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508/ Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

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508/ Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

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Web accessibility is no longer a foreign topic, which is why a 508 compliance checklist is something that all website owners should have.

In the past, Section 508 only contained some general web-related guidelines, but following recent amendments, it now includes many WCAG requirements too - also known as the Website Content Accessibility Guidelines.

This means that if you're following WCAG, you can be sure that your website is also adhering to Section 508 compliance requirements.

In this guide, we will take you through the accessibility prerequisites listed under Section 508, ensuring your site is fully compliant going forward.

What is Section 508 & Why It Matters?

Section 508 was added to The Rehabilitation Act, which protects the rights of people living with disabilities. This amendment is linked to disability rights laws and aims to provide all users with equal access to the web as well as online content.

Section 508 standards need to be followed by every federal government department as well as any organization that receives funding from federal agencies, including educational institutions. This important amendment covers operating systems, websites, apps, hardware, software, and general multimedia.

If your website or any of your electronic content creates barriers for those living with disabilities, you are in violation of federal law and could face a lawsuit.

Lawsuits of this nature are not only costly but can damage your brand's reputation for good. What's more, by having a non-compliant site, your business is losing out on hundreds of thousands of potential sales.

Section 508 Compliance Testing Checklist

Now that you have a better understanding of Section 508 and why it matters, here's the checklist you'll need for your site:

Make your visuals easy to understand

Along with choosing clear visuals for your site, it's also essential to use alt text. This ensures those with visual impairments can still understand the images on your site.

Offer equal access to audio & video content

If you use audio and video files on your site, make sure you add transcripts to them. This way, those with visual and hearing impairments can still engage with this content.

Simplify your navigation & layout

Since not all visitors will browse your site with a mouse, it's important to make your website keyboard-friendly. You can do this by simplifying and standardizing your navigation, and structuring your content using headers and lists.

Add Skip Navigation functionality

Give users the option to skip to the main content on all your pages by adding Skip Navigation functionality to your site.

Avoid poor color contrast

Accessible websites need to have a color contrast of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. This makes browsing easier for those who are color blind.

Ensure the zoom function doesn't distort content

Many of your users won't be able to read small or normal text. It's important that your text is still easy to read when it's been enlarged. This goes for any of your content.

Make forms easy to use

Along with clearly labeling the forms on your site, it also helps to give browsers the ability to pre-populate fields, allowing them to complete a form more quickly

Use clear anchor text

Make it clear where a user will go on your site if they click on a particular link or anchor text

Limit special effects

If you opt to have moving, flashing, or blinking content on your site, keep it to a minimum. Better yet, give users the ability to turn it off if you want to achieve Section 508 compliance

Add a language attribute

Website visitors who speak a different language should be able to interpret your content correctly, regardless of punctuation and symbols - this is why it helps to add a language attribute to your HTML

These are the main Section 508 compliance requirements to pay attention to as a website owner. However, you may not need to make all these changes.

It's best to start with a website audit to identify the specific accessibility issues you need to focus on. Here is some detailed information on the different ways you can test a website .

How to Achieve Section 508 Accessibility?

Fortunately, making your site accessible doesn't need to be a manual process - there are a number of accessibility tools to choose from that can save you time and frustration.

As mentioned above, it's important to first audit your website to identify the accessibility issues you need to focus on. From there, you can use an accessibility tool to fix these issues.

Many of today's tools are automated, which means they will automatically make adjustments to your site's code to ensure Section 508 compliance.

For the issues that can't be fixed automatically, manual intervention is required. You can either do this yourself or get a professional to assist you - most accessibility tool developers offer this option.

While there are several tools to choose from, there are 3 that we highly recommend for those looking to simplify the web accessibility process:

accessiBe: Our top choice

WCAG

ADA

AODA

Section 508 compliant

Get started with your website's accessibility with accessiBe's easy-to-use features and technology.

Pros

Simple, affordable, effortless, and compliant worldwide

7-day free trial

Account managers available to guide you through the product, pricing, and any questions you may have

Fast turnaround with a 5 min installation, and 48-hour compliance process

Cons

Built specifically for websites and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs)- some web apps might not be compatible

Existing Clients

Wrapping Up

Section 508 compliance was created to create a more inclusive society for all and attaining compliance is easier than it ever was, so there is no reason not to start the process.

This Section 508 checklist is a good starting point for avoiding costly lawsuits and providing a better online experience for all users, regardless of ability. We've also created a more detailed Section 508 guide if you want to delve deeper into this topic and cover all your bases.

You can kickstart your web accessibility journey by auditing your website on Accessibility Checker .

Want to learn more? Here are some other valuable blogs to read through:

Running a Website Agency?

If you're an agency that manages client websites and you want to help them achieve ADA compliance using third-party accessibility solutions, you can join the accessiBe partner programs to access exclusive offers.

Accessibility Checker

Scan your website for accessibility related issues for free

Accessibility Checker

Scan your website for accessibility related issues for free

We use cookies to provide our services and a good browsing experience. By continuing to use Accessibility Checker, you agree to this. You can find more information and review your cookie settings on our cookie policy.

Don't feel like reading the entire article?

But want to make your website section 508 compliant?

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508 Compliance Checklist for Website Owners | A.Checker

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This guide walks you through the section 508 compliance checklist if you own and run a website. Want to know more about the key requirements? Click here!

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Perceivable e.g. alt text

Operable e.g. interactive controls

Understandable e.g. clear, simple language

Robust e.g. compatability

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4.5:1 normal text

3:1 large text

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Normal Text

The five boxing wizards jump quickly.

Large Text

The five boxing wizards jump quickly.

Graphical Objects and User Interface Components

Web accessibility testing can be difficult! The experts at WebAIM can audit your web site and provide a detailed report to help you remediate accessibility and WCAG compliance issues.

Learn more about WebAIM Evaluation Services

Explanation

Enter a foreground and background color in RGB hexadecimal format (e.g., #FD3 or #F7DA39) or choose a color using the color picker. The Lightness slider can be used to adjust the selected color.

WCAG 2.0 level AA requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. WCAG 2.1 requires a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 for graphics and user interface components (such as form input borders). WCAG Level AAA requires a contrast ratio of at least 7:1 for normal text and 4.5:1 for large text.

Large text is defined as 14 point (typically 18.66px) and bold or larger, or 18 point (typically 24px) or larger.

Hint: Colorzilla is an excellent tool for extracting the color value from any page element. Additionally, WAVE can analyze contrast ratios for all page text elements at once.

Use our link contrast checker to evaluate links that are identified using color alone.

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Try progressive reveal

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All functionality operable through keyboard

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Use auto playback with caution!

Anything over 3 seconds must have pause/stop and volume controls available.

Turn on playback speed.

Allow seekbar

Conditional seekbar if have restrictions in navigation.

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Ensure learners have time to read, understand and answer.

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No specific guidelines but remember POUR

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Content design: planning, writing and managing content

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How to write well for your audience, including specialists.

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❌There you can see... ✅ This graphic shows...

❌Let's take a closer look at... ✅ Let's explore...

❌What do you think when you hear... ✅ What do you think of the idea of...

❌Now we will walk through the steps... ✅ Next, we'll describe the steps...

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A thesaurus or AI tool (Chat GPT) can help edit/rephrase sentences.

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A thesaurus or AI tool (Chat GPT) can help edit/rephrase sentences.

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❌ Click on the terms to see... ✅ Select each individual term to read

❌ Click here to learn more... ✅ Select each letter of the PASS acronym to reveal the steps to properly use a fire extinguisher.

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Never identify by colour/ shape/ orientation!

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Never identify by colour/ shape/ orientation!

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Make sure colour is not the only means to identify the information.

e.g. add percentage stats next to colour key next to graph.

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If using image in background, use transparency to ensure can still be read.

Implement text styles to establish hierarchy - helps screen readers.

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Consider slide/screen size.

16pt ok for small screen (720x407) but not larger (1280x720).

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❌ flashing/strobe

✅ 'When in doubt, fade in and out!'

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❌ hover & reveal - ✅ click & reveal (can still use hover states).

❌ drag & drop - ✅ pick one Q.

❌ hotspot - ✅ Alt text, distractions, submit button.

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Create accessible navigation help in player as triggered lightbox (Alt-A).

Lightbox slide displays basic keyboard shortcuts.

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Default = top, down, left, right

Remove decorative elements to simplify.

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Hearing - closed caption, audio narration

Navigation - navigate through using keyboard

Sight - use screen reader (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, Talkback)

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When creating content with Office, you can make it accessible to people with disabilities through some simple adjustments. You can use several built-in Office features to make sure that everybody can read and understand your documents. By increasing accessibility in your documents, you can cater to your whole audience, and not just a portion of it.

You can use Accessibility Checker to make sure that your content is truly accessible. The free tool is available in Word, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, and PowerPoint on Windows or Mac, and Visio on Windows. Accessibility Checker finds any accessibility issues in your document and explains why each might be a potential problem for someone with a disability. It also offers suggestions on how to resolve each issue.

The following table includes some best practices for creating Office documents that are accessible to people with disabilities. For detailed information on how to find and fix the problem in a specific Office application, see the applicable instructions:

Missing alternative texts in visuals

If you are using a screen reader, the alternative (Alt) text describes a visual element for those who cannot see it. Always apply effective Alt texts to all shapes, pictures, charts, tables, and SmartArt graphics to make your document more accessible. For more information on the appropriate use of Alt text, see Alternative Text.

Complex writing style

If your audience cannot understand you, your document automatically fails its purpose.

Use short sentences and simple grammar. If the content lends itself to a bulleted list, present it that way. A bulleted list is a very simple of way of enforcing short sentences.

When faced with options, always select the simplest word available, instead of impressing your audience with your vocabulary.

Table-based document layouts

Table-based layouts are popular especially in newsletters created with Word and Outlook. By creating a table with invisible borders, and placing the different newsletter articles within individual cells, you can easily create an impressive-looking document. However, your readers with accessibility issues will not thank you. Never use tables as a layout tool.

When navigating a document with a table layout, the screen readers and Braille displays read tables row-by-row across the columns: if your newsletter has been designed to be read from top to bottom column-by-column, your reader will be lost.

Aim to lay out your document without using tables. For ideas and a collection of accessible templates you can use with different Office applications, see Make your templates more accessible and Get accessible templates for Office. If you must use a table layout, make sure it is designed to be read row-by-row across the columns and try to minimize the number of Tab key presses or swipes required to reach the end.

See also

Making documents accessible

Video: Create more accessible tables in Excel

Video: Create more accessible charts in Excel

Video: Create more accessible slides in PowerPoint

Create accessible PDFs

Technical support for customers with disabilities

Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.

If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.

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See a list of links to information to make your Office files more accessible.

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Use TPGi's free colour contrast checker to optimize your content - including text and visual elements - for individuals with color-blindness or low vision impairments. Current version 3.4.2.

Windows Mac

One Colour Contrast Tool for All Your WCAG Color Checking Needs

The colour contrast checker can be used on websites, during app development, designing social media graphics, PowerPoint slides, PDFs, InDesign files, and almost anything!

Features:

Compliance indicators for WCAG 2.1

Dark Mode

Multiple ways to select colors: You can manually enter CSS color formats, use an RGB slider, or opt for the color picker tool

Color Blindness Simulator

Support for alpha transparency
on foreground colors

Go Beyond Color, Design Inclusive User Experiences

Continue your accessibility journey and explore additional UX and inclusive design resources below.

Common Web Accessibility Issues

Learn more about WCAG Color Contrast

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) define the different levels of contrast rations depending on the level of success criteria. Below is helpful information for comparing the results of our tool to the level of success criteria you hope to achieve.

WCAG 2.0 Level AA

This level requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

WCAG 2.1/2.2 Level AA

This level requires a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 for graphics and user interface components.

WCAG Level AAA

This level requires a contrast ratio of at least 7:1 for normal text and 4.5:1 for large text.

Additional Color Contrast Analyzer Information

Previous Versions

The current version of the Colour Contrast Analyzer (CCA) has been rebuilt from the ground up using Electron. For the previous, non-Electron versions ("CCA Classic"), see the CCA-Win and CCA-OSX repositories.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

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TPGi's ADA Color Contrast Checker helps determine the accessibility of the contrast ratio of two colors for WCAG AA and AAA.

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You can learn more about this project on GitHub.

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Build an Accessible Drag and Drop Interaction in Storyline - E-Learning Heroes

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If you’ve ever needed to build an accessible course in Storyline, you may know that the built in drag and drop interactions are not accessible (see the VPAT).
However, with some extra work it is po…

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NVDA version 2023.3

The NVDA screen reader can be downloaded free of charge by anyone. We do this because we believe everyone, especially the world's poorest blind people deserve access to computers and a way out of poverty. If you have the means, no matter how big or small, please consider making a donation before downloading NVDA. We rely on donations and grants to continue improving NVDA and to ensure it remains compatible with the world's rapidly changing technology.

Please note: NVDA is only available for PCs running Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 and later. If you require a version of NVDA that can still run on Windows XP or Vista, please download the much older NVDA 2017.3 for Windows XP instead. NV Access does not however recommend or support running this older version on newer Operating systems.

Donation Options

If you wish to donate, you can make a secure payment by credit card or by PayPal account. Amounts are in Australian dollars (AUD). Australian donations over $2.00 are tax-deductible.

NVDA Productivity Bundle

While downloading NVDA, take your skills to the next level with the "NVDA Productivity Bundle". We've packaged all our popular training modules AND telephone support into one convenient package - and at a discount!

Interested in Audio or Braille training? They're also available in The NV Access Shop.

Learn more

NVDA Community Resources

NVDA has a vibrant user community around it. The following are compiled by NV Access and the community and provided as a resource to users. They are not officially endorsed by NV Access. For more links to community supported resources including popular NVDA email lists, please see the "Email support" heading below.

Need support with your download?

Free user guide

You can access the User Guide at any time under "Help" in the NVDA menu. Press either INSERT and the "N" key, or CAPS LOCK and the "N" key to open the NVDA menu. Alternatively, click on the NVDA icon in the task bar.
View user Guide

Training

Start with "Basic Training for NVDA", available in electronic text, human-read audio or Braille. Move on to our Microsoft Office with NVDA modules, or bundle everything along with telephone support in the "NVDA Productivity Bundle". Suitable for new or existing users wishing to improve proficiency.
Explore Training Modules

Email Support

There are a number of community-run email lists where NVDA users can answer each other's questions. There are lists for various locations and languages available.
Find Out More

NVDA Support

Purchase support for NVDA, and get the help you need when you need it via the phone or your preferred online option (eg Google meet, Skype or Zoom). Our experts can answer questions, walk you through completing a task or even resolve an issue for you by remotely accessing your computer.
Find Out More

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Did you know that some of the people in your organization might be missing out on critical training simply because your e-learning courses aren't accessible? Now you can download and use this checklist to ensure your online learning materials and experiences are inclusive, accessible, and usable by the widest possible range of learners.

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Accessible E-Learning Checklist - Downloads - E-Learning Heroes

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Download this list to ensure your courses work for all the employees at your organization.

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Accessibility means that people with disabilities, such as mobility, vision, or hearing impairments, can still learn the course material as well as a person without disabilities.

Auditory

Visual

Mobility

Learning

Other disabilities

Key Point: They can still learn the course material as well as a person without disabilities.

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An examination of translating text to make it as accessible as possible.

Looking at how to make writing easier to read

The following is a toggle that allows you to change whether the text is standard or translated into plain language. Press the p key at any time to switch between standard and plain language versions of the article. If you are using a screen reader, you will need to disable your the quick navigation keyboard commands in order for the P key to function.

Writing text that can be understood by as many people as possible seems like an obvious best practice. But from news media to legal guidance to academic research, the way we write often creates barriers to who can read it. Plain language-a style of writing that uses simplified sentences, everyday vocabulary, and clear structure-aims to remove those barriers.

You can see it in action right here! Click the text next to each paragraph to read it in plain language.

You can see it in action right here! Click the text next to each paragraph to read it in plain language.

You can also use the toggle on the top right to switch everything to plain language. Or use the "p" key on your keyboard.

You can also use the toggle on the top right to switch everything to plain language. Or use the "p" key on your keyboard.

Plain language is useful for everyone, but especially for those who are often denied the opportunity to engage with and comment on public writing. This includes the 20% of the population with learning disabilities, a number of the more than 7 million people in the US with intellectual disabilities (ID), readers for whom English is not a first language and people with limited access to education, among others.

Plain language is helpful for everyone. But it is really good for people who may find other kinds of writing hard to read. That includes:

People with learning disabilities.

People with intellectual disabilities (ID).

People who are learning to speak English.

People who did not go to school or went to school less than they wanted to.

These audiences are routinely excluded from public dialogues, including dialogues about themselves. People with disabilities are also often excluded from writing or sharing their own stories first-hand due to lower vocabulary skills, learning differences, and intellectual disabilities. For example, throughout much of US history, people with ID have had decisions made on their behalf based on the presumption that they do not and cannot understand. This, on top of discriminatory attitudes and stigma, has led to infantilization, institutionalization and eugenic sterilization.

These audiences are routinely excluded from public dialogues, including dialogues about themselves. People with disabilities are also often excluded from writing or sharing their own stories first-hand due to lower vocabulary skills, learning differences, and intellectual disabilities. For example, throughout much of US history, people with ID have had decisions made on their behalf based on the presumption that they do not and cannot understand. This, on top of discriminatory attitudes and stigma, has led to infantilization, institutionalization and eugenic sterilization.

These groups of people get left out of the conversation a lot. Even when the conversation is about them.

For example, many people think people with ID don't understand how to make choices for themselves. Nondisabled people make choices for them. These choices sometimes hurt people with ID. Throughout history, many people with ID have been:

Treated like children.

Forced to live in institutions, group homes, and nursing homes.

Forced to have surgery so they could not have children.

Additionally, there is a tendency to censor content for these audiences rather than explain it, which can contribute to continued disparities, like the higher rate at which people with ID experience sexual violence than nondisabled people.

Additionally, there is a tendency to censor content for these audiences rather than explain it, which can contribute to continued disparities, like the higher rate at which people with ID experience sexual violence than nondisabled people.

Writers will censor writing for these groups. To censor something means to take out information the writer thinks is not appropriate. Taking out information can make some problems worse.

For example, people with ID experience sexual violence more than nondisabled people. But some writers think people with ID should not read about sex or sexual violence. So, readers don't have all the information they need.

The benefits of plain language aren't limited to universally challenging texts like legal documents and tax forms. Even everyday writing, like news articles, can still pose a barrier for some readers.

How does a human assess readability?

Let's walk through how Rebecca, an expert in plain language, translates a text to be more readable. We'll use an excerpt from her translation of a ProPublica article by Amy Silverman in the following example.

Let's walk through how Rebecca, an expert in plain language, translates a text to be more readable. We'll use an excerpt from her translation of a ProPublica article by Amy Silverman in the following example.

Here is an example for how to make writing easier to read. Rebecca wrote this example. She is an expert in plain language. This quote is from a news article. Amy Silverman wrote it for ProPublica. Rebecca wrote it in plain language.

Read the translation below. Click the highlights to see what Rebecca thinks.

Read the translation below. Click the highlights to see what Rebecca thinks.

An example of translating text from standard to plain language where you can select Rebecca's comments to learn more about her translation process.

Plain language translating: side-by-side comparison

PLAIN LANGUAGE

Kyra is autistic and deaf. She was born early. She was very small when she was born. She has trouble seeing, hearing, eating and sleeping. Her hand shakes so she does not do sign language. Her parents think she knows some signs.

Click the highlighted text to see Rebecca's comments.

Click the highlighted text to see Rebecca's comments.

Click the highlighted text to see Rebecca's comments.

More about Rebecca's translation process

When doing a plain language translation, my first step is always to do a close read of the original text. I identify the main points, the order information is presented, and any terms or concepts that I think will need to be defined or replaced. I always think to myself "what does this sentence/idea/concept assume the reader already knows?" There is so much implied in how we write, and plain language should aim to make the implicit more explicit.

When doing a plain language translation, my first step is always to do a close read of the original text. I identify the main points, the order information is presented, and any terms or concepts that I think will need to be defined or replaced. I always think to myself "what does this sentence/idea/concept assume the reader already knows?" There is so much implied in how we write, and plain language should aim to make the implicit more explicit.

My first step is to read the whole paragraph. I look for:

The main points.

The order things are written in.

Any words or ideas that I will need to explain.

A lot of writing assumes the reader already knows something about the topic. Plain language should not assume that. I will explain things fully.

Once I start translating, I typically take a paragraph-by-paragraph approach rather than sentence-by-sentence, because often I will need to re-order information, add definitions or examples, or reintroduce characters and ideas at the top of a new paragraph. Focusing too much on the sentence-level translation can mean losing sight of the bigger picture.

Once I start translating, I typically take a paragraph-by-paragraph approach rather than sentence-by-sentence, because often I will need to re-order information, add definitions or examples, or reintroduce characters and ideas at the top of a new paragraph. Focusing too much on the sentence-level translation can mean losing sight of the bigger picture.

When I write something in plain language, I don't take every sentence from the original writing. I look at the big ideas. I:

Put things in a different order.

Add definitions and examples.

Remind the reader about key characters and ideas.

How do algorithms try to assess readability?

As more people have recognized the practical value of plain language, researchers have sought to quantify the "plainness" of writing through readability formulas-mathematical models that assign numerical scores to text, indicating how understandable they are.

Though most readability formulas were designed to offer rough difficulty estimates for specific groups of readers, their usage varies greatly, with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality warning that "these formulas are often interpreted and used in ways that go well beyond what they measure."

Though most readability formulas were designed to offer rough difficulty estimates for specific groups of readers, their usage varies greatly, with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality warning that "these formulas are often interpreted and used in ways that go well beyond what they measure."

Readability scores just give us an "estimate" about how hard something is to read. That means the scores are not perfect. But they give us a good idea about how hard it might be for different groups of people to read something.

But the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality said, "these formulas are often interpreted and used in ways that go well beyond what they measure." This quote means people use these scores in ways they were not made to be used.

Moreover, the simplicity of readability checkers has enabled their widespread adoption. Military engineers use them to help write technical documents. Governments and doctors use them to guide communication for a general audience. Schools and textbook manufacturers use them to tailor reading assignments to particular grade levels and students.

Moreover, the simplicity of readability checkers has enabled their widespread adoption. Military engineers use them to help write technical documents. Governments and doctors use them to guide communication for a general audience. Schools and textbook manufacturers use them to tailor reading assignments to particular grade levels and students.

Readability scores are easy to understand. Many people use these scores to help them write. Some groups that use readability scores are:

To better understand how readability scores work-and how they can fail-let's look at three representative examples.

Algorithm #1: Syllable Count

The Flesch-Kincaid Grade level formula looks, in part, at syllable count, based on the idea that words with fewer syllables are easier to understand.

The Flesch-Kincaid Grade level formula looks, in part, at syllable count, based on the idea that words with fewer syllables are easier to understand.

The Flesch-Kincaid formula measures two things:

How long words are.

How many words are in a sentence.

The formula says the shorter the words and sentence, the easier it is to read.

An interactive showing what the Flesch-Kincaid algorithm considers a easy, medium, and hard sentence. The algorithm deems sentences with lower syllable counts to be easier, so when long multisyllabic words are added (even if they are easy words), the algorithm says it's a hard sentence. If we add short but obscure words, the algorithm thinks it's an easier sentence. We see that the Flesch-Kincaid algorithm isn't able to handle much complexity when it comes to assessing readability.

What happens if we only care about syllables

The below text is at a 2.34 (2nd grade) grade reading level according to Flesch-Kincaid

The two factors considered by Flesch-Kincaid are number of words per sentence and number of syllables per word. This is a short sentence with only two multi-syllable words ( "over" and "lazy"), so the Flesch-Kincaid formula assigns it a low grade level.

More about this algorithm

The author Rudolf Flesch made a career as an early evangelist for plain language in the mid-20th century, promoting his namesake Flesch Reading-Ease Test and its cousin, the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Formula, developed in 1975 under contract with the U.S. Navy. It was calibrated on the reading comprehension scores of 531 enlisted Navy personnel, in order to measure readability in the specific context of technical communication. Today, perhaps thanks to its misleading name, the F-K Grade Level Formula is used in schools to estimate reading difficulty for children, overlooking the obvious fact that elementary school students and naval cadets may not agree on whether the same text is easy or difficult to understand.

The author Rudolf Flesch made a career as an early evangelist for plain language in the mid-20th century, promoting his namesake Flesch Reading-Ease Test and its cousin, the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Formula, developed in 1975 under contract with the U.S. Navy. It was calibrated on the reading comprehension scores of 531 enlisted Navy personnel, in order to measure readability in the specific context of technical communication. Today, perhaps thanks to its misleading name, the F-K Grade Level Formula is used in schools to estimate reading difficulty for children, overlooking the obvious fact that elementary school students and naval cadets may not agree on whether the same text is easy or difficult to understand.

Rudolf Flesch was an author. He lived in the 1900s. He thought plain language was very important. He made two scores to measure how easy something was to read:

The Flesch Reading-Ease Test

The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Formula

Rudolf Flesch created the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Formula when he was working for the Navy. He measured how well 531 people in the Navy could read technical communications. Technical communications have special information that people in the Navy need to do their jobs.

Now we use the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Formula to measure readings for children. But the score has never been tested with children.

Algorithm #2: Difficult words

The Dale-Chall Readability Formula considers the proportion of difficult words, where it deems a word "difficult" if it is not on a list of 3,000 words familiar to fourth-grade students.

The Dale-Chall Readability Formula considers the proportion of difficult words, where it deems a word "difficult" if it is not on a list of 3,000 words familiar to fourth-grade students.

Dale-Chall is another readability score. It measures two things:

How long each sentence is.

The number of easy or hard words.

Dale-Chall uses a list of 3,000 easy words. Dale-Chall says these are words most 4th graders know. Any other word is a hard word.

One risk in the use of vocabulary lists is that the vocabulary of the readers surveyed to create them may not match the vocabulary of the intended audience. The original Dale-Chall list of "familiar words" was compiled in 1948 through a survey of U.S. fourth-graders, and even the most recent update to the list in 1995 retains obsolete words like "Negro" and "homely" while omitting "computer."

One risk in the use of vocabulary lists is that the vocabulary of the readers surveyed to create them may not match the vocabulary of the intended audience. The original Dale-Chall list of "familiar words" was compiled in 1948 through a survey of U.S. fourth-graders, and even the most recent update to the list in 1995 retains obsolete words like "Negro" and "homely" while omitting "computer."

But not everyone knows the same words. Dale-Chall made the first easy word list in 1948. They updated the list in 1995.

We don't use the same words now that we did back then. The list has words most people don't use now, like "Negro" and "homely." And it doesn't have words a lot of people use now, like "computer."

An interactive showing what the Dale-Chall algorithm considers a easy, medium, and hard sentence. Dale-Chall considers average sentence length along with how many difficult words are used, where "difficult" words are words that don't appear on the Dale-Chall list. If we add words that are unfamiliar (like dinosaur or dude) the algorithm says it's a difficult sentence. If we simply add a sentence that just contains the exclamation "Yes!", that lowers the average sentence length and makes the algorithm say it's an easier sentence. We see that the Dale-Chall algorithm isn't able to handle much complexity when it comes to assessing readability.

What happens if we only care about "difficult" words

The below text is at a 0.45 (4th grade or below) grade reading level according to Dale-Chall

Dale-Chall considers average sentence length along with percentage of difficult words (PDW), where "difficult" words are words that don't appear on the Dale-Chall list. This is a short sentence made entirely of words on the Dale-Chall list, so its ASL score is low and its PDW score is zero, yielding a score of 0.45. Since the formula was calibrated on a group of 4th grade students, all scores below 5.0 are collapsed into a single readability category representing "4th grade and below."

Algorithm #3: Algorithmic black boxes

More recently, US schools and textbook manufacturers have standardized their curricula on the Lexile Framework for Reading, a set of readability algorithms and vocabulary lists designed to automatically match students with appropriately difficult books. Publishers apply Lexile to their texts to rate their difficulty. A Lexile score of 210 indicates an easy-to-read book, while a score of 1730 indicates a very challenging one. A reading comprehension test assigns a corresponding reading score to each student, after which teachers pair students with texts that have comparable Lexile scores.

More recently, US schools and textbook manufacturers have standardized their curricula on the Lexile Framework for Reading, a set of readability algorithms and vocabulary lists designed to automatically match students with appropriately difficult books. Publishers apply Lexile to their texts to rate their difficulty. A Lexile score of 210 indicates an easy-to-read book, while a score of 1730 indicates a very challenging one. A reading comprehension test assigns a corresponding reading score to each student, after which teachers pair students with texts that have comparable Lexile scores.

Lexile Framework for Reading is another formula to measure how easy something is to read. Schools and textbook writers use Lexile. Lexile helps match students with books they are able to read.

Here is how it works:

Lexile scores books. It rates them as easy or hard to read.

Students take a reading test. It tells them how well they read.

Teachers give students books that won't be too easy or too hard for them to read.

The approach sounds simple enough, but critics have pointed out absurdities in Lexile's results. According to Lexile, The Grapes of Wrath (Lexile score: 680) is easier to understand than the Nancy Drew mystery Nancy's Mysterious Letter (score: 720), but neither of these is as challenging as The Library Mouse (score: 860), a 32-page illustrated children's book.

The approach sounds simple enough, but critics have pointed out absurdities in Lexile's results. According to Lexile, The Grapes of Wrath (Lexile score: 680) is easier to understand than the Nancy Drew mystery Nancy's Mysterious Letter (score: 720), but neither of these is as challenging as The Library Mouse (score: 860), a 32-page illustrated children's book.

But the scores Lexile gives books don't always make sense. Here's an example. Lexile says:

Lexile says that The Grapes of Wrath is a pretty easy book to read. The Grapes of Wrath is a book for adults. It is over 400 pages long and has many complex themes and ideas.

Lexile says the Nancy Drew book Nancy's Mysterious Letter is harder to read than The Grapes of Wrath. Nancy Drew books are made for preteens. Most people would consider it much easier to read than The Grapes of Wrath.

Lexile says The Library Mouse is harder to read than the Nancy Drew book or The Grapes of Wrath. The Library Mouse is a picture book for children.

It does not make sense that a children's picture book would be harder to read than a book for adults.

Images of three book covers arranged by how difficult the Lexile algorithm thinks they are. It says Grapes of Wrath is the easiest, followed by Nancy's Mysterious Letter, and the hardest is The Library Mouse, a 32-page illustrated children's book. This doesn't make much sense, most people would say that Grapes of Wrath is much more difficult than a simple children's book.

How Lexile scores popular books for children

How exactly are Lexile scores calculated? Unfortunately for us, the Lexile Framework is the intellectual property of MetaMetrics, the private company that created it, so we can only guess at the secret recipe, but it's a pretty good bet that Lexile scores depend on a mixture of the same factors used in Flesch-Kincaid and other open-source readability measures.

How exactly are Lexile scores calculated? Unfortunately for us, the Lexile Framework is the intellectual property of MetaMetrics, the private company that created it, so we can only guess at the secret recipe, but it's a pretty good bet that Lexile scores depend on a mixture of the same factors used in Flesch-Kincaid and other open-source readability measures.

We don't know how Lexile decides how hard each book is. MetaMetrics is the company that made Lexile. They do not share what math they do to get their readability scores. But it is probably close to the other formulas we looked at. We know Lexile looks at:

How long words are.

How long each sentence is.

How familiar the words are.

If things are repeated.

Formulas based on surface level text properties and word frequency have clear limitations. None of them consider how well organized the information is, or whether the sentences and paragraphs are coherent. None consider the role of grammatical tense. None account for the explanation of acronyms and jargon. None would balk at Jack Torrance's rambling and meaningless draft in The Shining, endlessly repeating "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

Formulas based on surface level text properties and word frequency have clear limitations. None of them consider how well organized the information is, or whether the sentences and paragraphs are coherent. None consider the role of grammatical tense. None account for the explanation of acronyms and jargon. None would balk at Jack Torrance's rambling and meaningless draft in The Shining, endlessly repeating "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

None of these formulas are perfect. They don't measure:

The order of the sentences.

If the writing makes sense.

Grammar.

If the writer explains hard words and phrases.

These formulas would have no problem with the scene in The Shining where Jack Torrance writes "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy," over and over again. They do not check if the writing means anything.

But proprietary tech like Lexile has some of the most disconcerting aspects of both worlds. As flawed as Flesch-Kincaid or Dale-Chall, but opaque and unexplainable. The main benefit of the F-K and D-C formulas (and other simple algorithms like Gunning-Fog and SMOG) is their transparency. A broken system locked in a black box can't even offer this.

Where Do We Go From Here?

In recent decades, as disability activists have won more civil rights, both in the US and internationally, accessible writing has gained greater attention. And with this attention comes the very real possibility that plain language will be outsourced to blackbox technologies that are grounded in antiquated data.

In recent decades, as disability activists have won more civil rights, both in the US and internationally, accessible writing has gained greater attention. And with this attention comes the very real possibility that plain language will be outsourced to blackbox technologies that are grounded in antiquated data.

People with disabilities have more rights than ever before. More people are thinking about how to write for all kinds of readers. And so more people may try to use formulas like Flesch-Kincaid or Dale-Chall. But these formulas have problems.

Technology alone isn't the answer. Even the most thoughtful algorithms and robust data sets lack context. Ultimately, the effectiveness of plain language translations comes down to engagement with your audience. Engagement that doesn't make assumptions about what the audience understands, but will instead ask them to find out. Engagement that's willing to work directly with people with disabilities or limited access to education, and not through intermediaries. As disabled advocates and organizations led by disabled people have been saying all along: "Nothing about us without us."

Technology alone isn't the answer. Even the most thoughtful algorithms and robust data sets lack context. Ultimately, the effectiveness of plain language translations comes down to engagement with your audience. Engagement that doesn't make assumptions about what the audience understands, but will instead ask them to find out. Engagement that's willing to work directly with people with disabilities or limited access to education, and not through intermediaries. As disabled advocates and organizations led by disabled people have been saying all along: "Nothing about us without us."

We can't just use technology to make writing easier to read. We have to think about who we are writing for. We have to include people with disabilities when writing in plain language. It is like disabled people say: "Nothing about us without us."

Authors' note

A lot of people helped us write this article.

Thank you to Zoe Gross and Leah Mapstead for being our expert readers. Zoe and Leah told us how to make the article better. Zoe is Director of Advocacy at the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network. Leah is a disability advocate and actor.

Thank you to:

Rob Smith

Michelle McGhee

Matt Daniels

Russell Samora

The rest of the team at The Pudding

They made our article interactive. They helped brainstorm ideas. They told us how to make our writing better.

Thank you to Matt Hackert for making sure the article works on a screen reader. Matt leads the Center of Excellence in Nonvisual Accessibility at the National Federation of the Blind.

Thank you to Amy Silverman for helping come up with the idea for this article.

You can learn more about Kyra here.

You can learn more about how to write plain language and Easy Read here, here, and here.

The Pudding is a digital publication that explains ideas debated in culture with visual essays.

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Looking at how to make writing easier to read

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Set up captions and subtitles

You can choose which language you want to speak while presenting, and which language the caption/subtitle text should be shown in (i.e. if you want it to be translated). You can select the specific microphone you want to be used (if there is more than one microphone connected to your device), the position where the subtitles appear on the screen (bottom or top, and overlaid or separate from slide), and other display options.

1. On the Slide Show ribbon tab, select Subtitle Settings. Or, you can adjust the settings without leaving your presentation through the context menu, Slide Show or Presenter View menus > Subtitle Settings > More Settings.

2. Use Spoken Language to see the voice languages that PowerPoint can recognize, and select the one you want. This is the language that you will be speaking while presenting. (By default, this will be set to the language corresponding to your Office editing language.)

3. In the Subtitle Settings menu, set the desired position of the captions or subtitles. They can appear over the top or bottom margin of the slide (overlaid), or they can appear above the top or below the bottom of the slide (docked). The default setting is Below Slide.

4. More appearance settings are available by clicking Subtitle Settings > More Settings (Windows).

You can change the color, size, transparency, and font style of the subtitles. You can change the background to improve contrast and make text easier to read.

Turn the feature on or off while presenting

If you're in the middle of giving a presentation and want to turn the feature on or off, click the Toggle Subtitles button from Slide Show View or Presenter View, on the toolbar below the main slide:

In Slide Show View:

In Presenter View:

You can also toggle subtitles from the right-click menu, or with the shortcut key J.

To have subtitles always start up when a Slide Show presentation starts, from the ribbon you can navigate to Slide Show > Always Use Subtitles to turn this feature on for all presentations. (By default, it's off.) Then, in Slide Show and Presenter View, a live transcription of your words will appear on-screen.

Set up captions and subtitles

You can choose which language you want to speak while presenting, and which language the caption/subtitle text should be shown in (i.e. if you want it to be translated). You can select the specific microphone you want to be used (if there is more than one microphone connected to your device), the position where the subtitles appear on the screen (bottom or top, and overlaid or separate from slide), and other display options.

1. On the Slide Show ribbon tab, select Subtitle Settings.

2. In the Subtitle Settings menu, set the desired position of the captions or subtitles. They can appear over the top or bottom margin of the slide (overlaid), or they can appear above the top or below the bottom of the slide (docked). The default setting is Below Slide.

3. More appearance settings are available by clicking Subtitle Settings > System Caption Preferences.

You can change the color, size, transparency, and font style of the subtitles. You can change the background to improve contrast and make text easier to read.

Turn the feature on or off while presenting

If you're in the middle of giving a presentation and want to turn the feature on or off, click the Toggle Subtitles button from Slide Show View or Presenter View, on the toolbar below the main slide:

In Slide Show View:

In Presenter View:

Set up captions and subtitles

You can choose which language you want to speak while presenting, and which language the caption/subtitle text should be shown in (i.e., if you want it to be translated). You can also select whether subtitles appear at the top or bottom of the screen.

Simplified Ribbon:

Classic Ribbon:

(Simplifed Ribbon) On the Slide Show ribbon tab, select the drop-down arrow next to Always Use Subtitles to open the menu of options.

(Classic Ribbon) On the View ribbon tab, select Use Subtitles. Then click Subtitle Settings to open the menu of options.

Turn the feature on or off while presenting

To have subtitles always start up when a Slide Show is presented, select View > Always Use Subtitles.

If you're in the middle of giving a presentation and want to turn the feature on or off, click the Use Subtitles button in Slide Show, on the toolbar below the main slide:

On/Off keyboard shortcut: J

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Present with real-time, automatic captions or subtitles in PowerPoint

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Let PowerPoint display your spoken words on-screen as you present with live captions, and even translate your words into another language with live subtitles.

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NEW

Voice access

Command and control your PC with your voice using Windows 11 voice access, now in preview. ⁴ Open and switch between apps, browse the web, read and author emails, and more-all without your mouse and keyboard.

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Explore Windows 11 accessibility features from Microsoft. Learn the different ways Windows 11's inclusive design and built-in features empower every user.

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Introduction Context is Everything Functional Images Decorative Images Advanced Images Form image buttons Image maps CSS images Logos Complex images Figure and figcaption Conclusion Alternative text is a textual substitute for non-text content in web pages. This article is focused on images, but its principles also apply to multimedia and other non-text content.

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What is the purpose for using this image?

Think about why this image was included in the course. Is it just decorative or does it contribute to the content?

What information does the image convey?

What information would be missing from the course if this image was not included? Does it help set the mood for the course? That information is important too. It might help you to think about how would you describe this image to someone over the phone.

Is there any relevant text in the image?

While it is best to avoid text in images when possible, sometimes you can't avoid it. Make sure to include the text in your alt text or provide access to that content in a different way, such as including it nearby in surrounding text.

Copyright, image attribution, and other similar information should be presented in a caption and not alt text so it is available to all learners.

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Overview Help improve this page

in Images Tutorial

This decision tree describes how to use the alt attribute of the <img> element in various situations. For some types of images, there are alternative approaches, such as using CSS background images for decorative images or web fonts instead of images of text.

Does the image contain text?

Yes:

... and the text is also present as real text nearby. Use an empty alt attribute. See Decorative Images.

... and the text is only shown for visual effects. Use an empty alt attribute. See Decorative Images.

... and the text has a specific function, for example is an icon. Use the alt attribute to communicate the function of the image. See Functional Images.

... and the text in the image is not present otherwise. Use the alt attribute to include the text of the image. See Images of Text.

No:

Is the image used in a link or a button, and would it be hard or impossible to understand what the link or the button does, if the image wasn't there?

Yes:
Use the alt attribute to communicate the destination of the link or action taken. See Functional Images.

No:

Does the image contribute meaning to the current page or context?

Yes:

... and it's a simple graphic or photograph. Use a brief description of the image in a way that conveys that meaning in the alt attribute. See Informative Images.

... and it's a graph or complex piece of information. Include the information contained in the image elsewhere on the page. See Complex Images.

... and it shows content that is redundant to real text nearby. Use an empty alt attribute. See (redundant) Functional Images.

No:

Is the image purely decorative or not intended for the user?

Is the image's use not listed above or it's unclear what alt text to provide?
This decision tree does not cover all cases. For detailed information on the provision of text alternatives refer to the Image Concepts Page.

Please share your ideas, suggestions, or comments via e-mail to the publicly-archived list wai-eo-editors@w3.org or via GitHub.

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Accessibility resources free online from the international standards organization: W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).

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How you write alt text matters because it impacts your content's accessibility, especially for users who rely on screen readers. Get it wrong and you'll set your users up for a bad experience or even make your site unusable.

Writing image alt text might sound simple. But most developers and content creators are getting it wrong. They don't realize that some images need alt text, while others don't. Some descriptions are helpful, while others are redundant. The rules can even change depending on the image type and context.

So, if you're ready to do a better job of writing image alt text for different types of images, here's what you need to know...

Different types of images and how to describe them

Let's start by defining some of the different image types and the best ways to write alt text for each of them:

Functional - Functional images "do" something - usually they're a button or a link. Use the alt text to describe the function, where the link goes, or what will happen when it's clicked.

Text images - It's best practice to avoid text in images and instead use CSS to style your text. But if text in your images is unavoidable (and it provides important information or functions), you'll need to include the words in your image in the alt text or elsewhere on the page.

Informative - If you've got a photo or illustration that shows a concept or information, include a short alt text that describes the basic information shown in the image.

Complex - Some images include a lot of information or detail that's important to the context of the page. It's important that your users don't miss out on that information. Include a short description in the alt attribute, then if you need a longer description, include this below the image.

Decorative - If the image is designed for decoration only and doesn't add function or information to the page, leave the alt attribute blank.

To help simplify things, we've put together an infographic that guides you through the decisions so you can quickly see if your image needs alt text and what you need to describe.

Download: High resolution image

The irony of including a detailed infographic in a blog about writing image alt text for accessibility isn't lost on us! But it's a good example of a complex, informative image that needs a full written description to accompany it. Here we go...

So, how do you write alt text?

It depends on the image type and context.

Start by checking if there's text on the image. If there is text but it's for decorative purposes only (or the text is also available nearby), you can leave the alt attribute empty. If you're editing HTML, this should look like alt="". If the text describes a function (like search) or provides important information (like showing an organizational chart), use the alt text to describe the function or relay the key information.

If there's no text on the image, but it's being used as a button or a link (like a social media link or contact button), you'll need to use the alt attribute to describe the link destination or action taken if clicked.

If the image adds meaning to the page or context it's in and it's a simple image, use the alt attribute to convey the meaning. If it's a more complex image (like a graph), write a short summary in the alt text, then include a full description below the image. That's what we're doing right now.

On the flip side, if the image shows content that's redundant because of text nearby, keep the alt attribute empty. Otherwise, screen readers will repeat the information twice, which could frustrate users. The same approach goes for images that are purely decorative (like a pretty stock image or stylized graphic). If they don't add any meaning to the page or they're not intended to be noticed (like a spacer graphic or border image), leave the alt attribute blank.

It's impossible to cover all the different types of images with these rules... and the contexts you could find an image in are endless. So if in doubt follow this one rule: write the image description. Users will skip ahead if it's not relevant for them.

Quick tips for writing image alt descriptions

Keep it conversational - use proper sentences, not keywords or phrases

Don't write "an image of..."

Stick to 1-2 sentences

If you need a longer description, write a brief summary in the alt text, and include the full description underneath the image

Describe what's relevant for the context and intent

Include emotion and humor if it's relevant

Always consider the user experience and how you can make it accessible to all users

Want more tips? Check out our previous blog on image alt text best practices for content creators. And make sure you're following us on Twitter for more conversation and content around accessibility #a11y 🙌
Many thanks to W3C for their image alt text decision tree and definitions that inspired this infographic and blog!

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Infographic: How to write image alt text

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How do you write image alt text for images? It depends on the image type and context. Check out this infographic to help you get your image description right.