Content Management Systems and Accessibility

Background Information

“A content management system (CMS) is a computer software system for organizing and facilitating collaborative creation of documents and other content.” In most cases a CMS is “a web application used for managing websites and web content ” (Wikipedia, n.d.). Developers and content providers use content management systems for content publishing and creating presentation templates on the Web.

Initially, content management systems were used solely for content publishing within organizations. Over time, they were offered as Web-based software. CMS can now refer to a broad array of “technologies and techniques, including portal systems, wiki systems, and Web based groupware” (Wikipedia, n.d.).

Accessibility Information

A CMS is “an invaluable tool [for] implementing and maintaining accessibility” of a Web site (Royal National Institute of the Blind, n.d.). A variety of accessibility features, such as heading level structure, page titles, and clear URLs, can be addressed through a CMS.

According to the Royal National Institute of the Blind, a CMS that is well-executed can support Web accessibility in a number of different ways:

1. Creation of structured content – a CMS can enforce a heading level structure (H1 to H6) for content and stop headings being presented as bold text that only look like headings. Heading structure is essential for screen reader users to navigate the page.
2. Prompt for page titles – a CMS can ensure that content authors give pages unique titles.
3. Creation of clear URL – a CMS can enforce clear URLs and remove instances of characters such as "?," "%" and so on.
4. Check for valid HTML – a CMS can check a page to ensure HTML is valid.
5. Prompt for alternative content – a CMS can check to ensure images, Flash and streaming audio have been given alternative text.

RNIB notes that effective use of content management systems needs to include training for content authors about how to upload content that is accessible, how to follow identified style guidelines and how to use accessible page templates. Although a CMS can be very useful for creating accessible content, processes for automatically and manually checking content are also essential. Not only does the published content need to be accessible but the interface of the CMS should also be accessible, allowing authors with disabilities to publish content (Royal National Institute of the Blind, n.d.).

Our Observations

We reviewed sites that used Drupal, a content management system, as a way to offer instructors the ability to construct Web sites for their classes. The instructors chose from a number of templates which offered a consistent presentation and some basic accessibility features without requiring them to have knowledge of Web development. Some accessibility problems we observed were (1) no method for skipping repetitive navigation, (2) graphics in the content with no alternative text, (3) form fields that did not have meaningful labels in the markup, and (4) confusing heading structure in the content.

Summary

Content management systems are often useful tools for creating accessible Web pages because they can offer accessibility guidance to content authors through the use of templates and prompts. However to maintain accessibility throughout the site, these authors often will need training, and the accessibility of their content will need to be automatically and manually checked. This need for training and accessibility checking was supported by our own experiences reviewing the educational sites created with a CMS.

References

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