Accessibility
Improving Accessibility with CampusPress
Last modified 6/20/2023
CampusPess is a website system used for About.IllinoisState.edu, some departments, small organizations, and temporary events. You do not need knowledge of coding to build and edit websites to use CampusPress. The web editor for CampusPress has features built-in to help you create accessible web content. Creating an accessible website is crucial to ensure that all users, including those with disabilities, can access and navigate your content effectively. In this guide, we will explore how to create an accessible website using CampusPress or a WordPress site. Both platforms offer robust tools and plugins that can help you achieve accessibility standards. Let's get started!
Choose an Accessible Theme
Selecting an accessible theme is the first step. Look for themes that follow best practices for accessibility, such as proper heading structure, color contrast, and keyboard navigation support. Many themes provide accessibility information in their descriptions or documentation, so take the time to review them before making a choice.
Optimize Content and Media
Accessible content is essential for all users.
Headings
Use proper heading tags (h1, h2, h3, etc.) to structure your content. Headings are very important help people navigate the content of your document. These are tend to be large and bold text. Though they sometimes could be a colored font, too. Just making your headings visually big and bold is not enough. You need to add the underlying structure telling other technologies, like screen readers, that "this text is a heading" and how this heading fits with other headings in your document.
With the CampusPress Text editor, you can easily format your headings. For more information on structuring headings, check out our Headings Overview.
Lists
Numbered and bulleted lists help break up paragraphs. If you find yourself using more than three commas to list things off in a sentence, try using a bulleted list instead so it is easier to scan for information.
When the list is formatted as a list, it is also easy to scan with assistive technologies. A screen reader will tell a person when they are entering and exiting the list instead of listening to the list as if it were a run-on sentence with dashes.
Add Meaningful Text Links
Links let people jump to a new location in the current document, open a web site, or open another webpage in the same site. By linking text you can allow people navigate around or away from your webpage. The words in a text link should clearly convey where you are taking a person if they select the link.
Ensure any media linked to from your webpage is provided in accessible formats and include captions and/or transcripts.
Captions and Transcripts
If you include videos or audio content, provide captions and transcripts to make them accessible for individuals with hearing impairments. For more information on captions, check out our Captioning Videos Overview.
Alternative Text for Images
Add descriptive alternative text (alt tags) for all images on your site. The text should provide a clear and concise description of the image's content and context. Get help writing alt text for images.
Color Contrast
Ensure sufficient contrast between text and background colors to make content readable for users with visual impairments. Use tools like the "Color Contrast Analyzer" or WebAIM Color Contrast checker tools to check the contrast ratios. For more information on color, refer to the Choosing Color Overview.
Navigation and Forms
Pay attention to the navigation and forms on your website:
Clear Menus
Use descriptive and concise menu labels to aid navigation. Ensure menus are easily navigable using a keyboard.
Skip Links
Implement skip links to allow keyboard users to skip repetitive content and navigate directly to the main content.
Form Accessibility
Make sure your forms are accessible by providing clear instructions, labels for input fields, and appropriate error messages.
Find more information on the Forms Overview.