Dakota State University students walking around campus

Preparation + opportunity = success

That's the DSU equation. We're a four-year university with nationally recognized programs, cutting-edge facilities, and the brightest thinkers. But we're also a tight-knit, inclusive community. Small class sizes mean hands-on training and individualized attention. All this with an affordable, public school price that's among the best values in the region.

Majors & Degrees

Search

Popular searches

smiling woman

Is DSU the right fit for you?

Even the best brochures and postcards (and yes, even websites) can only tell you so much about a college. The only surefire way to know if DSU is right for you is to see for yourself.

Visit DSU

Home ― Accessibility at DSU ― Training Resources ― Websites

Accessible Websites

Web accessibility is the inclusive practice of eliminating barriers that hinder access to information and online functionality. A website achieves accessibility when it is easily understandable and usable by everyone, irrespective of the browser or adaptive equipment employed.

To ensure both accessibility and usability of websites and web applications, programmers and digital content managers must adhere to web accessibility guidelines. Dakota State University has embraced the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 (AA conformance level) as the standard to assess, coordinate, and enforce compliance with the University Accessibility policy.

Content Creators and Editors

The following tutorials are for content creators and editors who work within Omni CMS, within other campus CMS products, or webmasters responsible for the architecture and implementation of entire websites. Many of these concepts can be applied using built-in visual CMS editors.

  • Color Choices
  • Descriptive Link Text
  • Headings (Proper Use)
  • Images (ALT Tags / Descriptions)
  • Tables (Data Tables)

Web Programmers

The following tutorials are for web programmers who are managing and/or modifying HTML, CSS, and/or Javascript, or for webmasters responsible for the architecture and implementation of entire websites.

  • Accordions
  • Forms

Checking a Website for Accessibility

Verify that your web pages are accessible by using the following tools:

  1. Validate your HTML. If HTML is implemented incorrectly, assistive technology can have problems interpreting the page content, which can result in accessibility issues.
  2. Test with a keyboard. Use the tab key of your keyboard to navigate through your web pages. You should be able to access all interactive features and operate them by pressing Enter, space, arrow keys, or other intuitive keystrokes. If you are unable to access some of your site’s features without a mouse, your site has accessibility issues.
  3. Use an accessibility checker. Several free online tools will check your web pages for accessibility:
    1. WAVE Web Accessibility Tool
    2. WAVE Evaluation Tool (Google Chrome Extention)
    3. WCAG Color Contrast checker (Google Chrome Extention)
  4. Test with screen reader users. Test your site by recruiting and observing screen reader users as they interact with your site. To test for accessibility, recruit users who have a variety of skill levels and characteristics.
    1. Screen Reader (Google Chrome Extention)
  5. Ask for help. Dakota State has formed an XXXXXXXXXXXXX to collectively work toward the goal of full accessibility for all visitors to its websites. Reach out to the group for advice and assistance.