ADA Requirements

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that all of Lane’s webpages be accessible for people with disabilities. Please be sure your pages comply with the requirements set by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In using Lane’ s webpage templates, which were specifically designed with accessibility in mind, it will be much easier for your pages to be accessible since you will just be making sure that your content is accessible.

There are a few common violations that occur on many websites. The most common violation is not using alt tags on all of your images. A text alternative (alt tag) for all images is required for ADA compliance. An alt tag might look like this: <img src="staff.gif" ALT="staff photos link"> . Another common violation is not using a summary tag for tables. Another example is making sure that you have enough contrast when using colors for people with low vision or color blindness.

Frames are difficult to make accessible, so we recommend not using them at all.

• You can test your webpages for accessibility using Cynthia.
• You can also find more information about accessibility at the W3C Web Accessibility website.
• ADA site guidelines - Guidelines for making webpages accessible to people with disabilities.

If you have questions about ADA compliance, or for help on campus, you can contact Lori Brenden , Information Technology, ext. 3354, or Disability Services, ext. 5150.