HTML and CSS

Learning about the basics of accessible HTML (HyperText Markup Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is essential for anyone attempting to customize the design of their book.

Creating accessible digital content in Pressbooks ensures an inclusive learning experience. Pressbooks supports accessibility through the CSS used in its preset themes and by automatically generating semantic HTML when content is created in the visual editor, which is why those using preset themes may choose to skip over this chapter. However, for anyone customizing the selected theme’s design, implementing accessible HTML and CSS should be part of the process.

The quality of your web content matters to downstream users, namely instructors and their Pressbooks assistants. A future assistant working in your Pressbooks project and an instructor creating their own adaptation may need to make edits, which is harder to do if the code is messy. Your code should be readable, following established standards and best practices for anyone with basic web development skills.

The quality of your customized HTML and CSS also impacts the end users, allowing for people of diverse abilities to understand your book. To accommodate different accessibility needs, assistive technologies such as screen readers, specialized keyboards, and speech recognition software are used frequently. These tools depend on well-structured code to accurately interpret and present information, ensuring that digital content is accessible to everyone.