Stanford Online Accessibility Program

IBM Web accessibility checklist - version 3.5

IBM has long committed themselves to creating accessible web content and provide a wealth of information on their website: www-306.ibm.com/able/index.html . They have published their own internal Accessibility Development Standards which they apply to all of the web content they produce. It is reprinted here for reference purposes only, and remains © Copyright IBM Corporation.

Source: www-306.ibm.com/able/guidelines/web/accessweb.html

Checkpoint 1: Images and animations

Use the alt="text" attribute to provide text equivalents for images. Use alt="" for images that do not convey important information or convey redundant information.

Checkpoint 2: Image maps

Use client-side image maps and alternative text for image map hot spots. If a server-side map is needed, provide equivalent text links.

Checkpoint 3: Graphs and charts

Summarize the content of each graph and chart, or use the longdesc attribute to link to the description or data.

Checkpoint 4: Multimedia

Provide captions or transcripts of important audio content. Provide transcripts or audio descriptions of important video content.

Checkpoint 5: Scripts

Ensure the functionality of scripts is keyboard accessible. If the content affected by scripting is not accessible, provide an alternative.

Checkpoint 6: Applets, plug-ins, and non-HTML content

When an applet, plug-in or other application is required to be present, provide a link to one that is directly accessible, or provide alternate content for those which are not directly accessible.

Checkpoint 7: Forms

Make forms accessible to assistive technology.

Checkpoint 8: Skip to main content

Provide methods for skipping over navigation links to get to main content of page.

Checkpoint 9: Frames

Provide a title for each FRAME element and frame page. Provide an accessible source for each frame.

Checkpoint 10: Table headers

Use the TH element to mark up table heading cells. Use the headers attribute on cells of complex data tables.

Checkpoint 11: Cascading style sheets

Web pages should be readable without requiring style sheets.

Checkpoint 12: Color & contrast

Ensure that all information conveyed with color is also conveyed in the absence of color.

Checkpoint 13: Blinking, moving or flickering content

Avoid causing content to blink, flicker, or move.

Checkpoint 14: Timed responses

When a timed response is required, alert the user, and give sufficient time to indicate more time is required.

Checkpoint 15: Text-only page

If accessibility cannot be accomplished in any other way, provide a text-only page with equivalent information or functionality. Update the content of the text-only page whenever the primary page changes.

Checkpoint 16: Verify accessibility

Test the accessibility using available tools.

© 2004 IBM Corporation

Unless indicated otherwise, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.