Accessibility Standards
The Postal Service™ makes it a priority to provide accessible content to everyone using USPS® websites and applications.
-
USPS.com content should conform to federal Revised 508
Standards (Final Rule - January 2017) and the W3C Web
Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA.
Revised 508 Standards (Final Rule - January
2017)
W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) -
USPS.com content should meet the standards of the USPS
Handbook AS-508A - Section 508 Technical Reference
Guide unless Handbook standards conflict with or have
been updated by the revised Section 508 standards,
USPS.com browser support, or current coding best
practices.
USPS Section 508 Technical Reference Guide
USPS.com Current Browser Matrix
Creating Content for USPS.com
Create web pages and non-web electronic documents that meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA Success Criteria and Conformance Requirements.
- Write information and explanations clearly and concisely (Plain Language Guidelines)
- Describe application and process steps simply giving appropriate user feedback.
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Provide a text-equivalent for any non-text element,
even if there is some redundancy.
- Every image must have an alt attribute. Images used for design, that are not used for comprehension or navigation, must have empty alt tags (alt=" ").
- Informative descriptions of infographics or diagrams
- Closed captions and full transcripts for videos
- Descriptive transcripts for audio files
- Prepare accessible uploaded documents such as DOC, PDF, XLS, and PPT files; or, offer an alternate accessible version in a TXT, RTF, CSV, or HTM format.
Testing for Accessibility Compliance
Design & Content Reviews
Validate Your Work
All design and development work is expected to meet Section 508, WCAG 2.0 AA, and USPS 508 standards. Incorporate accessibility validation into project workflows and iterative testing (i.e., as part of design, unit, integration, system, and acceptance testing). Required and optional reviews are intended to supplement and validate design and development team testing.
Required Review
Request a formal USPS 508 review by a designated USPS 508 reviewer under the USPS Section 508 Program Manager, as designated by the Vice President/Chief Technology Officer (VP/CTO). The USPS 508 reviewer will test your website or application according to the USPS Handbook AS-508A and report non-compliant issues.
Additionally, the USPS Digital Brand Marketing reserves the right to evaluate any design and development work whose accessibility standards compliance is questionable or about which accessibility complaints are received. Informal, iterative reviews from the USPS.com
Digital Content Team may be requested during design and development—as allowed by the USPS.com Manager.
Accessibility Remediation
If a website, application, or document does not meet applicable Section 508, WCAG 2.0 AA, or USPS 508 standards, the owner (or business driver), and their design and development team, are responsible for making the item compliant or providing an alternate accessible version.
USPS Digital Brand Marketing reserves the right to remove or unlink from a failed property that is not compliant, being fixed, or has no equivalent alternative.
