OHSU

Accessibility

Accessibility Resources

Below is a list of resources available that describe the elements of accessible Web pages as well as list assistive computer technology including screen reading software.

Best Practices

Below is an overview of basic best practices used to make OHSU's site accessible:

  • Use meaningful “Alt” Tags – provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content.
    Use meaningful link text.
  • Don’t rely on color alone.
  • Use semantic HTML.
  • Ensure all presentation is handled with style sheets.
  • Clarify natural language usage.
  • Create tables that transform gracefully.
  • Ensure that pages featuring new technologies transform gracefully.
  • Ensure user control of time-sensitive content changes.
  • Ensure direct accessibility of embedded user interfaces.
  • Design for device-independence.
  • Use interim solutions when necessary.
  • Use W3C technologies and guidelines.
  • Provide context and orientation information.
  • Provide clear navigation mechanisms.
  • Ensure that documents are clear and simple.

Access Keys

The following access keys are recommended for all OHSU web pages:

  • S - Skip navigation
  • 1 - Home page
  • 2 - What’s new
  • 3 - Site map
  • 4 - Search
  • 5 - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
  • 6 - Help
  • 8 - Terms and conditions
  • 9 - Feedback form
  • 0 - Access key details

Font Sizing

By using relative sizing the fonts of this web site can be resized using your browser. More information on this is available through an article on accessify.com called Teach a Man to Fish (or How to Resize Text) which is available in both video and text format.

It is very important that you follow the hierarchy of heading styles, i.e. a page title is H1, then the next level of heading uses H2, then H3. These heading styles can be chosen from a drop-down menu as you edit your page.

Adobe Acrobat PDF Files

Publications in Adobe Acrobat® Portable Document Format (PDF) can only be viewed and printed using the Adobe AcrobatReader®, version 3.0 or higher. You can download and get help using the Acrobat Reader at the Adobe Systems, Inc. site. The downloadable Acrobat Reader software is available at NO CHARGE from Adobe.

Sometimes people using screen-reading devices encounter difficulty reading documents directly in PDF format, unless they have an accessibility plug-in installed on their system along with the Adobe Acrobat Reader. This plug-in is available at NO CHARGE from Adobe. For converting PDF to HTML or text Adobe also has online PDF Conversion tools. To get the plug-in and latest news about Adobe's accessibility tools and services, visit the Access Adobe site.

Microsoft Word and PowerPoint Files

With any version of PowerPoint installed on your computer you can view our online publications that are in Microsoft PowerPoint® (.ppt) format. There is a FREE PowerPoint file viewer available through Microsoft. You can download and get help using the PowerPoint viewer at the Microsoft Download Center.

With Word, version 6.0 or higher, installed on your computer you can view publications in Microsoft Word® (.doc) format. Word documents can also be viewed with many other word processing programs. Also, Microsoft offers a FREE Word file viewer that you can download at its Microsoft Download Center.