University of Washington IT Accessibility Checklist

Our goal at the University of Washington, as stated in the University of Washington IT Accessibility Guidelines, is to achieve the success criteria of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 at Level AA. WCAG 2.0 is the standard for web accessibility developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

The following checklist is based on the WCAG 2.0 standards, and is provided to assist the UW community, including web designers, developers, content creators, and purchasing agents, in creating and procuring accessible IT. It can also be used by bidders, vendors and contractors seeking to provide the UW with information about accessibility of their products and services, as specified in UW Procurement Procedure 7.2.15 (PDF).

Instructions

This checklist consists of a Product/Service Overview section, followed by four tables, one for each of the principles on which WCAG 2.0 is organized (perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust). In each table, rows correspond with items in the checklist. Additional information about each item is available on the companion IT Accessibility Checklist & Tutorial website.

For each item, select a conformance level by selecting one of the available options in the Conformance Levels column. See the "Conformance Levels" section below for definitions of the available options.

In the "Remarks and Explanations" column, please provide specific details about how your product or service supports or does not support each item in the checklist. Bidders, please feel free to submit additional supporting documentation such as test results.

After completing the form, click the "Make Printable Version" button, located at the bottom of the form. This will compile your information into a report, and will include additional buttons that can be used to either "Edit" your information (which will return you to the current form) or "Save as HTML" which will produce a clean, accessible HTML version of the report that can be sent as an email attachment to relevant parties.

Conformance Levels

The options listed under Conformance Level are defined as follows:

  • Supports: The functionality of the product meets the criteria without known defects or meets with equivalent facilitation.
  • Supports with Exceptions: Some functionality of the product does not meet the criteria.
  • Does Not Support: Majority of functionality of the product does not meet the criteria.
  • Not Applicable: The criteria are not relevant to the product.
  • Not Evaluated: The product has not been evaluated against the criteria.

Product/Service Overview

Required fields in this section are marked with *.

Primary Contact for Accessibility

NOTE: All fields in the tables are required.

Table 1. Perceivable

Criteria Conformance Level Explanation (Required)
1-1. Do images have alternative text?
1-2. Does video have captions and does audio have a transcript?
1-3. Does the web page or document include headings, lists, ARIA landmarks, and other semantic elements to communicate document structure?
1-4. Is the tab order and read order logical and intuitive?
1-5. Do form fields within web pages and documents have appropriately coded labels and prompts?
1-6. Have you avoided using visual characteristics to communicate information (e.g., “click the circle on the right” or “required fields are in red”)?
1-7. Does the interface have sufficient contrast between text color and background color?
1-8. Does the content scale well when text is enlarged up to 200 percent?

Table 2. Operable

Criteria Conformance Level Explanation (Required)
2-1. Can all menus, links, buttons, and other controls be operated by keyboard, to make them accessible to users who are unable to use a mouse?
2-2. Does the web page include a visible focus indicator so all users, especially those using a keyboard, can easily track their current position?
2-3. Do features that scroll or update automatically (e.g., slideshows, carousels) have prominent accessible controls that enable users to pause or advance these features on their own?
2-4. Do pages that have time limits include mechanisms for adjusting those limits for users who need more time?
2-5. Have you avoided using content that flashes or flickers?
2-6. Does the web page or document have a title that describes its topic or purpose?
2-7. Are mechanisms in place that allow users to bypass blocks of content (e.g., a “skip to main content” link on a web page or bookmarks in a PDF)?
2-8. Does the website include two or more ways of finding content, such as a navigation menu, search feature, or site map?
2-9. Is link text meaningful, independent of context?

Table 3. Understandable

Criteria Conformance Level Explanation (Required)
3-1. Has the language of the web page or document (or individual parts of a multilingual document) been defined?
3-2. Have you avoided links, controls, or form fields that automatically trigger a change in context?
3-3. Does the website include consistent navigation?
3-4. Do online forms provide helpful, accessible error and verification messages?

Table 4. Robust

Criteria Conformance Level Explanation (Required)
4-1. Is the web page coded using valid HTML?
4-2. Do rich, dynamic, web interfaces, such as modal windows, drop-down menus, slideshows, and carousels, include ARIA markup?