Web Accessibility Resource Center

Use the links below to find the information you need to make your pages accessible.

Section 508 Policy

• Building Web Sites That Comply With Section 508 - Article that provides background on Section 508 and walks through the 16 paragraphs.
• http://www.section508.gov/ - GSA site charged with the dissemination of information regarding Section 508.
• http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/guide/act.htm - An online copy of the actual Section 508 document.
• Final FAR Ruling - Online copy of the Final Federal Acquisition Regulation that outlines implementation of Section 508.
• Web Accessibility Initiative - affiliated with the World Wide Web Consortium. Coordinates with organizations around the world to increase the accessibility of the Web through five primary areas of work: technology, guidelines, tools, education and outreach, and research and development.
• Section 508 Self-Evaluation Web Page Accessibility Questionnaire - Document is designed to help agencies evaluate whether their Internet pages are accessible to people with disabilities.

Articles On Accessibility

• Webmaster Tips Accessibility Article Archive - Includes articles about basic accessibility principles, designing accessible tables, forms, and using various HTML tags to make your Web site more accessible.
• Business Benefits of Accessible Web Design - Paper that describes the many business, technical and other benefits gained when a business makes their Web site accessible.
• Let JAWS Taste Your Site - A review of assistive technology used by the disabled.
• How People with Disabilities Use the Web - W3C draft document dated 4 January 2001.
• Readable Sites Are Accessible Sites - Tips on improving the readability of your web site with an eye towards accessibility.
• Who Are The Disabled? - Interesting compilation of disability statistics.

Accessibility Tools

• Bobby - Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) offers a tool that analyzes pages for accessibility.
• Lynx - Download or try an online Lynx Simulator to see how your site displays in a text-only format.
• Home Page Reader - by IBM lets blind or visually impaired users navigate through a Web site using the keyboard. Users hear the full range of web page content provided in a logical, clear, and understandable manner. IBM offers a 30-day free trial download copy.
• Media Access Generator (MAGpie) - The National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) offers MAGPIE, a free tool that lets authors add captions to three multimedia formats: QuickTime, SMIL, and SAMI. MAGpie can also integrate audio descriptions into SMIL presentations.
• WebFormattor : a free tool that works with Explorer 5.0. It shows the content of the Web page in a separate text window. Users navigate using the keyboard's cursor keys.
• JAWS uses an integrated voice synthesizer and your computer's sound card to output the content of your computer screen (including Web pages) to speakers. JAWS also outputs to refreshable Braille displays. Very widely used.
• Window-Eyes offers complete Braille support. Compatible with all Windows 9x and ME versions.
• EMACS Speak is a free browser and screen reader specifically designed for people with disabilities. Runs on Linux systems.
• Hal 4.5 for Windows offers extensive screen reader support for Web pages and other productivity tools.