The Web Access Symbol was chosen from among 17 symbols in a contest conducted by the CPB/WGBH National Center For Accessible Media as part of their efforts to promote accessible web sites. This image may be used by webmasters to denote that their site contains accessibility features to accommodate the needs of disabled users. The symbol should always be accompanied by its description and alt-text tag.

The Description would be contained on a separate page. A Capital D next to the symbol on the page would act as an anchor to the text desciption. The descriptions is: "A globe, marked with a grid, tilts at an angle. A keyhole is cut into its surface."

The Alt Tag should be: Web Access Symbol (for people with disabilities)

Generally, clicking on the symbol itself should take you to a page like this or directly back to the NCAM site at http://www.boston.com/wgbh/pages/ncam/symbolwinner.html.

This image was created by Stormship Studios of Boston, Massachusetts. There is no charge to use this symbol, and it may be used in electronic or printed form. Simply copy it from this page and paste it into your document.

To assist you in accessible Web site design, professionals in the area of assistive and accessible technology have compiled a list of hints and suggestions which may be found at the Trace Research & Development Center at http://trace.wisc.edu/text/guidelns/htmlgide/htmlgide.html.

As the Web evolves, these guidelines will change to reflect new accessibility issues. Several Web sites have already been designed following these guidelines. If you are responsible for Web page design, we hope that you will read and use the guidelines when designing your site, and use the Web Access Symbol and its accompanying text tag and description to indicate that you have made efforts to accommodate Web surfers who have disabilities or other limitations such as a slow internet connection (so that they prefer to use text only browsers) or the lack of sound or movie players on their computer.

There isn't any way to guarantee that a site which uses the symbol will be 100% accessible, or was even designed following the guidelines. However, in the spirit of the Internet, we're leaving it up to Web surfers to let the webmasters know when a site is or is not accessible, and to offer suggestions for greater accessibility. Those who use the symbol should do so at their own discretion, understanding the goals of the growing group of people dedicated to making the Web useful for ALL.

For more info on the contest and the symbol - or to get symbols in different sizes - visit the CPB/WGBH site at http://www.boston.com/wgbh/pages/ncam/symbolwinner.html.

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