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If you would like help in making your site accessible or advice on using these guidelines, contact the web team.

Bobby Approved

The MS Society website meets the highest standards for accessibility as laid out by WAI and tested by Bobby (Jan 2004).

Bobby WorldWide Approved AAA

Making MS Society websites accessible

These accessibility and usability guidelines were written by the MS Society for the re-launch of the MS Society's website in 2001. It incorporates RNIB disability website guidance and takes account of the specific needs of PwMS (People with MS) and their friends and families.

Front or Splash Page should
a check box with a tick in it Be uncluttered i.e. the front page should be clearly designed and well laid out for ease of access
a check box with a tick in it Use large buttons, using symbols and words
a check box with a tick in it Have a facility for increasing text size
a check box with a tick in it Not use photos in the front page design, as people with visual impairment find these difficult to see




Front page and home pages
a check box with a tick in it Page backgrounds are plain
a check box with a tick in it Design should not include patterns or texture
a check box with a tick in it Avoid causing the screen to flicker i.e. don't use animated images
a check box with a tick in it Use simple and straightforward language (e.g. Plain English) for writing the content on your pages
a check box with a tick in it Navigation should use a combination of symbols/icons and colour
a check box with a tick in it The contrast between the background and text is important; however strong background shading should be used sparingly
a check box with a tick in it Avoid italics and animated text - partially sighted people find this difficult to read
a check box with a tick in it Keyboard shortcuts need clear explanations
a check box with a tick in it Text alternatives are not necessary if all the above are followed; however people with severe disabilities prefer the option of text only alternatives




Colour issues
a check box with a tick in it Do not use yellow as this gives blurred vision to partially sighted people. Purple and pink are good accessible website colours and it is easier to see images and text with these colours
a check box with a tick in it Do not have too many contrasting colours
a check box with a tick in it A web site visitor can change the colour on their screen




Graphics and Images
a check box with a tick in it All Images should have ALT TEXT tags; these are words describing your images; this helps people viewing a text only version of the site
a check box with a tick in it Graphic links should always be accompanied by text alternatives
a check box with a tick in it Positive images of disability are important
a check box with a tick in it Pictures should not overload the page




Hyper Links
a check box with a tick in it Links should have expressive text for people using text readers
a check box with a tick in it Graphic links should always be accompanied by text alternatives
a check box with a tick in it Use underlining for hyper links only
a check box with a tick in it Link text should make sense when taken out of context e.g. "click here" should be avoided
a check box with a tick in it Include non-link printable characters between links. A line break is not enough as these are removed by some text browsers e.g. a chance to talk /publications/ search




Evaluation of the site design
Focus groups comprising people with MS from around the UK evaluated the MS Society's websites (includes the UK site, the Scottish site; our regional and accredited branch sites) and continue to be consulted on accessibility and usability issues.

 
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