Web accessibility checklist
Use this list to make sure your site is as accessible as possible. You can also access the information on this page as a document.
You can use resources on this website to guide you with some specific aspects.
Tip: You can use the table of contents below as a quick checklist of some of the most important aspects of accessibility, or dive into each section to learn more and make improvements to your content.
Table of Contents
Do images have alt text?
- Is the image decorative? No? Then it needs alt text
- Is the image a graph, chart or other complex informational piece? Remove the alt text and add a caption or description instead.
- Does the alt text describe what is in the image? If no, then change it to describe what is in the picture. And compare with the item below:
- Does the image have a caption? Is the alt text doing what the caption should?
Is an image being used as a link?
If so, it’s a special case: make sure the alt text describes what will happen if a user clicks on the picture. Example: “View a gallery of images from this event”.
You can read more about using alt text when image linking on our website.
Do all pages have a proper and consistent structure and hierarchy?
Pages with more than a couple of paragraphs should be organized under subheadings. Do all pages meet this criterion?
Read more about page organization.
Are sub-headings being created properly?
Are the subheadings created properly? They have to be created using the headings block, not by simply bolding ordinary paragraph text.
Read more about creating proper subheadings.
Are hyperlinks written in proper language?
a. Are any links on the site using the address as the link text? Links should never appear in this way, for example andrewriddles@cunet.careleon.ca or https://carleton.ca/webservices/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/Screen-Shot-2023-05-28-at-4.10.57-PM.png.
Find out why using links as the text for the link is not accessible.
Does the hyperlink language indicate what will happen if the link is clicked?
Linked very closely with the previous point, will a person reading a link
(or hearing it from a screen reader) know what will happen when the link is clicked?
Learn more about ITS: does not tell someone using a screen reader what the link is about but
Learn more about ITS tells us what the anticipated outcome will be if clicked
By the way, all the links on this page have language to demonstrate what will happen if visited, for example, read more about making link language explicit.
Is information on the pages clear, concise, and legible?
a. Are paragraphs on the pages of this site short and succinct? Do they even have paragraphs?
b. Do sentences run on, with multiple clauses?
c. Are the pages broken up visually? Do they make use of features such as bullet points to break out information?
Read about why clear text and info are important.
Are tables being used correctly?
a. Are tables being used to layout page content such as paragraphs and images? (hint: they should never be used for this!)
b. Are tables properly formed? Do they have a table header?
c. Is the kind of data presented within the table appropriate for being displayed in this way? (for example, tables are a great way to present short amounts of consistent data, such as laboratory results, or a list such as Course name, Course number, Department, Faculty member to present data about a unit’s course offerings).