Accessibility improvements are coming to Stanford Sites
The Stanford Sites 5.2.0 release coming soon contains notable changes to the heading hierarchy, making it easier for editors to create accessible content. The changes will address WCAG Level A heading hierarchy issues by giving editors control over the heading structure in Banner, Card, Lists, and Teaser Paragraphs.
To learn more about the importance of headings, see Headings & Structure from the Office of Digital Accessibility.
New Top Banner option
This new banner option, the Page Title Banner, will display the page title as a Heading 1 (H1) within the banner, and eliminate the page title below the banner.
New name and options for banners
The existing Banner Paragraph has been renamed Image Banner and now has options for how the headline displays. The headline for the Banner Paragraph, previously displayed as H2, can now be displayed as a H3, H4, or Splash Text, or can be visually hidden or removed. Editors can choose the correct heading behavior based on how this paragraph is used on a page.
Headline adjustment for Lists Paragraph
To correct issues with heading hierarchy, the Lists Paragraph now displays the titles of list items as H3. The headline for the Lists Paragraph will continue to be an H2, but it is now required.
Based on how this Lists Paragraph is used on a page, the headline can:
- display normally as an H2,
- be visually hidden and available only for screen readers, or
- be completely removed from the page.
More headline flexibility for Teaser Paragraph
Teaser Paragraph headlines will now display as an H2, with subsequent teaser item titles displaying as an H3. In the absence of a Teaser Paragraph headline, teaser item titles will display as an H2. If there is no headline, titles for the teaser items will still display as an H2.
Based on how this Teaser Paragraph is used on a page, the headline can:
- display normally as an H2,
- be visually hidden and available only for screen readers, or
- be completely removed from the page.
Heading options for Card Paragraph
The headline for the Card Paragraph, which has previously always been displayed as an H2, can now be changed to an H3, H4, or Splash Text, or it can be visually hidden or removed. Select the heading behavior based on how this paragraph is used on a page.
