Accessibility
I. INTRODUCTION
The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) suite of websites has been developed to enhance accessibility for people with disabilities. There are various types of physical disabilities that impact user interaction on the World Wide Web (Web). Vision loss, hearing loss, limited manual dexterity and cognitive disabilities are examples, with each having different means by which to access electronic information effectively. SCAG’s goal is to provide a good Web experience for all visitors to the SCAG suite of websites.
Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, contribute to and interact with the Web. Web accessibility also benefits others, including people with changing abilities due to aging.
SCAG regularly updates its website content and strives for accessibility improvements for all users, consistent with the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium website accessibility guidelines which emphasize the importance of providing text equivalents of non-text content (images, pre-recorded audio, video). The power of text equivalents lies in their capacity to be rendered in ways that are accessible to people from various disability groups using a variety of technologies, as with screen-readers which help accommodate blind and visually impaired individuals. If you have any questions or suggestions or are having difficulty accessing our website, please contact SCAG’s webmaster at webmaster@scag.ca.gov.
This policy describes these accessibility standards and may be updated periodically.
If you have comments or suggestions about accessibility, we welcome your feedback. Please send email to webmaster@scag.ca.gov.
II. ACCESSIBILITY DESIGN STANDARDS
Straight-forward Design – The SCAG suite of websites uses simple information architecture, organized navigation and reliable headings throughout. By utilizing headings, lists and consistent structure, SCAG is able to achieve an esthetic and engaging site that encourages participation by all.
Color – SCAG ensures that foreground and background color combinations provide sufficient contrast when viewed by someone having color deficits or when viewed on a black and white screen. Color alone is never used as a communication device.
Text-Only Site Maps – SCAG provides a text-only site map for each of its sites as an index to that site. Text-only site maps work well with screen readers.
Images with Alternative Text – The text provides further detail for an image or destination of a hyperlinked image. It is commonly called an ALT tag, and they are accessible to screen readers, and visible when the mouse is placed over the image. They also provide a description of graphics for people who have images turned off on their browser.
Keyboard Commands – Navigate through SCAG’s web pages without the use of a mouse. (Note: Some commands may not work with every web browser version.)
| If you want to… | Select… |
|---|---|
| Increase text size | CTRL ++ |
| Decrease text size | CTRL – |
| Move forward from link to link | Tab |
| Move backward from link to link | SHIFT + Tab |
| Move from box to box | Tab |
| Go to top of page | CTRL + Home |
| Go to bottom of page | CTRL + End |
| Close window | CTRL + W |
| Go back a page | Alt + Left Arrow |
| Go forward a page | Alt + Right Arrow |
Style Sheets – Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) centralize the style information for the website. Using CSS allows for greater flexibility when a style change is needed to accommodate a specific disability. It also keeps the code clean and is faster to download.
Navigation – SCAG’s sites include both textual as well as graphical navigation aids.
Dynamic Content – SCAG ensures that dynamic content is accessible or provides an alternative presentation or page.
Browser Portability – SCAG tests its websites with a variety of web technologies including, but not limited to, graphical browsers with the images turned off, browsers with JavaScript disabled and a text-based browser that can be used with an assistive technology. SCAG avoids the use of HTML tags or extensions that are supported by only one browser.
Layout – The design was built to accommodate the vast majority of visitors. SCAG’s website is responsive and considers the different types of devices that a visitor might use to access the site. Responsive web design adjusts how content on a page is displayed according to the dimensions of the device’s screen.
Multimedia – When available, the transcripts of audio and video description are linked with the file.
Hypertext Links – Text is specifically chosen to make sense when read out of context, so all users know where they are going when they select a link. Hyperlinks to downloadable files include a text description that includes the file size and file type.
Scripts and AJAX – Alternative methods for searching or alternative content are provided in case active features are inaccessible or unsupported by a user’s browser.
Images – Uses Alternative Text “ALT” and/or “TITLE” attributes. ALT/TITLE attributes provide a written description of the image, which is accessible to screen readers, and it is visible when the mouse is placed over the image. This is also useful for people who have images turned off on their browser, in which case a description will display where the image used to be.
Difficulty Accessing Material
If you have difficulty accessing any material on this site, please contact us and we will work with you to make the information available. You can direct your request to webmaster@scag.ca.gov.
Related Link(s)
Contact Us
Southern California Association of Governments900 Wilshire Blvd. Ste. 1700
Los Angeles, CA 90017
General Information:
Phone (Toll Free): (800) 735-2922
Phone (Local): (213) 236-1800
TTY: (800) 735-2929