SERCAP Accessibility Policy

The Need for Accessible Content

Approximately 54 million Americans, or 20.6 percent of the United States population, have some level of disability. Technological advances are eliminating many of the physical and informational barriers that have long existed for people with disabilities.

SERCAP is Committed to Make Our Content Accessible to All

In response to the need to ensure equal access to electronic and information technologies, a set of standards for Web page design have been implemented. In recognition of those individuals with visual, physical or developmental disabilities, we are committed through this policy to make web information accessible to all.

Design Standards

These standards are influenced by those recommended by the Access Board and W3C. The Access Board is responsible for developing the standards outlined by the amended Rehabilitation Act of 1998. Universal design calls for appropriate use of auxiliary aids and services where necessary to ensure communication.

The standards, mentioned above, are adopted in the Design of HTML Pages to increase accessibility to users with disabilities as the primary guideline to provide access to all people independent of physical limitations. These standards are maintained by professionals trained in the area of assistive and information technology.

The site embraces these standards and will be evaluating its site on a regular basis, increasing the opportunity for all individuals to access information on its systems. The Access Design Standards are being integrated into the site and will continue to evolve as new technologies and opportunities emerge.

Our primary goal is to provide access to any information component in the system to people with physical limitations. Additionally, accessibility and usability are structured to comply with WCAG.

Every graphic image has an "alt" tag and a short description that is intuitive to the user. If a graphic image is used as a navigation element, it contains text description and direction that is intuitive to the user.

The Web system has descriptive, intuitive text links and avoids the use of vague references such as "click," "here," "link," or "this."   Forms include explicitly associated labels to assist input or contain title identification on the input area.

The use of frames is avoided since they cannot be read intelligently by screen readers, they create navigation problems, and they are not supported by all browsers. Tables include textual information displayed in a linear form across the table; additionally, cells are explicitly associated to aid as reference.

Colors are avoided as a sole means for communicating information since color schemes can create accessibility problems to people with color blindness and with legibility.

Work Instructions for Software Development

The site has established work instruction for the development of software that guides designers and publishers to identify important access issues when new web pages and software components are created. This technical guide is for internal use and will indicate procedures that will be followed to set the standards to provide maximum web page accessibility and usability.

Testing and Evaluation

Testing tools, although help identify initial accessibility barriers, do not fully identify all issues. The web-pages have been tested for accessibility with a combination of software tools. Web authoring, as well as testing software, and screen readers have been used to evaluate the accessibility level of the system and its compliance.

Known Limitations of this Policy

Although a significant effort has been made to provide accessibility to all people with or without disabilities, this policy does not include requirements for every known disability.

Contact Information

If you need assistance, we can be reached at (540) 345-1184, toll free at (866) 928-3731 and TTY: 711 Monday – Thursday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and 8:00 AM to Noon Fridays (all times Eastern Standard Time), as well as at info@sercap.org.