Overview

The structure of an HTML document is critical to ensuring its accessibility. Assistive technology devices are based on HTML standards. Screen readers, for example, ignore visual presentation and, instead, read the HTML source of the document. Pages that follow the best practices set forth by the World Wide Web consortium (W3C) are pages that will transform well across multiple display devices, for example, screen readers, PDAs, and different Web browsers.

HTML is a structure language, not a display language. When developing Web pages, it is important to avoid misusing structural elements on pages.

For example, use a heading tag (H1-H6) for all headings. Doing so ensures that visitors using screen readers can properly scan the outline of the page for content. Use a list structure (UL, OL, DL) for listed items. Use a blockquote (BLOCKQUOTE) for quoted material only, not for paragraph indentation. Try to avoid the use of tables for page layout. These are some examples, but all Web developers have tricks to force formatting on structural elements, particularly to enforce consistency in older Web browsers.

For presentation, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and style references should be used. When used properly, desired results should be achieved without interfering with the structure of the document. By separating presentation from structure, and practicing standard coding habits, you can immediately resolve the majority of Web page accessibility problems.

While some of the information presented on these pages may seem complex, overwhelming, or time-consuming, practice truly does make perfect. At first, you may find that you have to refer to these guidelines often. However, soon you will find that designing with accessibility in mind is easy and things will quickly become second nature to you.