Accessibility of the Maternal and Child Health Library Website

Our goal is to serve the maternal and child (MCH) community with accurate, reliable, and timely information and resources. The MCH community includes health professionals, policymakers, family advocates, community service professionals, MCH/public health faculty and students, families, and the public. This site includes information for each of these groups.

The MCH Library strives to ensure that this Website meets or exceeds the accessibility requirements outlined in Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Existing pages on this Website have been modified to make them compliant with accessibility standards, and new pages will meet or exceed the accessibility requirements outlined in Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

This Website has successfully passed the Section 508 accessibility tests of UsableNet, which strives to standardize accessibility format across corporate, government, and educational Websites.

In April, 2003 the MCH Library was included by Macromedia Inc. in their Accessibility Showcase, which highlights examples of accessible Websites created with Dreamweaver, a development tool for multimedia projects.

If you need information from a MCH Library Web page that is not easily accessible, choose one of the following two options:

(1) PDF documents
Users with visual impairments are advised to use their screen reader. If you experience problems with your reader, make sure that you have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat installed and use the Adobe Reader “Read Out Loud” function (under View menu) to hear the document read to you (have speakers on). For more information on PDF accessibility, please see www.adobe.com/accessibility/.

(2) e-mail the Webmaster
If you experience problems converting PDF files to an HTML format that your screen reader can read, e-mail our Webmaster with the URL of the page you wish to access, the technology you are using, and your phone number and e-mail address. We will work with you to make the files available in a format you can use.

(3) Change the font size
There is a text resizing option located at the bottom of each web page on the MCH Library website. Click on the large "A" to make the text larger, or use the small "a" to decrease the tex size.

In accordance with current Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) standards (http://www.hrsa.gov/508access.htm), our goal is to improve accessibility to users with visual, motor, or cognitive disabilities. We strive to meet or exceed accessibility requirements in the following areas:

• Images. The MCH Library Website provides equivalent text for images that convey information.
  
• Multimedia. The MCH Library Website limits the use of multimedia (i.e., presentations that include components such as text, graphics, video, animation, and sound), and, where multimedia is used, the site provides equivalent text for the presentation.
  
• Color. The MCH Library Website does not rely on color to convey information.
  
• Style sheets. The MCH Library Website does not require associated style sheets (i.e., pre-designated templates that define the layout of a Web page) to be viewed.
  
• Image maps. The MCH Library Website provides equivalent text for images (e.g., navigation bars) that perform functions when selected (e.g., open a new window, navigate through the site).
  
• Tables. The MCH Library Website provides row and column headers for data tables.
  
• Frames. The MCH Library Website does not include frames (i.e., separate sections of the display area that are generated from different Web pages).
  
• Motion. The MCH Library Website sites does not include motion that causes the screen to flicker outside an acceptable range (i.e., higher than 2Hz and lower than 55Hz).
  
• Text-only pages. The MCH Library Website follows HRSA guidance in adding links to the Adobe Acrobat© Accessibility site to provide users with a tool for converting PDF files to HTML.
  
• Scripts. The MCH Library Website identifies the functionality of any scripting languages (e.g., Java and Javascript) used to display content or to create interface elements.
  
• Applets and plug-ins. The MCH Library Website avoids the use of applets (i.e., programs designed to be executed from within another program) and plug-ins (i.e., programs that add features to a standard browser), and, when such programs are used, the site includes links to external Websites that provide such applets or plug-ins via download.
  
• Forms. The MCH Library Website allows for easy access to and completion of forms.

If you have comments or suggestions about the accessibility of the MCH Library Website,
please e-mail the Webmaster.