On websites, colours and fonts should be chosen to enable good contrast, as some people perceive colours differently or not at all. All images, graphics and tables should include an alternative text that describes what they show – this can then be read out by special programmes. Multimedia elements, i.e. videos and audio files, should also always include an additional description of the content and subtitles to enable visually impaired/hearing-impaired users to enjoy them, too. Links should also be formulated meaningfully, e.g. “link to registration” rather than “here”.
Linked files for Word, PowerPoint or PDF programmes should also be accessible, e.g. with section headings that can be read by screen readers. Various tools are available, for example from Adobe or Microsoft Word, which make it easy to create such files.
Checklist for websites
• What is the website about? Titles and descriptions, also for sub-pages, should be short, clearly formulated and easily recognisable.
• How is the page structured? A clear structure helps: In content management systems, you should always create clear headings, lead texts, paragraphs, lists or tables and observe heading hierarchies (H1, H2, H3, etc.).
• Where can individual elements be found? Content should be easy to find. It helps to structure the page in a logical and clear way so that readers can still maintain an overview when enlarging the page. A standardised menu, which is the same on every page, is also helpful.
• How do people surf? Responsive design is the standard, i.e. the layout changes to match different end devices. It should also be possible to navigate the website via the mouse and the keyboard.
• What is important? Less text, short pages is the motto – this makes the information easier to absorb.
• What is meant? Simple language makes the content easier to understand. Specialist terms and abbreviations should be explained.
• Where can you find out more? Contact persons, the legal notice or a link back to the homepage should all be placed centrally.
Tips for low-barrier PDFs
The most important thing with regard to the Portable Document Format (PDF) is that all content should be labelled correctly – in particular headings, lists, paragraphs and tables. This ensures that the title of the document is displayed in the title bar of the Adobe Reader rather than the file name, which should however also be self-explanatory. Graphics should also include an alternative description. Non-content-bearing elements such as headers and footers are classed as “pagination artefacts” and thus invisible to screen reader technology. On creation, you should generally ensure that access by assistive technologies and the copying of text is permitted.
Metadata, including the document language(s), should be added to the document properties. All elements should appear in a logical reading order. Links and headings should be explanatory, i.e. the heading/link text on its own should be sufficient to enable conclusions to be drawn about the subsequent page/linked content. Bookmarks or a linked table of contents are helpful in longer documents.
Where text has a smaller font size than 18 pt or 14 pt in bold, it should ideally have a minimum contrast of 4.5:1. Larger text and graphic operating elements should have a contrast of 3:1. Information – e.g. in diagrams – should not solely be communicated by means of colour or colour changes.
Tips for forms
Forms should have labelled elements and be easy to complete on screen: in full, in a logical order and via the keyboard – in particular via the tab key. Mandatory fields and incorrect entries should be clearly recognisable.
There are of course further elements in addition to these general framework conditions. It is important that you consider this topic and integrate it into your daily work on a step-by-step basis. Tools such as the PDF Accessibility Checker (PAC) are available to help you check the accessibility of your documents.
A tip for films and series: For those moments where no one is actually speaking, an audio description can be used – a voice describes what can be seen on the screen in a second audio track.
You can obtain support from e.g. the Counselling Centre for Students with Disabilities or Chronic Illnesses (BBST), e-mail: bbst(at)hhu.de, or the representative for severely disabled employees (SBV), e-mail: sbv(at)hhu.de.
Teaching staff can contact the Service Center for Good Teaching and Learning (SeLL), which has published a guide to creating low-barrier websites (German only).
Further information (German only).