on multiple browsers and platforms. New web site’s markup should be validated to ensure proper coding and rendering on multiple platforms, browsers, and browser versions. Accessibility issues shall be checked by accessibility web sites or software.

Where To Address Web Accessibility Concerns or Questions
Existing web site compliance problems can be addressed to the Director of University Online Communications in University Communications and Marketing using the following contact options:

E-mail: ucmweb@unt.edu
Phone: (940) 565-3476
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 311070
Denton, Texas 76203-1070

Please send your name, contact information, the nature of the accessibility problem, and the web site address or specific web page that contains your accessibility issues.