The WIND Web Services Team has worked to ensure that this site is of the highest quality. Specifically, much attention has been given to its accessibility. This has not been an easy process because limitations in current technology have required design compromise on certain issues. Decisions made regarding these issues were based upon the desire to maintain aesthetic, technical, and usability standards simultaneously. Discussions about the design and accessibility features of this site are provided below. For more information about the development methods used to build the WIND Web Site, visit the Web Development Guidelines and Recommendations manual.

The Wyoming Institute for Disabilities is dedicated to providing the highest quality web site possible. This effort has specifically been focused on providing an attractive, accessible, and usable site for all visitors. If you find you have any difficulty accessing any part of this site or would like to receive this information in an alternative format, please contact:

Wyoming INstitute for Disabilities
University of Wyoming
Department 4298
1000 E. University Ave.
Laramie, WY 82071-4298
Toll Free: 1-888-989-9463
VOICE: 307-766-2761
FAX: 307-766-2763
TTY: 307-766-2720
E-mail: wind.uw@uwyo.edu

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These conformance levels correspond to levels of accessibility and are associated with what the W3C identifies as priorities. A Priority 1 checkpoint denotes that a web developer must satisfy the checkpoint for their pages to be accessible. Priority 2 suggests that a web developer should satisfy the checkpoint. Priority 3 advises that a web developer may satisfy the checkpoint. Refer to http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/ for the complete descriptions of the checkpoints and their priority ratings.

The entirety of the WIND web site is conformant to the W3C WAI "Triple-A" standard, and every effort has been made to achieve this level while maintaining original design and features.

The WIND web site is Bobby approved. Bobby is a service which allows Web administrators to check their Web sites for accessibility. To be approved, the Bobby program must validate the Web page code to the W3C WAI standard. The display of the Bobby Logo denotes this site's conformance. To learn more about Bobby go to http://www.cast.org/bobby.

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The main splash page of the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities web site contains a link to this page. This link is the first element of the page and has been presented to provide immediate access to information about the construction of this site. For aesthetic purposed, the "About the Site" link has been presented in the same color as the background, thereby rendering it "invisible". However, because of this decision, the WIND Web Team realizes that most visitors will not be aware of this link. It will however still be presented aurally to visitors using adaptive technology such as a screen reader. A link to this page is also provided in the "General Information" area of the "About WIND" section. This link is not "invisible" and is available to all visitors.

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The use of images to enhance a web site can make it significantly more visually appealing as well as improve its usability for certain visitors. However, it is essential that designers do not convey information through visual means only. Rather, they must make certain that any information conveyed graphically can also be accessed through alternative means. With an understanding of this, graphics have been used throughout the WIND site as logos and page titles. All images have alternative text to provide appropriate information for individuals who have turned off the graphics option on their browser, or are using screen readers or other adaptive equipment.

The graphic logo used on the main WIND splash page has minimal information provided as alternative text. To supplement this feature, a "D" hyperlink has been provided below the image. By clicking on this link, a visitor is able to access the complete information shown on the graphic. For aesthetic purposes, the "D" link has been presented in the same color as the background, thereby rendering it "invisible". Although most visitors will not be aware of the "D" link, it will still be presented aurally to visitors using adaptive technology such as a screen reader.

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Throughout the site, the main headers on each page are presented as graphics. Although specifically discouraged in the WAI Guidelines, it was decided to still use this method of presentation throughout the site. By doing this, it is possible to provide a visually consistent and pleasing appearance to each page. Because of this, the Web Services Team has ensured that the alternative text for each graphic is an exact duplicate of the text represented.

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Consistent layout and navigation is critical to the usability of a site. Visitors will be able to locate the information they are looking for more easily when web designers use the same layout and navigation features on each page. The sub-pages on the WIND web site use a global navigation system across the top of each page which provides access to the main six sections of the site. Down the left side of each page, the sub sections of the main areas are listed. Additionally visitors are provided other navigation tools such as "Back to the About Page" and "Back to Top" links to make it easier to move among the pages.

In the top left corner of each page is a small WIND logo. This image is hyperlinked and returns the visitor to the main WIND splash page. Directly below the WIND logo is a "Skip Navigation" hyperlink. Once again, rendered in the same color as the background, this link allows a visitor to jump past all the navigation on the page and go directly to the content of the page.

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In addition to consistent navigation, the layout of the page uses tables to control its presentation. Although one of the most common techniques used to build web pages, tables were never intended for this purpose. Consequently, table layout can create many problems for visitors using adaptive equipment. As the need for more complex presentation of web pages developed, the World Wide Web Consortium developed a set of standards which would allow the control of layout through the use of Cascading Style Sheet Positioning. However, the WIND Web Services Team found that this method was unacceptable to use at this time because of the inconsistent adoption of this standard by major browsers. Therefore, less accessible methods of presentation were used with this site, i.e., tables. Because tables were not created for this use, the Web Team has consciously designed the pages so that the least impact that can be caused by table layout has occurred. Specifically, the Team has made certain that the cells of the table "linearize" correctly, meaning that the information within each cell is presented in a logical order when stacked vertically. Additionally, no nested tables have been used, also improving the way that the tables linearize.

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