A well designed website makes information accessible. However, web designers must be aware of accessibility issues in order to accommodate people with disabilities. Individuals with disabilities use the Internet for the same reason as others -- research, banking, shopping, job search or education. In an effort to address the needs of all users, the U.S. House of Representatives has adopted guidelines for congressional offices to strive to meet the needs of all constituents, including those with disabilities. ADA compliance is strongly encouraged and considered to be "good practice" for website design.

ADA compliance includes standards based on Federal Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1998 and World Wide Web Consortium accessibility guidelines.

At a minimal, the following associated problems and corrective actions should be taken to meet a Level A conformance:

• provide for all images, including image maps, text alternatives (ALT tags). When a viewer's mouse is placed over an image a text description of that image appears
• scripts such as scrolling text messages, should not be used to impart information
• fonts smaller than point size 10 (or font size="-1") should not be used
• flickering, blinking or flashing designs can cause seizures in people with certain neurological disorders and should not be used
• framed web pages should be titled
• data tables should use titles on all rows and columns
• the use of tables to layout or design a page should be kept to a minimum
• good color contract should be maintained
• web page design should be uncluttered
• navigation should be easily understood
  

For additional information about Section 508 compliance and related matters, please feel free to visit the following sites:

• Section 508.gov
• World Wide Web Consortium
• Web Accessibility Guide
• W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 Conformance Levels
• NCAM/Web Access Symbol
• Bobby ® - Help web page authors identify and repair barriers to access by individuals with disabilities

Web Access Symbol	W3 Level Conformance	Bobby Accessible
*Symbols are provided for information/representation only and not intended to reflect that this website subscribes to a particular guideline.