Page content section :
Accessibility : Website accessibility
Website accreditation
This website has been checked against various web accreditation and accessibility standards using the following on-line tools :
- W3C Markup Validation Service
- W3C Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) Validation Service
- W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) / W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0
- Bobby / Watchfire WebXACT
- Hermish
- Lynx / Screen readers
- WAVE 3.0 Web Accessibility Tool
- Cynthia Says
- SiteMorse
- Apple Mac (and Windows and Linux) web browser simulators
- Other useful webpage testing tools
- Screen reader software
Standards compliance statement
- We aim to make all pages on this website accessible to WAI WCAG AA or better, complying with the priority level 1 guidelines, and where possible priority level 2 (or 3), of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (as interpreted by Adur DC's webmaster).
- We aim to make all pages on this website validate as XHTML 1.0 Strict, and use CSS 2 for visual presentation. This may cause older browsers (e.g. Netscape 4.x) which do not understand standards-compliant code to display the webpages in a more basic way - the website will still be usable, it just won't look as pretty. Use of tables for non-tabular information is kept to a minimum. To take full advantage of this site's standards complaint design and features we would recommend you to, wherever possible, upgrade your browser to the latest version.
- We aim to make all pages on this website use well structured semantic markup.
- Should you encounter any difficulties relating to the level of accessibility of this website, please do not hesitate to send the webmaster an e-mail detailing any problem(s) you may have encountered.
W3C
Markup Validation Service :
This website uses valid XHTML 1.0 'strict' coding.
(Validated using their automated on-line testing tools).
A
few pages still contain HTML transitional coding, but these will be converted
soon. (The relevant W3C logo is shown at the bottom of each page).
Testing tools available at : http://validator.w3.org
W3C
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) Validation Service :
This website uses valid CSS coding and still works well and remains fully usable with CSS turned off.
(Validated using their automated on-line testing tools).
Testing tools available at : http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator
W3C
Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) /
W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0 :
This website meets the W3C WAI WCAG 1.0 A and aims to meet the AA compliance standards (as interpreted by Adur DC's webmaster).
Full AAA compliance
is almost impossible to reach, but we have tried to meet as many AAA requirements
as is currently possible, and are continually striving to meet more.
Information about WAI and WCAG available at :
- Level A Conformance to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG1A-Conformance)
- Level AA Conformance to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG1AA-Conformance)
- Level AAA Conformance to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG1AAA-Conformance)
- See also : www.w3.org/WAI or www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10
Bobby
/
Watchfire WebXACT :
This
website meets the Bobby / Watchfire WebXACT
A, AA, AAA and 508 standards.
Information available at :
www-306.ibm.com/software/awdtools/tester/policy/accessibility
(Validated using automated on-line testing tools when previously available at www.cast.org/products/Bobby/index.html and http://webxact.watchfire.com)
Hermish
:
This website meets the Hermish A, AA, AAA and 508 standards.
(Validated using their automated on-line testing tools).
Testing tools available at : www.hermish.com (website temporarily unavailable)
Lynx
/ Screen readers :
This website is designed to be usable with screen readers such as Lynx and JAWS.
(Validated using their automated on-line testing tools).
Testing tools available at : www.delorie.com/web/lynxview.html (website temporarily unavailable)
See also : Screen reader software (below).
WAVE
3.0 Web Accessibility Tool :
This website meets WAVE 3.0 standards.
(Validated using their automated on-line testing tools).
Testing tools available at : www.webaim.org/products
and http://wave.webaim.org/report
Cynthia
Says :
This website meets Cynthia Says standards.
(Validated using their automated on-line testing tools).
Testing tools available at : www.cynthiasays.com/Default.asp
SiteMorse
:
This website is regularly tested using the SiteMorse web testing tools and then is updated as required.
Information available at : www.sitemorse.com
SiteMorse UK Local Government website league tables : Adur DC website listing (http://survey-beta.sitemorse.com/survey/report.html?rt=158&analysis&domain=http://www.adur.gov.uk/)
[SiteMorse tests for : website function & performance; HTML (W3C) compliance; broken links; metadata (inc. Dublin Core & eGMS); and accessibility (WAI A & AA) compliance]
Apple
Mac (and Windows and Linux) web browser simulators :
If you don't have access to an Apple Mac, and let's face it not everyone does, you can try these on-line simulators to get some idea of what your webpage will look like on an Apple Mac in a range of web browsers :
- Danvine : icapture - Safari browser (www.danvine.com/icapture) : iecapture - IE8 browser (www.iecapture.com)
- lixlpixel Screenshot Generator - Screenshots on Safari, MacIE, Camino and Mozilla for Macintosh (http://fundisom.com/g5)
- Snugtech Safari test (www.snugtech.com/safaritest)
- Browsercamp (www.browsrcamp.com)
- Browser Cam (www.browsercam.com) - chargeable service with free 24 hour trial option
- IE web
renderer (http://ipinfo.info/netrenderer)
- Browsershots (http://browsershots.org) :
with options to test your website on a wide range of web browsers not only
on Macs but also on on Windows and Linux as well. All have the ability to
set screen resolution, colour depth and a host of other options as well.
It's probably best to test the browsers and options individually (or in
small batches) though, not all in one go, to avoid overloading the service.
- Other useful browser plugins or simulators :
- Markup Validator Plug-in for Firefox (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/887)
- Opera Mini™ Simulator (www.opera.com/mini/) : See what your website looks like using Opera Mini™ on a mobile phone (note : use the 1 button for . and / and other characters)
- Emulator - dotMobi - mobile phone emulator (http://mtld.mobi/emulator.php)
- iPhoney (Sitepoint) : Test your site for iPhone compatibility (www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2007/07/09/iphoney-test-your-site-for-iphone-compatibility/)
- iPhone tester (http://iphonetester.com - temporarily off line)
- See also : www.apple.com
Other useful external websites with webpage testing tools :
The following can also be useful when developing a website :
- Accessibility tools and plugins :
- Vision
Australia Web Accessibility Toolbar
(www.visionaustralia.org.au/ais/toolbar - temporarily unavailable) - Firebug for Firefox web accessibility tool (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1843)
- TAW (www.tawdis.net/ingles.html?lang=en) : Webpage accessibility testing
- Accessify.com : Accessibility tools, wizards, links and resources (www.accessify.com)
- Web Accessibility Tools Consortium (WAT-C) (www.wat-c.org)
- WAI full list of accessibility tools (www.w3.org/WAI/ER/tools/complete) : some on-line, some as links to sites where you can buy or subscribe to services
- Vision
Australia Web Accessibility Toolbar
- Colour and readability :
- Juicy Studio (http://juicystudio.com/services.php) : a whole host of useful testing tools including a readability calculator, css analyser, colour contrast checking tools, image and link analysers
- HP Colour contrast verification tool (www.hp.com/hpinfo/abouthp/accessibility/webaccessibility/color_tool.html?jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN) : Calculates a measure of readability for text in your specified colours
- Slayeroffice : Colour palette creator (http://slayeroffice.com/tools/color_palette) : Create colour palettes based on your own specified starting and finishing colours
- Fujitsu Accessibility Assistance ColorSelector (http://design.fujitsu.com/en/universal/assistance/colorselector) : ColorSelector is a program that provides a real-time evaluation of whether or not the colours of a website's fonts and backgrounds are easily viewable by people with cataracts or colour blindness
- lixlpixel colorpicker (http://fundisom.com/colorize) : See all colours with websafe, nearby and complementary colours as combinations
- 4096 Color Wheel (www.etre.com/tools/colourcheck/) : Helps find websafe and websmart colours
- Snook Colour Contrast Check Tool (www.snook.ca/technical/colour_contrast/colour.html) : allows to specify a foreground and a background colour and determine if they provide enough of a contrast
- Etre Colour Check (www.ficml.org/jemimap/style/color/wheel.html) : determines the colour difference and contrast between any two colours
- Using
hexadecimal to express colour
(www.lts.com/class/hex3.htm - temporarily unavailable) - VisCheck
(www.vischeck.com/vischeck/vischeckURL.php - temporarily unavailable) : an on-line colour blindness simulator, allows you to get an idea of how someone who is colour blind may see your website - GrayBit (http://graybit.com/main.php - website temporarily unavailable) : generates a greyscale rendition from a full colour web page to visually illustrate the page's perceived colour contrast
- Site optimization and speed checkers :
- Web Page Analyzer from Website Optimization (www.websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/) : Free website performance tool and web page speed analysis.
- SiteReportCard (www.sitereportcard.com) : SiteReportCard provides free website analysis, optimization and promotion reports (links, speed, spellings etc).
- Code tidying :
- Site Valet (http://valet.webthing.com) : Web tools for quality, accessibility, standards compliance
- Page Valet (http://valet.webthing.com/page) : Web tools for HTML code mark up quality
- Code Beautifier : CSS Formatter and Optimiser (www.codebeautifier.com)
- Link checking :
- W3C Link Checker (http://validator.w3.org/checklink) : Make sure all weblinks work.
- Other checking tools :
- W3C Quality Assurance Toolbox (www.w3.org/QA/Tools/)
- Other HTML code validators :
- Web Design Group (WDG) HTML Validator (www.htmlhelp.com/tools/validator)
- Adaptive Technology Resource Center (ATRC) Web Accessibility Checker (http://aprompt.snow.utoronto.ca/)
- Total Validator (www.totalvalidator.com)
- CSE HTML Validator Lite (www.freehtmlvalidator.com)
- Section 508 (www.section508.info)
RSS
feed validation :
- W3C RSS Validation tool (http://validator.w3.org/feed/)
- Feed Validator for Atom, RSS and KML (http://feedvalidator.org/)
- See also : Adur DC's RSS feeds page
Screen reader software
For those who are not able to read from a computer monitor then screen reader software is available which can be installed on your computer. This software reads the content of webpages to the user and provides means to navigate using the keyboard or other assistive technologies.
- JAWS for Windows screen reader (www.freedomscientific.com/products/fs/jaws-product-page.asp)
- Window-Eyes screen reader (www.gwmicro.com/Window-Eyes)
- Access Ingenuity - information about screen readers (www.accessingenuity.com/?q=products/vision/screen-readers)
See also : Lynx / Screen readers (above)
