Web Accessibility Policy of the State of Maine

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Implementation Guidelines

19. Alternate Accessible Versions

19.1 - Use separate accessible versions only as a last resort.

What:
Separate accessible or "text-only" versions are often offered instead of providing a single accessible site.

Why:
Manually developing and maintaining a separate "text-only" version of an entire site is tremendously demanding of time and resources. In practice, "text-only" versions are rarely kept complete or up-to-date. Given advances in accessibility techniques and assistive technologies, "text-only" sites are simply not necessary in most cases.

How:
Follow these standards to develop a single site that is universally accessible and efficient to maintain.

Ref: WCAG 11.4; 508 k