Standards and Compliance

NIU websites are governed by internal standards and policies, as well as external regulations. If you work on an NIU website, please familiarize yourself with the following guidelines.

Policies

In general, NIU websites are created and maintained according to the Web Communications Policy.

Guidelines for faculty sites are explained in the Web Communications Policy for Faculty.

Standards

NIU shares information with a broad, diverse audience through a variety of platforms. To ensure the consistency and effectiveness of NIU communications, the university developed the following standards:

• Web Standards
• Editorial Style Guide (PDF)
• Communications Standards for Institutional Brand Identity

Please note: These standards do not apply to faculty sites in order to provide flexibility for their unique needs.

Compliance

All NIU websites must comply with the following regulations:

• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

They must also meet copyright and accessibility laws and regulations.

Copyright

Copyrighted content may not be included on an NIU website unless written permission has been received (see Web Standards section 3.1, Copyright). For more information on copyright, refer to The Basics of Copyright in the University Setting (PDF), a guide created by the NIU Office of General Counsel.

Accessibility

As a state institution, all NIU websites and information technologies must be accessible to people with disabilities. They must comply with the following:

• Illinois Information Technology Accessibility Act
• Rehabilitation Act section 504
• Rehabilitation Act section 508
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 (AA level)
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative provides helpful tips for getting started with web accessibility. Here are some immediate actions you can take to improve a website's accessibility:

• Use headings properly. They must accurately describe the content that follows and be formatted with heading tags.
• Use lists to structure information. Include an ordered (numbered) list only when the order of steps is important.
• Use the WebAim color contrast checker to see if your use of color is accessible. Never use color as the only means of conveying information.
• Write effective link text. It should be understandable out of context. General text (such as "click here") isn't effective, because it gives no information about where a link goes.
• Enter alternative text for images. You don't need to do this for images that are purely decorative.
• Provide captions for videos and transcripts for sound recordings.
• Make sure any documents you link to are accessible. Learn more about PDF accessibility.

Resources

• Accessibility at NIU
• NIU technology accessibility
• W3C web accessibility tutorials
• WebAim accessibility checklist
• WebAim accessibility evaluation tool