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Section 508 Web Accessibility - Text Equivalent Scripts Guidelines

§1194.22(a) A text equivalent for every non-text element shall be provided (e.g., via "alt", "longdesc", or in element content).


Checkpoint
Does the page contain the <script> tag?

Explanation
Client-side scripting languages are coded in with the page's content and HTML tags, and are executed by the user agent (i.e. web browser). If necessary, you can check for the presence of a scripting language on a web page by reading through the source code for the <script> tag (e.g. <script src="scriptname.js" language="JavaScript1.2">).


Checkpoint
Does the script provide text?

Explanation
This checkpoint accounts for the possibility that a script might not load onto a user agent (e.g. the user might have deactivated the execution of scripting languages at the browser level), and how to ensure that all users can access identical content or data.

Guidelines
Place alternate text inside <noscript></noscript> tags to accommodate those who use older browsers or who have deactivated the execution of scripting languages at the browser level. However, content within <noscript></noscript> tags will not be read by assistive technology if the browser's scripting capabilities are left on (in such a case, the browser will correctly ignore the <noscript></noscript> tags), so a method of providing the content in additional to using <noscript></noscript> tags must be created. In short, all users should be able to access identical content or data.

Any hyperlinks used as an alternate method of accessing content or data should contain the title and alt attributes to provide a meaningful description for those with assistive technology.


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Curator: Courtney Ritz
NASA Official: Joe Stevens
Last Updated: March 6, 2009