Web Style Guide

The CMU Web site is designed to express CMU's supportive environment and active learning culture. These guidelines are provided to ensure consistent navigation and coordinated identity with the university's home page.

Accessibility

All portions of the Central Michigan University Web site are required to comply with state laws governing accessibility. For a thorough explanation of accessibility design standards, contact the CMU Student Disability Services office.

To meet accessibility standards, all CMU Web pages must employ as many of the following general accessibility strategies as possible:

  • Provide text-only pages with equivalent information and functionality to update concurrently
  • Title frames with text that facilitates frame identification and navigation
  • Provide alternative text for all photos and graphics | example shown below
  • Provide text alternatives for multimedia (Flash, video, and audio)
  • Provide a link to a longer description for graphics that present important information such as charts, graphical tables, and diagrams
  • Provide a description for each link
  • Make sites usable for assistive technologies by providing alternative text for content that might normally be managed and/or hidden by Web components (such as JavaScript, Applets, Scripts, CSS) that these technologies do not utilize 
  • When electronic forms are designed to be completed online, allow for assistive technologies to access information
  • Use relative font sizes such as percentages rather than exact designations (10px, 12px, etc.)
  • Make sure there is sufficient contrast between text and background colors
  • Use sans serif fonts with sufficient letter and line spacing for readability

Web Accessibility Initiative

Central Michigan University's commitment to providing access for all students and faculty includes making the CMU Internet site Web pages accessible. The best and most authoritative set of guidelines is from the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium. Information on this initiative can be found at www.w3.org/WAI/References/QuickTips. A Priority 1 checklist can be found at: www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/full-checklist.html.

"alt" attribute example for images

One of the most common compliant requirements, and simplest to implement, involves providing an alt (alternative) attribute for all images on your web site. An alt attribute provides a text equivalent for a graphic image. To add the text equivalent, insert alt="your description" in the img element. An example is displayed below.

<img src="images/yourcmupicture.jpg" alt="Students walking on campus." width="120" height="75" />

When alt attributes are present, visually impaired users using specially designed software can hear a synthesized voice describing the graphic. In addition, users who choose not to view graphics on pages can read the alt text that describes the graphic.