Technical training on developing accessible Web pages is available via videocast. Total running time is approximately three hours. Check the NIH Videocasting page to see if your machine meets the minimum requirements for viewing. If so, print the handout prior to viewing at http://www.section508.gov/docs/handouts.htm. To view the videocast, go to the NIH Videocasting page:

• Select Past Events
• Select NIH Training
• Select Curriculum for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines [4 parts]
  • 13 Points for Accessibility to Web Pages
  • Screen Readers for Visually Impaired
  • Background
  • Introduction

A Webcast version of the training is also available on the Website of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at http://www.broadcast.noaa.gov. Please note that the Webcast does not have captioning.

• Designing Accessible Websites: The Federal IT Accessibility Initiative at http://www.section508.gov/classes.html
• Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards at http://irm.cit.nih.gov/policy/access.html
• NIH Web-Based Intranet And Internet Information And Applications at http://508.nih.gov/web/index.html
• GSA's Center for IT Accommodation [CITA] at http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov/cita/
• Access Board Final Standards at http://www.access-board.gov/news/508-final.htm
• Bobby - Web Page Accessibility Verifier from CAST at http://www.cast.org/bobby/
• W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 at http://www.w3.org/tr/wai-webcontent/
• W3C Checklist of Checkpoints for WCAG 1.0 at http://www.w3.org/tr/wai-webcontent/full-checklist.html

• Images. Use the alt attribute to describe the image.
• Image maps. Use client-side MAP and text for hotspots. It is recommended that the image map be located right under the image itself.
• Multimedia. Provide captioning and transcripts of audio and descriptions of video.
• Hypertext links. Use text that makes sense when read out of context. For example, avoid the phrase "Click here."
• Page organization. Use headings, lists, and consistent structure. [Note: While the use of CSS, or cascading style sheets, for layout and style is recommended by the community, it is not uniformly in use at CSR. Currently, there is an absence of support for all CSS elements across different versions of Netscape and Internet Explorer, and displays will differ (thus invalidating one of the powerful aspects of CSS). Once standardization is achieved, extensive use of CSS will be strongly encouraged.)
• Graphs and charts. Summarize or use the longdesc attribute. Though it is not supported by current versions of Netscape or Internet Explorer, it is expected to be in the future. Some Web authors advocate the use of a "d" as a hyperlink to a long description, while others favor the more elegant 1x1 pixel transparent GIF, with an alt tag containing something such as: "[Long description of the image/graph/etc.]"
• Scripts, applets, and plug-ins. Provide alternative content in case active features are inaccessible or unsupported.
• Frames. Frames are strongly discouraged. Framed pages do not lend themselves to being "bookmarked". They can also create problems when used with Java scripts, and if improperly coded, can cause frames to be displayed within other frames. If you must use them, include NOFRAMES messages, and use meaningful titles on the frames -- for example, "navigation frame," "menu frame," "content frame," etc.
• Tables. Make line by line reading sensible. Summarize. For long or elaborate, tables use HTML 4.0 table section attributes.
• Check your work. Validate. Use tools, checklists, and guidelines at www.w3.org/TR/WCAG.
  
  Please e-mail questions regarding Section 508 at NIH to Marcella Haynes/Gary Morin 301-496-2689.