Jedadiah Ashford
1/26/2008
We Accessibility Report #3

Guideline 3. Use markup and style sheets and do so properly.

This guideline mostly deals with the design of the website. First, we are told that we cannot misuse markup to change the presentation of the website. This is because the software used by those with disabilities need the markup to be written correctly or else the software cannot read it correctly. They give a few guidelines that we need to follow. The first is that we need to use css for controlling layout and not tables or any other way. This would be best when used in an external style sheet so the entire website could be changed in a single file. Text should also not be represented in images. This is because screen readers and other software cannot read these images. All information that is needed for the viewer of the website should be in text.
            All websites should have a document type declaration. This will help the software to access the website easier and know what type of document this is.
            All changes to the website must be used with css. Font types should all be in css and not html. This will help screen readers and other software to read the information easier.
            We need to use relative units to layout objects on the website. This is will provide maximum compatibility with different screen sizes and different browsers. If we use ablsolute positions and someone resizes their window, or they have a different screen size than our own, then the website could be a lot different than we suspect. When using sizes, make sure we use ems and not pt or cm, those are absolute and not relative. Ems resize with what the user has set for their font size and pt or cm are absolute and do not change with font sizes.
            All headings should be marked with correct headings. This is important to the reader who cannot see if a font is larger or if it is bold. When we use headers, then someone that is using software to read the screen can know what the headings or paragraphs and tables are.
            Lists need to be written correctly. This means we need to nest all the list operators correctly, this is due to the fact that screen readers read the text down in a list and if it is formatted differently or wrong, then the user cannot understand the lists and therefore cannot read the site correctly and may leave.
            All quotations need to be marked up with the Q and BLOCKQUOTE elements. We cannot use quotation marks for formatting effects like indentation. This can be done with css easily. But for quotes we need to use the proper code.
            With these new elements, we can make our websites easier to use and more accessible to those who cannot see the internet as we do.

Source: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/#gl-structure-presentation