[PHOTO] Indianapolis skyline at dusk

Requirements for all IUPUI sites

The following apply to all public-facing websites on the IUPUI campus:

  1. Follow IU Visual Identity guidelines. The IUPUI web template incorporates IU Visual Identity guidelines. If you aren't using the template, you need to follow these. See Visual Identity Guidelines for more information and downloads.


  2. Follow accessibility guidelines. All pages must be fully accessible with a minimum WC3 Conformance Level "AA", including WC3 accessibility guidelines/summary found below (compiled originally from the Checklist of Checkpoints for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0)


  3. Keep URLS correct. When a site is redesigned, or files are changed, and pages no longer exist, you need to redirect these URLs to the correct and current URL. This is a simple process; find directions at http://webmaster.iu.edu/tool_guide_info/redirect.shtml.


  4. Keep your contact information updated. All essential contact information for a site must be sent to the IUPUI Webmaster. Each site should also have at least one backup person in case of emergencies.

WC3 accessibility guidelines

From the Checklist of Checkpoints for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0.

1.2 - Provide redundant text links for each active region of a server-side image map.

1.3 - Until user agents can automatically read aloud the text equivalent of a visual track, provide an auditory description of the important information of the visual track of a multimedia presentation.

1.4 - For any time-based multimedia presentation (e.g., a movie or animation), synchronize equivalent alternatives (e.g., captions or auditory descriptions of the visual track) with the presentation.

2.2 - Ensure that foreground and background color combinations provide sufficient contrast when viewed by someone having color deficits or when viewed on a black and white screen.

3.1 - When an appropriate markup language exists, use markup rather than images to convey information.

3.2 - Create documents that validate to XHTML 1 Strict.

3.3 - Use style sheets to control layout and presentation.

3.4 - Use relative rather than absolute units in markup language attribute values and style sheet property values.

3.5 - Use header elements to convey document structure and use them according to specification.

3.6 - Mark up lists and list items properly.

3.7 - Mark up quotations. Do not use quotation markup for formatting effects such as indentation.

4.1 - Clearly identify changes in the natural language of a document's text and any text equivalents (e.g., captions).

5.1 - For data tables, identify row and column headers.

5.2 - For data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers, use markup to associate data cells and header cells.

5.3 - Do not use tables for layout unless the table makes sense when linearized. Otherwise, if the table does not make sense, provide an alternative equivalent

6.2 - Ensure that equivalents for dynamic content are updated when the dynamic content changes.

6.3 - Ensure that pages are usable when scripts, applets, or other programmatic objects are turned off or not supported. If this is not possible, provide equivalent information on an alternative accessible page.

6.4 - For scripts and applets, ensure that event handlers are input device-independent.

6.5 - Ensure that dynamic content is accessible or provide an alternative presentation or page.

7.1 - Until user agents allow users to control flickering, avoid causing the screen to flicker.

7.2 - Until user agents allow users to control blinking, avoid causing content to blink (i.e., change presentation at a regular rate, such as turning on and off).

7.3 - Until user agents allow users to freeze moving content, avoid movement in pages.

7.4 - Until user agents provide the ability to stop the refresh, do not create periodically auto-refreshing pages.

7.5 - Until user agents provide the ability to stop auto-redirect, do not use markup to redirect pages automatically. Instead, configure the server to perform redirects.

8.1 - Make programmatic elements such as scripts and applets directly accessible or compatible with assistive technologies

9.1 - Provide client-side image maps instead of server-side image maps except where the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric shape.

9.2 - Ensure that any element that has its own interface can be operated in a device-independent manner.

9.3 - For scripts, specify logical event handlers rather than device-dependent event handlers.

10.1 - Until user agents allow users to turn off spawned windows, do not cause pop-ups or other windows to appear and do not change the current window without informing the user.

11.2 - Avoid deprecated features of W3C technologies.

11.4 - If, after best efforts, you cannot create an accessible page, provide a link to an alternative page that uses W3C technologies, is accessible, has equivalent information (or functionality), and is updated as often as the inaccessible (original) page.

12.3 - Divide large blocks of information into more manageable groups where natural and appropriate.

13.1 - Clearly identify the target of each link.

13.2 - Provide metadata to add semantic information to pages and sites.

13.3 - Provide information about the general layout of a site (e.g., a site map or table of contents).

13.4 - Use navigation mechanisms in a consistent manner.

14.1 - Use the clearest and simplest language appropriate for a site's content.