Web Development and Content

» FIT Official Web Content Policy

Accessibility rules, guidelines, and laws apply to all websites and web content that contain or convey information that is owned, controlled, or operated by FIT. This includes:

  • sites created using grants awarded to individuals or FIT;
  • sites created by students, staff, or faculty members for projects on behalf of FIT (such as those for exhibitions or events);
  • sites on the fitnyc.edu domain that are built using the Google Site Builder;
  • sites on the fitnyc.edu domain that are built using WordPress;
  • student publication sites hosted on the fitnyc.edu domain

In also includes content and information for prospective and current FIT students built using third-party tools and/or appearing on third-party platforms and sites managed by FIT employees:

  • Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides
  • portals used for applications and student activity management
  • software used for scheduling appointments

Basic Guidelines

Basic Accessibility Guidelines is a good starting point for content. These guidelines apply to ALL websites and documents linked to websites, without exception. 

Checking a Website for Accessibility

You can go a long way toward assuring your website is accessible by following these steps:

  1. Validate your HTML. If HTML is used incorrectly, assistive technology may not be able to correctly interpret the page content.
    W3C Markup Validation Service
  2. Test with a keyboard. Set your mouse aside and use the keyboard to navigate through your web pages. You should be able to access all interactive features (e.g., menus, links, form fields, buttons, controls) and operate them by pressing enter, space, arrow keys, or other intuitive keystrokes. 
  3. Use an accessibility checker. There are a number of free online tools that will check your web pages for accessibility. Some allow you to enter a URL into a search field, while others provide a browser extension to check pages as you browse.
    WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool
  4. Test with users. You can test your site by simply recruiting and observing users as they interact with your site.   

Get Help

There are a number of avenues you can take to learn about developing accessible websites and content.

Deque University offers advanced courses and FIT employees and students have free access. See: Training

Contact FIT's EITA officer for a downloadable checklist of accessibility guidelines. 

And remember: the time to consider accessibility is before a website is built, not after!