Government of Catalonia

gencat homepage: left menu viewed with Javascript disabled. The options appearing in different tabs with Javascript are listed one after the other

In the process of adapting the design of gencat to the WCAG rules on accessibility, we have opted for:

• Using (x)html code, which enables standard documents to be created with a clean structure. The content is marked with tabs which give it context information and allow the user to differentiate paragraphs, headings, sections etc
• Positioning the content using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) without tables.

This allows the presentation to be separated from the structure of the content, which ensures compatibility for different programmes and devices and enables navigation assistance technologies, such as screen readers for persons with visual deficiencies, to be used.

In addition, functionalities have been incorporated such as:

• The size of the lettering and the colours can be modified with the Browser Tools to adapt them to user preferences.
• Alternative descriptions for images, except those which have a purely decorative purpose.
• An alternative to JavaScript (technology which is used in collapsible menus, tabs, etc.), is always offered, so that users who have JavaScript deactivated or an old version without DOM support can access the information equally.
• An HTML alternative is offered to content displayed in non-standard formats (Flash, etc.)
• The use of pop-up windows (pop-ups) is avoided, since they are frequently confusing for users and some Browsers may block them. In those cases in which it is essential to open a pop-up window, this is indicated in an appropriate way.
• Gencat rules advise against the use of moving graphics with a flicker effect. In cases where they are used, it is specified that users must have the ability to stop them.
• We make an effort to achieve the greatest possible contrast between the colours of text and background. We also try to use colours which do not cause problems to persons with visual limitations, such as Daltonism, or we do not only use colour to give meaning to content (for example, green for a positive sense and red for a negative).
• Meaningful links, with a title attribute, which can be controlled even though the programming elements are not activated.

With the adoption of these rules, the objective which we are aiming for is that the gencat website and all its elements are:

• Viewable: any person can view them regardless of their limitations and the technologies which they use.
• Comprehensible: the structure, language and context information of the pages must be simple and coherent, so that any person can understand them without difficulty.
• Usable: the design has to be at the service of the user, not the reverse. Any user must be able to satisfy the objectives which have brought them to consult the website without complications.
• Navigable: the navigation must be simple and give assistance to orientation. Links must be actionable and must provide exactly the information which users expect.
• Robust: the content must be able to be displayed correctly using Browsers, assistance technologies and other programmes and current and future devices.