Inclusive Design

The most important pillar of the IT website is a foundation of inclusive design. Design and content mean nothing if it excludes any part of the audience. Inclusive design is an array of design tactics from wording changes to technical accuracy. More than any specific action, inclusive design is a mindset.

Basic HTML

There are a lot of things we can do while developing web pages to make sure the content is accessible to all audiences. While a working knowledge of HTML is not strictly required to publish a web page on the site, it is strongly encouraged. HTML is a markup language, not a programming language. Proper HTML structure can help assistive technology differentiate a header from a paragraph. Please take time to look over this basic HTML introduction from the Mozilla Developer Network. This website is home to a wealth of technical documentation that will hopefully become referenced as much as the docs you are reading now.

After you have an idea of what HTML is, how its used, and why it is so important, read up on these HTML elements - you'll use them a lot when making new web pages:

• <h1>, <h2>, <h3>, <h4>, <h5>, <h6> headlines
• <p> paragraph
• <ol>, <ul>, <li> ordered lists, unordered lists, and list items
• <dl>, <dt>, <dd> definition list, definition term, and definition description
• <table>, <thead>, <tbody>, <tr>, <th>, <td> table, table header, table body, table row, table heading, and table data
• <a> anchor
• <img> image
• <figure>, <figcaption> figure and figure caption
• <strong> strong
• <blockquote> blockquote
• <div> division

These elements form the backbone of every website on the internet and is core to the experience of every student, faculty member, employee, researcher, and parent that comes to our website.

Accessibility

To understand more about web accessibility, please review the UAB Accessibility Guidelines, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines set forth by the W3C and globally accepted as best practices.

Adjusting language

Beyond perfectly structured code, we can make content more inclusive by being more mindful about how we say things. First and foremost, be sure to adhere to the University's writing style as outlined by University Relations. Also be careful not to make assumptions based on the audience's race, national origin, age, genetic or family medical history, gender, faith, gender identity and expression or sexual orientation.