A state agency web page must use HTML markup tags according to industry standards.

Rationale

The use of HTML tags (headings, lists, blockquotes, tables, for example) is currently the de facto method to achieve desired formatting effects on a web page. However, using HTML tags for presentation effect relies on how a particular version of a particular browser interprets the tags being used. If tags are misused, the browser may interpret the tags in a manner unforeseen by the web developer, making it difficult for the user to understand the organization of a page or hindering navigation.

Meaning

When an appropriate markup language exists, web developers should use the officially sanctioned tags as established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) ( http://www.w3.org) to promote consistency and accessibility across all websites. This means that state agencies must:
 

  • Avoid the misuse of tags to convey formatting.

  • Avoid using images to represent text - use text and style sheets instead. (Refer to Section 3, Graphics and Sound, for more information.)

  • Only use tables for layout as long as the screen readers can correctly translate the information for users who cannot see a screen. It is important to note that screen readers read the information contained in a table across the rows as opposed to down the columns. Please note that if a table cannot be read with a screen reader, the web page is not accessible under the statutes referenced in the Web Accessibility Standards.

  • For data tables:
    • Identify column and row headers appropriately (using the th tag).
    • Associate table cells with the appropriate headers (for example, with the scope attribute).
  • For validation purposes, all web pages must identify the markup language and version type in a document type declaration (DOCTYPE) statement.
    Example:
    <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
    The document type declaration statement informs the validator which version of HTML, XHTML, or XML the web developer is using. DOCTYPEs are a key component of compliant web pages: the markup and style sheet will not validate without them.

  • Identify changes in the natural language of a document's text and any text equivalents (captions, for example) to assist screen readers and search engines.
    Examples:
    To specify the natural language of a web page: <html lang="en-US">
    To specify a change in language: <span lang=:fr">je ne sais quoi</span>

Testing

The W3C offers two online free validation services:

  • The W3C Markup Validation Service checks Web documents in formats like HTML and XHTML for conformance to W3C Recommendations and other standards.

  • The W3C CSS Validation Service checks Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) in (X)HTML documents or standalone for conformance to W3C recommendations.

The Firefox browser offers several extensions:

  • Web Developer toolbar allows you to validate HTML, CSS, Section 508, and the W3C Accessibility Guidelines (WAI) from the Tools menu.

  • HTML Validator (TIDY) extension adds an icon to the bottom right of the status bar to indicate if the HTML is valid (green checkmark), or if there are errors (yellow exclamation point) or warnings (red X). Double-click to icon to view the HTML source, HTML errors and warnings, and Help.

  • Mozilla Accessibility toolbar allows you to check heading titles and levels (Navigation menu, Headings).

The Vision Australia AIS Web Accessibility toolbar for Internet Explorer allows you to check for accessibility as described in the documentation for the toolbar.