Regulations say all public sector websites or apps must meet accessibility standards, and publish an accessibility statement by 23rd September 2020, and to ensure this is met, this template website has an accessibility statement included for you, linked in the main website menu.
It is important to ensure that school websites are accessible for all users. Here are some helpful pointers about practical steps you can take to ensure your website is usable for all potential visitors
- Files such as PDFs should either be accessible (this is an involved process to do correctly), or their contents should be web pages, particularly if the information is needed to complete a task or is essential – the school handbook for instance or instructions for a chemistry class etc.
- Make sure all images that are uploaded have “alt text”, to ensure that screenreaders and similar software are able to interpret them. Don’t include text in images – text should be written as text, not as pictures.
- Make sure that content follows a sensible flow structure.
- Make a transcript available of uploaded media files even if they support closed captions and screen reader support.
- Are headings and labels clear, concise, and consistent? Check that users can navigate via a menu and search bar or site map to easily find content.
- Make sure link text describes the link you’re offering – for example don’t write “click here” as a link within a sentence, instead make the link say “website accessibility information”.
- Check your website is just as easy to navigate on a mobile device or tablet as it is on a computer – many people will only be accessing through mobile devices. Similarly, if you make your text size 200% on a desktop, is it still usable? What if you resize the window to be smaller or larger?
- Avoid referencing colours, sounds or shapes where text can convey the same instructions to the user. Avoid using colour as the only way to convey a message.
- Avoid using content that flashes or flickers. Ensure there is sufficient contrast between text and background colours.
- Audio and video files should have a transcript if possible, and all essential visual content should be available as text and audio too.
- Try copying and pasting your website page into a notepad file. If it’s not easy for you to read in that format, it’s probably not working well for screenreader software.
