Accessibility Standards

Images

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Never embed text inside an image

Text saved as part of an image—in a graphic, flyer, infographic, or screenshot—cannot be read by screen readers, cannot be translated, and cannot be resized by the browser. If the image contains important text, that text must also appear in the page body or in the alt text.

Infographic with statistics ✗ Event flyer as JPEG ✗ Photo with caption embedded ✗

1

Write meaningful alt text

Describe what the image shows, not that it is an image. Screen readers already announce "image"—don't repeat it.

'sow confined in gestation crate' ✓ 'image of pig' ✗ 'photo' ✗

2

Decorative images get empty alt text

If an image is purely decorative—a background texture, a divider—leave the alt text field blank (not "decorative"—blank). You control this for content images you add.

3

Charts and graphs need a text alternative

If you insert a chart as an image, the key data it shows must also appear as real text on the page—either in a caption, a summary paragraph, or a data table.

Headings

Every page has exactly one H1—the page title. Do not add a second H1 in the body.
Use H2 for major sections, H3 for subsections inside those. Don't skip levels.
Headings should describe the section that follows—they are navigational landmarks for screen readers.
Don't use bold text as a substitute for a heading. Use the correct heading block.
Don't choose a heading level for its visual size. Headings need to be in order—H2, H3, H4.

Links

Link text must describe the destination when read alone—screen readers list all links on a page.
Never use "click here," "read more," or a bare URL as visible link text.
If a link opens a PDF or external site, say so: "Download the 2025 Annual Report (PDF)."
Links that open in a new tab should indicate this—don't surprise users. Only PDFs and off-site links should open in a new tab.

Color & Contrast

Never use color alone to convey meaning—always pair it with a label or pattern.
Don't manually change text color in the editor. AWI's theme colors are tested for contrast; custom colors may fail WCAG AA (4.5:1 ratio for normal text).

Writing Style

1

Write at a clear reading level

Aim for plain, direct language. Short sentences. Active voice. Avoid jargon where a plain equivalent exists—"use" instead of "utilize," "help" instead of "facilitate."

2

Front-load information

Put the most important information first—in the page title, in the first sentence of each paragraph, in the first item of a list. Screen reader users and people scanning quickly may not read to the end.

3

Use lists for sequential or parallel content

Bulleted or numbered lists are easier to scan than dense paragraphs. Use a numbered list for steps, a bulleted list for items without a specific order.

4

Spell out abbreviations on first use

Write out the full name first, then the abbreviation in parentheses: Animal Welfare Institute (AWI). After that, the abbreviation alone is fine.

Tables

Use tables only for data, never for page layout.
Every table must have a header row. Use the AWI Data Table block—it handles this correctly.
Keep tables simple. Complex merged or nested cells are difficult for screen readers.
Add a brief caption or introductory sentence above the table describing what it shows.

PDFs & Documents

PDFs uploaded for download should be tagged (accessible). Scanned image PDFs are not accessible—they contain no readable text.
When linking to a PDF, say so: "Download the Farm Animal Report (PDF)."
Where possible, prefer HTML pages over PDFs—HTML is always more accessible.
If you upload a scanned PDF, include the key content as text on the page.