When working on a website, here are 4 simple tips and tricks you can make active action on to set a solid accessibility foundation.
1. Use Siteimprove to Evaluate Your Site’s Content
Siteimprove is the campus accessibility reporting tool that evaluates websites for accessibility conformance. If you need access, contact the web team.
- Log in to Siteimprove to see detailed issues and step-by-step remediation guidance for your site.
- The Siteimprove chrome extension provides an easy way to learn more information about particular pages.
- SiteImprove Score Disclaimer: While SiteImprove is a great tool for identifying many accessibility issues across your site, please be aware that a SiteImprove “score” of 100 does not guarantee that your content is 100% accessible. That said, SiteImprove is a great starting point for beginning to understand the small changes necessary to make your content more accessible in general.
2. Fix Color Contrast
Text that does not have enough contrast against its background is difficult or impossible for people with low vision to read. This is one of the most common accessibility issues across campus websites.
What to do:
- Open your site in Siteimprove and filter for contrast issues (or use the chrome extension)
- Ensure all text meets a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background (3:1 for large text)
- Use the Siteimprove or WebAIM color contrast checker to verify specific color combinations
3. Make Links and Buttons Unique and Descriptive
Screen readers often present links as a list. When multiple links say "Read More" or "Click Here," users have no way to tell them apart or know where they lead.
What to do:
- Replace generic link text ("Read More," "Click Here," "Learn More") with descriptive text that explains the destination (e.g., "Read the 2026 Strategic Plan" instead of "Read More")
- Ensure no two links on the same page have identical text but different destinations
- For buttons, use action-specific labels (e.g., "Submit Application" instead of "Submit")
4. Add Alternative Text to Images
People who use screen readers cannot see images. Without alternative text, they have no way to know what the image conveys.
What to do:
- Add descriptive alt text to every image that conveys meaning (e.g., "Students studying in the Lantern on a sunny afternoon" rather than "image1.jpg" or "photo")
- For decorative images that do not convey content, mark them as decorative so screen readers skip them
- In Drupal, the alt text field appears when you insert or edit an image
