Images and tables are helpful ways to convey information to end users. However, users with disabilities often cannot access the important information provided by images and table layouts in online content. You should document images and other non-text items such as table layouts so that users using assistive technologies to access online content can access the information these items provide.

Content that must easily be accessed by people with disabilities must conform to certain guidelines published by both the W3C and the United States government in order to produce accessible online output, also known as Section 508 compliant output. These guidelines are intended to help writers produce accessible content.

You can use ePublisher to help you produce online content that conforms to the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG), Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act of 1998, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you are required to generate accessible content, typically you provide the following items in your online content:

You may also choose to provide the following items in your online content:

You must prepare source documents and configure your ePublisher project in order to create accessible content. You prepare your source documents by inserting markers into your source documents and by applying character formats and paragraph formats. You configure accessibility settings in the ePublisher project. ePublisher uses the information in your source documents and your ePublisher project to generate accessible online output.

For more information about producing accessible content and to check your content further for compliance, see the following Web sites: