Accessibility

When this website was redesigned in 2007, it was done with an eye toward optimized accessibility. We are upholding that legacy with the current site.

We strive to make our websites as accessible as possible, and to be in compliance with general web standards as well as the requirements of Section 508. We test all of our sites using the W3C Markup Validation Service, as well as validation tools that check for compliance with Section 508 (TotalValidator).

Here is a short checklist of simple methods that we employ to make our websites more accessible:

• All images feature “alt” text describing the image being used.
• Images and colors are not used as sole conveyors of information.
• Web pages are organized and coded hierarchically and the information presented is readable without a style sheet.
• Web forms use proper HTML tags to indicate form elements.
• Tables are used for presentation of data only (not for layout). When used, tables have appropriate column and/or row headers.
• All videos embedded within websites we maintain must have synchronized captions.

With this latest redesign, we are also beginning to take advantage of the flexibility of HTML5 and CSS3. Using HTML5 and CSS3, we have implemented our first “responsive design,” intended to make the information on our site more readily accessible to visitors using mobile devices.