Web Accessibility
Leading the Web to its full potential.
Charles McCathieNevile --charles@w3.org
Slides: http://www.w3.org/2002/Talks/0429-olbl/
Overview
- What are WAI and W3C?
- "The Guidelines"
- Some issues
- Bottom line
W3C
W3C
Web Accessiblity Initiative
- cross-disability access to the Web
- partnership of producers, users, researchers
- high participation from invited experts
- Strong participation from Australia
WAI does Guidelines. But also...
- Review W3C specifications for accessibility
- Accessibility evaluation and repair tools
- Education and outreach: Quick
Tips, movie, ...
- Interest Group
- Research Interest Group
Other WAI Guidelines
- Authoring Tools: http://www.w3.org/TR/ATAG10
- Recommendation 2000, for all content tools
- User Agent: http://www.w3.org/TR/UAAG10
- For browsers and plugins. Nearly ready...
- XML Guidelines: http://www.w3.org/TR/xag
- For new languages. First Public Draft.
Principles of Accessible Design
- Device independence - Graceful transformation
- Use standards
- Alternative equivalents
- Context, Orientation, and Notification
- Documentation
Structure of the guidelines
- Guidelines (principles)
- Checkpoints (requirements for conformance)
- Techniques (how, further references, etc)
- Three priorities - 1, 2, 3
- Conform to level-A or double-A or triple-A
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10
- W3C Recommendation May
1999
- Explains how to make accessible Web sites
- Important for other Accessibility Guidelines
- Has 14 guidelines, 60+ checkpoints
Anatomy of a Guideline
- Guideline 2
- red-green colour-blindness is very common
- there are other forms
- related to needs for monochrome systems
- Guideline 14
- requirements for different groups
- noted benefit to general productivity
WCAG future...
- Techniques are by technology (HTML, SMIL...)
- Being updated for new Technology
- Guidelines are also evolving (long process yet)
- Generalised for XML, Graphics, etc
WCAG hit and myth:
Web Content Guidelines are not...
- Requiring (or even supporting) "text only"
- Prohibiting colourful, media-rich pages
- Based on what is easy
- "just for blind people"
Multimedia and Accessibility
Closed World Systems?
- B2B, schools, games, corporate intranet
- Choice of tools to support requirements
- Tools that support staff
- known audience
Range of tools
- Browsers and Authoring tools
- Content management and monitoring
- Development often driven by law and geeks
- Support for diversity - mobile devices, etc
Implementation
- Identifying requirements
- Design vs Retrofitting
- Going as far as possible
- Standards and "public tools"
- Development Strategy
the bottom line is?
WCAG is a technical spec.
Develop implementation plan
Aim for at least double-A
Demand ATAG conformance from tools
Do developers know W3C standards?
Resources