High-resolution images are important for maintaining a high-quality website. Not only do blurry or pixelated images look unprofessional, they do not stand up to screen magnification for the visually impaired. Here are some tips for good photo hygiene: 

• Make sure the file is either a JPEG or PNG
• Always start with the highest resolution image available, prior to resizing
• Original files are ideal. Anything taken off social media is low resolution
• West Point Images are available on Flickr
• Free, high quality stock images are available on Unsplash, Pixbay or Little Visuals

Assistive Technology cannot infer meaning from images. Alternative text is a detailed photo description that can be read by screen-reading technology. This text describes imagery for visually-impaired website visitors. By including robust alternative text, you are telling a visually-impaired visitor that you value them and are taking their needs into consideration.

How can you write strong alternative text? Look at an image and pretend you are describing in detail to someone who cannot see it. Alternative text should be in sentence form. While it not recommended to post images that include text, if there is text in your image, it must also be included as part of the alternative text.

Weak Alternative Text: Person at laptop

Strong Alternative Text: A young man sits at his computer to complete an online application.

Click here to learn more about alternative text on the section 508.gov website 

Captions make video content accessible for viewers with hearing impairments. YouTube uses speech recognition technology to automatically generate captions. When including a video from YouTube, incorporate closed captioning by using the SRC code to embed the video. To find the SRC code, follow these steps:

• Select YouTube video
• Click the "Share" button
• Select "Embed" option
• Copy only the portion of the URL in quotes which immediately follows SRC=

 For detailed information on embedding videos, please review the refresher training.

Hyperlinks, when selected, direct users to a different section of the web page or to an entirely new webpage. External hyperlinks directs users off the website to an alternate website. To help users navigate, it's a good idea to make hyperlinks as descriptive as possible.

Weak Description: Click Here (Really? Where are you even taking me!?)

Strong Description: Click here to view detailed guidelines on hyperlinks on the section 508.gov website

Fact: It is easier to create an accessible document from the outset than it is  to remediate an existing document that is not accessible. Please keep this in mind when creating documents, especially one that might be included or linked to from the website.

Microsoft Word: Microsoft Word is the most commonly-used application among individuals with disabilities. As long as a document is created according to guidelines, the text within it can be read by assistive technologies such as screen readers and Braille devices. Please click here for detailed guidance from Microsoft.

PDFs: Before creating a PDF of your document, please make sure to first create the document in Microsoft Word, following the steps above. Please click here for detailed guidance from Adobe.

Other Documents:  For additional guidance on spreadsheets, presentations and other types of documents, please visit Section508.gov.

Excel: Spreadsheets need to be created in an accessible manner. If part of a workbook, make sure each tab has a descriptive name. here are some tips:

• Include heading levels
• Start all worksheets in cell A1
• Move left to right, then top to bottom
• Do not span content over multiple rows or columns.
• Make sure sheet can be navigated using arrow keys.

Click here to earn more about creating accessible documents in Microsoft Excel at section508.gov.

Website Tables: If you have data you would like highlighted on the website, please contact the web team for a custom solution. In many cases, we are able to create accessible tables for web pages, or utilize a combination of widgets to display information. View an example of an 8-Term Academic Program Sequence (8TAP) that was created in an accessible manner.

Text on the website must have sufficient contrast with its background so that it can be read by people with moderately low vision. When text is placed over an image, you will notice that the image is darkened with either a light or dark overlay, so that the text can remain readable. Some widgets, such as the Advanced Image Widget, allows for partial overlay. If you would like your image to be viewed without any overlay, text must be placed elsewhere on the web page.

Click here to learn more about contrast at section508.gov.

A heading communicates the content that follows it, and cascading headings communicate the structure of a web page. Web browsers and assistive technologies use headings and subheads to infer navigation. If the underlying code for a page's headings is correct, screen reader users can navigate a page according to its headings, listen to a list of all headings, and skip to a desired heading to begin reading at that point. 

Nest headings based on their level of importance. The page name should be designated header 1. The next level of heading should be header 2. Subheads should be header 3. Headings with an equal rank should match, in terms of header rank. Header numbers should not be skipped. Use headings as an outline to your page.

Anything that is body text should be labeled normal. If body text is designated as a header, it will appear too large on mobile devices such as tablets or cell phones.

You will find heading settings on a drop down menu within all WYSIWYG menus, such as text boxes.