Web Accessibility

Palm Beach State College (PBSC) websites, including all subdomains, are designed to meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards. Our sites use W3C-compliant HTML and CSS to display correctly in current browsers and remain accessible in future browsers.

The College strives to adhere to the accepted guidelines and standards for accessibility and usability. We recently reviewed our entire website to identify non-compliant elements or documents and bring them into compliance.

Information Technology has implemented the following procedures to ensure accessibility across our website:

• Beginning with the launch of the College's redesigned website in 2025, the Web Team has configured the CMS to prevent any web pages with accessibility errors from being published. Additionally, all CMS users are required to complete accessibility training before gaining access to the system for any of the College's websites.
• The College's main website is scanned automatically every two weeks for accessibility issues, and the results are recorded. The Web Team reviews these reports to identify potential concerns and implement corrective actions as needed.
• Beginning February 2026, a ticket will be required for any document requested for posting on the College or Employee websites. All submitted documents are first scanned for accessibility compliance before being published. Documents that do not meet accessibility standards will be returned to the owner for correction. Link to ticket will be posted once it's available.

To report an accessibility issue, use the Digital Accessibility Complaint Form.

Accessibility Issue Remediation Process

• A record of the issue is created in the College’s ticketing system and verified. The Web Administrator is notified.
• The Web Administrator reviews the complaint and identifies the technical support personnel to handle the issue.
• The appropriate personnel are assigned and notified.
• Assigned personnel investigate the complaint and correct any identified issues.
• The corrected page(s) are tested using accessibility checking tools and published.
• Resolution notes are added to the ticket, and the user who reported the issue is promptly notified of the correction.

Most PBSC content creators use Modern Campus CMS to manage web content on pbsc.edu and its subdomains. To ensure accessibility, the College uses Modern Campus’ page check to review pages before publishing. PBSC also uses Sitio to monitor pbsc.edu and fix accessibility issues across the website.

Below are some general tips and resources to help make your content more accessible.

• Avoid using animated or scrolling text. It can be distracting for individuals with attention or cognitive disabilities, and if the text includes links, people with limited fine motor skills may find it difficult to click on them accurately.
• Text should not be underlined unless it is used as a hyperlink. Using underlined text for non-link purposes on the web will likely confuse some users, who may attempt to click on the underlined terms.
• When using initials, you should use periods or spaces in between each letter (C.I.A. instead of CIA) to ensure screen readers read off the letters (See Eye A) instead of trying to pronounce a word (seeya).

Headings and titles help organize your content, like creating an outline for a document or web page. They make it easier for screen reader users to navigate, help sighted readers scan quickly and even improve your SEO.

Titles

• Web page titles should be unique and descriptive. Provide a title that clearly communicates the purpose and content of the page.
• Titles will appear in the browser tab for the website.
• Only website administrators have the ability to change or edit page titles.

Headings

• Use the paragraph menu in the CMS to apply headings.
• Use only one H1 (Heading Level 1) per webpage or document. All hero banners are automatically built with an H1. If you do not use a hero banner, H1 must be manually applied to the page.
• To keep the pbsc.edu website consistent, all sections on the main site and its subdomains should start with an H2 heading. These are prebuilt into snippets. Additional headings should be nested in hierarchical order (H3, H4). Do not skip heading levels.
• Headings are for indicating the structure of your content, not for making your text look big or bold.

• Use clear, plain language that’s easy to understand. Avoid technical words, confusing terms, and sayings that might be hard to follow.
• Avoid using complicated acronyms whenever possible. If an acronym must be used, spell it out in full the first time it appears, followed by the acronym in parentheses.
• Keep paragraphs short for easier reading. Use lists whenever possible to help readers scan and understand the content quickly.
• Use tables for data, not for page layout.

Links should make sense on their own, so screen reader users can understand their purpose. Avoid using generic text like “learn more” or “click here.” If generic text is necessary, include a descriptive title for the link.

• For basic links, select the "insert/edit link" button in the What You See is What You Get (WYSIWYG) toolbar, and write your descriptive link text in the "text to display" field.
• The CMS will style your link in a medium blue color and underline the display text so that your link stands out.
• Links to the PBSC website should open in the same window, while external links, including links to documents, should always open in a new window.

Simple Images

Alt text is required for any meaningful image on the website to convey visual information to users of screen readers or when images don’t load. It is often called an "alternative description" or an "image description" in the CMS. Alt text should be brief and to the point, giving just enough information without extra details. 

Decorative Images

Images used purely for decoration do not need alt text and should be marked as decorative in the CMS. Decorative images use an empty alt attribute (e.g., alt="") so screen readers can skip them, providing a smoother experience for users with disabilities. 

Complex Images

Complex images like graphs, charts or diagrams often contain too much information to be fully explained with just alt text. CMS users should use an appropriate snippet designed to allow for detailed descriptions of these images. Note: Snippets forthcoming and names will be listed here upon completion.

Learn more about images and writing good alt descriptions

Color contrast is the difference in color between text or images and backgrounds. If there isn't enough contrast, it can be difficult for some users to see the different elements.   

Most text in the CMS meets accessibility standards by default, and snippets are designed to pass accessibility requirements. Black paragraph text and dark teal headings or links work well on a white background. Avoid placing dark text on dark backgrounds, such as table headers, as this can cause color contrast issues. Pages with insufficient contrast or incorrect use of snippets will be returned for edits before publishing.

To see how your color combination will look (and if it will pass the test), you can download a color contrast program such as Colour Contrast Analyser or use WebAim's online tool.