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Executive Summary of UH Web Accessibility Standards

Relevant text from State of Texas

EIR Accessibility Page


SRRPUB11

4. General Web Page Standards

Creating Web pages entails a responsibility to the customer. The design and coding should follow correct Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) format at all times, and ensure that the site/pages are available to readers who don't have fast Internet connections, the latest browsers, or large-screen monitors. All government Web pages should avoid the use of frames, because they provide poor navigation for users and because sites with frames limit public access to information. Web sites/pages should not be designed for a specific feature of a web Browser or the latest version. Agencies should consider coding pages using HTML version 3.0 for general access and 4.0 for on-line access to services.

1 TAC §201.12 State Web Sites

(A) Every image on a state Web site shall use an alt tag with sufficient information describing the image, or a null for simple images (e.g., a dot or bullet), so that a person unable to see the image can understand the content and meaning for its use. Except for geographic information systems, if image maps are used that do not comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines for persons with visual impairments, a text alternative shall be provided.

(B) A state agency implementing frames on a state Web site shall:

(i) Not have any page that contains priority 1 or 2 accessibility errors.

(ii) Drop the frame(s) when indexing or pointing to other non-agency Web sites.

Priority 1 error -- An HTML coding error on a Web page that will cause persons with visual disabilities to be unable to access information on the page.

Priority 2 error -- An HTML coding error on a Web page that may make it very difficult for persons with visual disabilities to access information on the page.

(C) A state agency posting document image files to a state Web site, for which the associated reader does not fully support accessibility, shall also make available an accessible version of the same information. The document image version will include a link to obtain a free copy of the associated reader, and accessibility instructions. Excluded from this provision are:

(3) Document image files -- Files published in vendor-specific file formats (e.g., portable document format (pdf) files) that create an image of a document

(G) All Web pages, whether static or dynamic, must be accessible using generally available browser software, and be designed with consideration for the types of Internet connections available to the citizens of Texas. Standards Review and Recommendation Publication 11 (SRRPUB11) contains additional information that may assist agencies in the design of their Web sites.