Chesterfield County School District

Ensuring Web Accessibility for All Users

Web accessibility involves making sure that web pages and documents posted online are properly formatted so people with disabilities can access and understand the content. For example, visually impaired users may rely on screen readers to access web content, including documents. Therefore, these resources need to be created to ensure screen readers can easily access and read the content. Additionally, some users may be limited to keyboard-only access, so websites and documents should be  able to be "tabbed" through using only a keyboard. There are some linked resources on this page that provide some guidance in properly creating web content.

In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice updated the Title II ADA requirements to mandate that websites (and posted documents) meet accessibility standards, specifically the WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines. For Greenville County Schools, compliance with these standards is required by April 2026.

To meet these guidelines, content on web pages and documents should follow these best practices:

Use a Proper Heading Structure

• Start with a Heading 1 (or top-level heading) and follow a logical structure, keeping parallel headings consistent and avoiding skipped levels.

• Avoid using heading styles solely to make text appear larger. Headings should only tag true headings.

Provide Alternative Text for Images

• Ensure that all images on websites or in documents include properly tagged alternative text, unless the image is purely decorative.

• Do not post or link to images with large amounts of text. For flyers or posters, a PDF format is a better option as long as the text is "selectable" on the PDF.

Use Meaningful Linked Text

• • Avoid generic phrases like "Click here" or "More information." Linked text should be meaningful on its own, even out of context. Avoid linking using the URL, but provide meaningful text instead.

  • **Incorrect**: Click here:  Chesterfield County School District

  • **Correct**: Chesterfield County School District

Ensure Sufficient Color Contrast

• Text and background color should have enough contrast to be readable for users with low vision.

Use Tables Only for Tabular Data

• Avoid using tables for content layout. Tables should only display data in columns and rows with clear headers.

Avoid Scanned PDFs

• Scanned PDFs can be inaccessible for screen readers, which cannot interpret text from images of text. If you must use a scanned PDF, use Adobe Acrobat’s OCR (Optical Character Recognition) tool to make the text accessible.