Siteimprove is a website quality assurance and digital accessibility verification platform used across the University.  

The University is required to meet Section 508 compliance standards in its digital communications.  Section 508 has adopted, by reference, WCAG 2.0 Level A and Level AA success criteria and conformance requirements to both web and non-web electronic content.  For more information about laws and standards applicable to the University, please see https://eocr.virginia.edu/digital-accessibility#standards

Siteimprove exceeds these requirements by flagging accessibility issues based on WCAG 2.1 Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA. Use of the platform allows University developers and individual website content editors to remediate issues and improve overall accessibility.  

Websites that are added to Siteimprove are automatically scanned on a scheduled basis for potential accessibility issues, as well as content quality issues (misspellings, broken links, etc). Siteimprove users can also receive optional quality assurance reports.

Section 508 Requirements:

• Section 508 Applicability and Conformance Requirements for Developers
• ICT 508 Accessibility Standard

View Siteimprove's Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)

More information to come on usage of Siteimprove and accessibility best practices!

How do I get access to Siteimprove

To request access, please complete the Accessibility Tool Access Request form.

How do I add my site to Siteimprove?

To have your site added to the Siteimprove platform, please complete the Accessibility Tool Access Request form.

How do I view user behavior on my site?

Siteimprove has a "Behavior Map" feature that you can use to track user behavior on a single page, such as clicks and scrolling.

1. Make sure your site has the Siteimprove analysis javaScript added to the footer of each page.  If you do not know how to do this, please contact CACS Drupal support at [email protected]
2. In the menu, go to Usability > Behavior Maps
3. Click "Add page to Behavior Map"
4. Start typing in the box until your page appears.  Select the page you'd like to map.

 

You will only be able to map user behavior if the analysis javaScript has been installed on your site.

Best Practices:

• We are limited in the number of pages that can be mapped. We recommend removing your map after 30 days.
• Map the most frequently used page - the one with the most views.  This is usually your homepage.

 

Solution Center

Below are some issue types you may see and how to resolve them.

Is it possible to Skip to Main Content?

What does this mean? For users who may use a keyboard to navigate the internet, it is important to have the first element reached by keyboard (often by pressing "Tab") be a link that allows them to skip to the main content area of the page.  This allows users to skip the navigation section (with its many links) and images at the top.

How do I fix it? This element must be added by developers.  Please contact your local website support team or the CACS Drupal team at [email protected]

Color contrast is not sufficient.

What does this mean? Text without sufficient contrast relative to its background can be difficult to read for users who are colorblind or have low vision.  

 

How do I fix it? WCAG requires a minimum color contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text, and 3:1 for large text (18pt and above, or 14pt bold).  Text color and size may be controlled by your site's fixed theme.  Please contact your local website support team or the CACS Drupal team at [email protected] for guidance. 

Best Practices: Do not use header tags (h1, h2, etc) to change text size or color. 

Why is image Alt Text important?

Keith Bundy of Siteimprove uses a screen-reader.  He discussed with us the use of a screen reader and the experience of using it.  Watch the video here.