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What Is Web Accessibility?

Web accessibility ensures everyone can use and understand the information and tools we share online 鈥� including people with disabilities. When a website is accessible, it works for people who use screen readers, voice commands, keyboard navigation, captions or other assistive technologies.

Accessibility isn鈥檛 just about compliance 鈥� it鈥檚 about inclusion. At TU, we want every website user to be able to access information easily and independently.

Creating accessible content is easy. For a TU web editor, it just requires you to be thoughtful about how you add text, images, links and documents. Small steps 鈥� like writing clear headings, adding alt text to images, or making sure links are descriptive 鈥� can make a big difference for users with disabilities and improve the experience for everyone.

By keeping accessibility in mind as you create and edit web content, you鈥檙e helping uphold our university鈥檚 values of equity, respect and opportunity for all.

Tips for Accessible Content

Use Plain Language

Write in a clear, straightforward way so your audience can quickly understand what you mean. Use short sentences, familiar words and active voice. Avoid jargon, acronyms, or insider terms whenever possible. Getting right to the point helps everyone 鈥� including people using assistive technologies or those reading on mobile devices.

Meaningful Headings

Headings break up content and make it easier to scan, both for sighted readers and those using screen readers. Use headings to clearly describe what each section is about.

Follow proper order 鈥� the page title is always an H1, then use H2, H3 and so on in sequence. Don鈥檛 skip levels or use headings just to change font size. And if you need to go deeper than an H4, that's a sign that your page likely contains too much content.

Images and Alt Text

Only use images when they add value or meaning to the content 鈥� not just for decoration. Every meaningful image must include concise, descriptive alt text that conveys the same information someone would get by seeing it.

• Learn More about Best Practices for Alt Text

Avoid using images that have embedded text (text that is placed directly over the image). These approaches are not accessible and can make the content hard to read and impossible for assistive technologies to interpret. Always present text as actual, selectable text on the page instead.

PDFs and Other Documents

PDFs often create accessibility and usability barriers, especially on mobile devices or for users with assistive technology. Site visitors rarely open the PDFs already uploaded to our website; so before posting, ask whether the PDF truly adds value.

For high-traffic or frequently updated content, create a web page instead. If a document has very low engagement, consider removing it entirely.

Links and CTA Buttons

Links and call-to-action (CTA) buttons should clearly tell users what will happen when they select them. Avoid vague phrases like 鈥渃lick here鈥� or 鈥渞ead more.鈥� Instead, write descriptive text such as 鈥淰iew the academic calendar鈥� or 鈥淎pply for financial aid.鈥� This helps all users 鈥� especially those using screen readers 鈥� understand and navigate your content with confidence.

Color and Contrast

Most colors on the TU website are controlled at the template level so web editors won't need to worry about ensuring contrast themselves.

However, make sure to use color thoughtfully to make text and important elements easy to see. Ensure there鈥檚 enough contrast between text and its background so it鈥檚 readable for everyone, including people with low vision or color blindness. Don鈥檛 rely on color alone to show meaning 鈥� use text, icons, or labels to reinforce your message.

Tables

Tables should only be used to display structured data 鈥� never to control layout or spacing on a page. Layout tables confuse screen readers and create major accessibility issues. When you use tables for data, include clear header rows and keep the structure simple so assistive technologies can interpret the information correctly.

Multimedia Accessibility

Videos and audio content (such as podcasts) must include captions or transcripts so users who are deaf or hard of hearing can access the information. Captions also help people watching without sound, like those in public spaces. Whenever possible, provide audio descriptions or written summaries for key visual details in videos.

Autocaptions

While most modern video players offer AI speech recognition for automatic captioning, this does not mean that the captioning process is complete. In order to guarantee accuracy you must review and edit the captions to be certain they reflect what is actually being communicated.

Approved Video Formats

The video formats approved to embed on a Towson University webpage are:

• YouTube
• Vimeo
• Panopto

For more information about the process for adding videos to your webpages please see Videos.

For Designers, Developers and Vendors

The guidelines presented on this page are intended for Towson University鈥檚 website content editors. More detailed questions about accessible web development and related standards should be .