Accessibility
These Frequently Asked Questions summarise key points from our tutorials on web standards and accessibility.
For more information, see these pages:
- Helping improve site accessibility for disabled users
- Website Health
- Guide to web technologies (including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript)
- Composr keyboard shortcuts
It is important to note that while Composr provides a strong foundation for accessibility, webmasters are ultimately responsible for ensuring that their websites are usable and accessible to all. Using the built-in tools, following best practices, and regularly testing your website will help you achieve and maintain accessibility.
| Question | Does Composr comply with accessibility standards? |
|---|---|
| Answer | - Yes, Composr complies with the highest level of the WCAG (version 1.0 at the time of writing), level 3. - Composr also meets Section 508 guidelines, XHTML and CSS specifications, and the highest level of ATAG. - Composr conforms to these standards throughout, from user-facing screens to administrator interfaces. |
| Question | What accessibility features are built into Composr? |
|---|---|
| Answer | Composr has an inbuilt web standards checker that helps ensure compliance with accessibility guidelines. Composr provides automatic sitemap generation functionality, a default sitemap page, and an advanced menu editor to manage navigation. Composr supports ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications), which helps make dynamic content accessible. Composr includes options in the Admin Zone to fine-tune the webmaster experience for specific accessibility requirements. |
| Question | How can I make sure my Composr website is accessible? |
|---|---|
| Answer | Enable the web standards checker in Composr while editing templates. Also do the same when previewing edited or new Comcode pages. Use the provided accessibility options in the Admin Zone to customize the webmaster experience according to your accessibility needs. Follow the webmaster concerns outlined in the "Helping improve site accessibility for disabled users" tutorial. Regularly test your website using third-party accessibility validation tools such as the WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool or the AChecker. |
| Question | How do I provide text equivalents for images and multimedia in Composr? |
|---|---|
| Answer | Composr's web standards checker ensures that alternative text (using the "alt" attribute) is provided for images. It will warn if any images do not contain alt text. For multimedia, webmasters are responsible for providing captions and auditory descriptions either in the multimedia itself, on the description of the media, or uploaded as a caption file. |
| Question | How does Composr handle color contrast for accessibility? |
|---|---|
| Answer | Composr is designed with high graphic standards that aim to avoid poor color contrast in the default theme and Theme Wizard. But it is not perfect, especially for dark mode themes. Webmasters are still responsible for ensuring sufficient contrast in their own content and in custom themes. |
| Question | How does Composr ensure accessible data tables? |
|---|---|
| Answer | The web standards checker enforces proper markup for data tables, including identifying row and column headers, and associating data cells with header cells. It ensures that tables are not used for layout (flex boxes and HTML grids are preferred for mobile responsiveness) unless they make sense when linearized. Composr provides summaries for tables to aid non-visual user agents in understanding their structure and content. |
| Question | How does Composr handle forms for accessibility? |
|---|---|
| Answer | The web standards checker ensures that form labels are properly positioned and explicitly associated with their controls. It also checks that form elements have a logical tab order and are keyboard operable. |
| Question | What should I avoid doing in Composr to maintain accessibility? |
|---|---|
| Answer | Avoid using Comcode tags or other HTML elements that create dynamic effects in the user's browser, such as ticker and jumping. These can have a negative impact on navigation and scrolling. Provide alternate information for multimedia you upload so those with auditory impairments can still understand the content. Avoid creating multiple content items with the same title, as this can lead to accessibility issues and general user confusion. |