{"id":387,"date":"2025-05-13T15:28:32","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T15:28:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/web-kb\/?p=387"},"modified":"2025-07-24T18:34:01","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T18:34:01","slug":"making-your-content-accessible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/web-kb\/2025\/05\/13\/making-your-content-accessible\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Your Content Accessible"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>As a content editor, you play a vital role in ensuring our website is inclusive and accessible to all users. Website ADA compliance means meeting the standards of the <strong>Americans with Disabilities Act<\/strong>, which increasingly applies to digital content. By creating accessible pages, you&#8217;re not only helping us avoid legal risks\u2014you\u2019re making our content usable by everyone, including people with disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why Accessibility Matters<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>It\u2019s the Law<\/strong>: Courts now expect websites to meet accessibility standards, and non-compliance can lead to lawsuits and penalties.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>It\u2019s Accommodating<\/strong>: Accessible content creates a user-friendly experience for people who use screen readers, navigate by keyboard, or have a range of physical or cognitive challenges.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>It Improves Everyone\u2019s Experience<\/strong>: Clear structure, descriptive links, and readable text benefit all users\u2014including those on mobile devices or with slow internet connections.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>It\u2019s Good for SEO<\/strong>: Accessible content is easier for search engines to index, helping improve visibility.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Elements of Accessible Content<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You don\u2019t need to be a developer to make a big impact on accessibility. Here are a few simple, high-impact practices to follow:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Use Descriptive Headings<\/strong>: Organize content with clear, hierarchical headings (H1, H2, H3). Avoid skipping levels.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Add Alt Text to Images<\/strong>: Provide meaningful alternative text that describes the purpose of the image. If it\u2019s decorative, mark it as such.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Write Clear Link Text<\/strong>: Avoid \u201cclick here.\u201d Instead, make sure link text describes the destination or action (e.g., \u201cRead our accessibility guide\u201d).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Use Plain Language<\/strong>: Write clearly and concisely so your content is easy to understand.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Check Color and Contrast<\/strong>: Ensure text is easy to read and doesn&#8217;t rely on color alone to convey meaning (e.g., \u201citems in red\u201d).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Label Forms Clearly<\/strong>: Make sure form fields have visible labels and that required fields are identified.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For more details and techniques, <a href=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/web-kb\/category\/accessibility\/\">read our articles here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Run Accessibility Audits in Silktide<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As a content editor, you have access to <strong>Silktide<\/strong>, our web quality assurance tool. Silktide helps you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Identify common accessibility issues like missing alt text, empty headings, and low-contrast text.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>View problems directly on the page, with simple explanations and suggested fixes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Learn as you go with <strong>built-in accessibility training<\/strong>, tailored to your role and responsibilities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Silktide checks your pages against <strong>WCAG 2.1<\/strong>, the current standard for web accessibility. By using the tool regularly, you\u2019ll help ensure your content meets the needs of all our users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Want to Learn More?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For a deeper understanding of accessibility standards, you can explore the official <strong><a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/WCAG21\/\">Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1<\/a><\/strong>. While technical in nature, this document provides the framework that tools like Silktide are built on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Bottom Line<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Accessibility isn\u2019t just a technical issue\u2014it\u2019s a content issue too. By following a few best practices and using the tools available to you, you can make a real difference in how people experience and interact with our website. Accessible content is better content\u2014for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a content editor, you play a vital role in ensuring our website is inclusive and accessible to all users. Website ADA compliance means meeting the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which increasingly applies to digital content. By creating accessible pages, you&#8217;re not only helping us avoid legal risks\u2014you\u2019re making our content usable&hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-wrap\"><span><a class=\"more-link button text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/web-kb\/2025\/05\/13\/making-your-content-accessible\/\"><span>Continue Reading <\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1771,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,3,4,10,17],"tags":[15],"class_list":{"0":"post-387","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-drupal","7":"category-wordpress","8":"category-other","9":"category-adminstrative","10":"category-accessibility","11":"tag-drupal-content-page","12":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Making Your Content Accessible - UTC Website Knowledge Base Archive<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/web-kb\/2025\/05\/13\/making-your-content-accessible\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Making Your Content Accessible - UTC Website Knowledge Base Archive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As a content editor, you play a vital role in ensuring our website is inclusive and accessible to all users. 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By creating accessible pages, you&#8217;re not only helping us avoid legal risks\u2014you\u2019re making our content usable&hellip; Continue Reading\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/web-kb\/2025\/05\/13\/making-your-content-accessible\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UTC Website Knowledge Base Archive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-13T15:28:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-24T18:34:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Bridget Hornsby\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"UTC Web Team\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/web-kb\/2025\/05\/13\/making-your-content-accessible\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/web-kb\/2025\/05\/13\/making-your-content-accessible\/\",\"name\":\"Making Your Content Accessible - UTC Website Knowledge Base Archive\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/web-kb\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-13T15:28:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-24T18:34:01+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/web-kb\/#\/schema\/person\/1197d88658cd3eaaca8d442a8b1a399d\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/web-kb\/2025\/05\/13\/making-your-content-accessible\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/web-kb\/2025\/05\/13\/making-your-content-accessible\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/web-kb\/2025\/05\/13\/making-your-content-accessible\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/web-kb\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Making Your Content Accessible\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/web-kb\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/web-kb\/\",\"name\":\"UTC Website Knowledge Base Archive\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/web-kb\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/web-kb\/#\/schema\/person\/1197d88658cd3eaaca8d442a8b1a399d\",\"name\":\"Bridget Hornsby\",\"url\":\"\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Making Your Content Accessible - UTC Website Knowledge Base Archive","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/web-kb\/2025\/05\/13\/making-your-content-accessible\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Making Your Content Accessible - UTC Website Knowledge Base Archive","og_description":"As a content editor, you play a vital role in ensuring our website is inclusive and accessible to all users. 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