Dreamweaver Accessibility Options

Dreamweaver comes with a varity of tools and reports to help create accessible sites from the start.

This Page

1. Activate Accessibility Options
2. Properties Panel
3. Dreamweaver Accessibility Reports
4. Word Header Styles
5. Links
6. ITS Training Handout

Activate Accessibility Options

To activate these, do the following:

1. Open Dreamweaver and go to File then Preferences (Windows/Mac System 9) or the Dreamweaver menu then Preferences (Macintosh OSX).

2. Click on Accessibility in the left side of the panel.

3. Make sure the options for Show Attributes when Inserting are checked for each type of HTML object.

4. Click OK to close the window.

The next time you insert a table, graphic, form or other media, a pop-up window will appear to prompt you to enter the appropriate accessibility tags for each item.

Properties Panel

The Dreamweaver Properties Panel includes options for inserting accessibility tags depending on the item being edited.

For example, when an image is highlighted, the ALT tag can be edited in the Properties panel.

Dreamweaver Accessibility Reports

Dreamweaver MX includes an accessibility reports geared for W.C.A.G. standards. Go to the Site menu then Site Files, then click the Site Reports tab to view available reports.

Note: Dreameaver MX 2004 now includes reports for Section 508 guidelines.

LIFT Section 508 Accessibility Reports

The LIFT Plug-in for Dreamweaver is available at a discount from the Penn State Computer Store. This plug-in includes access to Nielsen Norman Group usability reports and tools for creating custom reports.

See the Penn State Access P.S.U. LIFT page for detailed documentation and free upgrades.

Word Header Styles

In Dreamweaver, when text is pasted from Microsoft Word, the Header 1, Header 2, Header 3 styles are converted to H1, H2, H3 tags. These styles are available from the Style menu in word.

Word users can use the Format » Styles options to modify the appearance of these styles in a Word document.

Links to Additional Tips

• Accessibility with Dreamweaver (Adobe)
• WebAim Dreamweaver Tips

I.T.S. Training Handout (P.D.F.)

Detailed instructions for using Dreamweaver Accessibility options are available in the PDF attachment below. Although the handout is for Dreamweaver MX, the options are very similar in newer versions of Dreamweaver.

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