ADA Title II requires all state and local government entities and public universities, including George Mason, to ensure that all digital content meets digital accessibility standards as defined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) through the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) by April of 2026.
Digital accessibility means making websites, apps, and other online tools usable by everyone—including people with disabilities. Accessible websites ensure that people who use screen readers, keyboard navigation, voice input, captions, or other assistive technologies can fully access university information and services.
Accessible content ensures that all members of the university community can fully take advantage of the online content that CHSS has to offer.
As a CHSSWeb editor, you have several features available to you to ensure that your web pages are accessible to everyone and adheres to accessibility standards.
Accessibility Checklist for CHSS Web Editors
- Use plain language and short sentences
- Break content into short sections, bulleted or numbered lists
- Use descriptive link text
- Avoid images that contain text
- Use tables only for data, not page layout
- Add descriptive alt text to images
- Ensure videos include captions
- Avoid document-based content
Here are some tips for creating accessible content.
Write in plain language
Plain language improves accessibility by making content readable and understandable for everyone—including users with cognitive disabilities or those who rely on screen readers.
- Avoid jargon, overly complex sentences, and unnecessary words.
- Write in short, clear sentences.
- When explaining a complex idea, break it into smaller parts and define any unfamiliar terms.
- Organize content into short, logical sections
Organizing content into short paragraphs or bullet points helps readers quickly understand your message. For users of assistive technologies, a clear structure supports easier navigation and comprehension.
For example, use bullet points or numbered lists to group related ideas, making your content scannable and easier to follow.
The CHSSWeb publishing tool allows you to easily create a bulleted or numbered list in any rich content fields.
Use clear, descriptive link text
Avoid generic phrases like “click here” or “read more.” Instead, make link text meaningful by describing the destination or action. This helps both screen reader users and general readers understand the link’s purpose.
For example, use specific phrasing such as “Learn more about George Mason’s accessibility standards."
In the CHSS web publishing tool, highlight the descriptive text in a rich text field and insert a hyperlink.
Avoid images of or with text
According to the W3C guidelines, images of text should only be used for decorative purposes or where a presentation of text is essential to the information being conveyed in the image, such as a logo.
All information must be conveyed in text format that a screen reader can read.
Even though the CHSS web publishing tool allows you to upload images throughout your rich content fields, please be sure these images do not contain text.
The W3C guidelines state that there are “no exceptions,” unless the image is a logo or extension mark.
Use tables for data
Tables should only be used to display tabular data—never for visual layout. Screen readers rely on table structure to correctly interpret relationships between rows and columns.
When creating a table in the CHSS Web publishing tool, be sure to assign a header row so screen readers can properly interpret the table structure.
Add descriptive alternative text to images
Alternative (alt) text describes the content and function of an image for users who cannot see it. Alt text is essential for accessibility. Screen readers rely on alt text to communicate the meaning of images.
The CHSSWeb publishing tool makes it easy to assign alt text to images.
- Attached images automatically receive alt tags based on a set of rules. By default, they use the title of the article or event.
- In some cases, you can add a caption. If you do, the caption is used as the alt tag.
- Images uploaded within the rich text field must include an alternative description.
- If you choose to include a caption with your image, you may designate the image as decorative upon upload.
- If an image is purely decorative and does not add meaningful information, it should be marked as decorative, so screen readers ignore it.
You can read more about images in the CHSSWeb publishing tool on the CHSSWeb help site.
Don’t use color
Color should not be used as the only visual means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual element. If you must use color within your text in the CHSS Web publishing tool, ensure there is a high contrast between the text and the background.
Favor web pages over PDF documents
Most information within a PDF can be displayed as text and, when necessary, graphics. PDF documents are not inherently accessible and require additional work and software to be properly formatted for screen readers. If an editor follows the guidelines presented in this article, all information will be accessible to all users, thanks to the CHSS web tools.
Why avoid PDFs when possible?
- Require extra steps and specialized tools to make them screen‑reader friendly
- Do not take advantage of CHSS’s built‑in accessibility features
- Disrupt the user experience, opening in a separate window, tab, or app
- Are not mobile‑friendly, harder to read and navigate on phones and tablets
- Require additional software, such as a PDF viewer and screen reader
Creating accessible digital content helps ensure that everyone in the university community can access and benefit from the information we publish online. By using the accessibility features available in the CHSS web publishing tool and following these best practices, you help make CHSS websites more inclusive and easier to use.
Accessibility is an ongoing responsibility. As a CHSS web editor, taking a few extra steps during the content creation process helps ensure that CHSS digital content is usable, inclusive, and accessible for everyone.
March 09, 2026