Accessibility Guide · Web Content

Web Content & CMS Accessibility

Website editors across all CMC properties are responsible for the accessibility of the content they publish. Siteimprove provides ongoing automated scanning — this guide helps you act on what it finds.

Before you begin

  • Drupal / CMS editor access for your CMC site
  • Siteimprove access — request via help@cmc.edu with subject "Siteimprove Access Request"
  • WAVE browser extension (free — wave.webaim.org)

Siteimprove

Siteimprove scans all registered CMC domains against WCAG 2.1 AA every 5 days. Request access for your site by emailing help@cmc.edu with subject "Siteimprove Access Request."

1

Log in to Siteimprove

Go to siteimprove.com and sign in with your CMC credentials.

2

Select Your Site

From the dashboard, choose the CMC property you manage from the site selector.

3

Navigate to Accessibility Issues

Go to Accessibility → Issues. Filter by WCAG 2.1 AA conformance level. Sort to show Errors first — these are the highest-priority failures.

4

Click Any Issue for Guidance

Each issue page explains what the problem is, why it matters, and how to fix it — with a direct link to the affected page in your CMS.

5

Prioritize Errors on High-Traffic Pages

Work through Errors before Warnings. Within Errors, fix pages with the most monthly visits first — Siteimprove shows visit data alongside issues.

Most Common Drupal Issues

These are the issues Siteimprove most frequently flags on CMC Drupal sites, along with their cause and fix:

  1. Missing alt text on Media Library images
    Cause: Images uploaded without alt text in the Media Library. Fix: Edit alt text at the library level — go to Structure → Media, find the image, and add alt text there. This updates alt text everywhere the image is used.
  2. Empty links and buttons
    Cause: A linked image whose alt attribute is empty or missing creates a link with no accessible label. Screen readers announce it as "link" with no destination description. Fix: Add descriptive alt text to every linked image.
  3. Low color contrast
    Cause: Usually a theme-level issue — text colors defined in CSS that do not meet the 4.5:1 ratio for normal text. Fix: Report to ITS with the Siteimprove issue ID. A theme fix resolves it across all pages simultaneously.
  4. Missing form labels
    Cause: Drupal form modules may generate inputs without associated <label> elements. Fix: Report to ITS with the Siteimprove issue ID and the URL of the page containing the form.
  5. Poor heading order
    Cause: Content editors using Bold text or skipping heading levels (e.g., H1 directly to H4). Fix: Use Heading styles in the WYSIWYG editor. Never use Bold as a substitute for a heading. Headings should follow logical order: H1 → H2 → H3.
  6. Linked inaccessible PDFs
    Cause: Scanned or untagged PDFs linked from CMS pages. Fix: Remediate the PDF before linking it, or replace the link with an HTML version of the content. See the Making PDFs Accessible guide.

Pre-Publish Checks

Before publishing any new page or major content update, work through this checklist:

1

All Images Have Alt Text

Scan the page visually. Every image should either have descriptive alt text or be explicitly marked decorative.

2

Heading Order Is Logical

The page should have exactly one H1. Sub-sections use H2. Sub-sections within those use H3. No heading levels are skipped.

3

All Links Are Descriptive

Link text should make sense out of context. "Click here" and "Read more" are not descriptive. "Download the 2025 Annual Report PDF" is.

4

Embedded PDFs Are Accessible

Any PDF linked from the page should be tagged and tested. If it is not accessible and cannot be quickly remediated, link to an HTML alternative instead.

5

Run WAVE for a Quick Visual Check

Install the free WAVE browser extension, navigate to your page preview, and click the WAVE icon. Resolve any red Error icons before publishing.

Template vs. Content Issues

If Siteimprove flags the same error across every page on your site, it is likely a theme or template issue — not a content issue. Submit a ticket to ITS with the Siteimprove issue ID and at least one affected URL. A template fix resolves the issue across all pages simultaneously, which is far more efficient than attempting to fix each page individually.

Common template issues include: nav links without visible focus indicators, skip-navigation links missing, footer links with insufficient contrast, and form inputs in global page elements that lack labels.

Checklist

  • All Media Library images have alt text
  • Links use descriptive, out-of-context-readable text
  • Headings follow logical H1 → H2 → H3 order
  • No empty links or buttons
  • All linked PDFs are accessible
  • WAVE shows no Errors before publishing

Need Help Fixing an Accessibility Issue?

Our Help Desk team can walk you through any Siteimprove finding, help you remediate content, or escalate template-level issues to the right team.

Contact the Help Desk →