Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) 2.0 Overview

May 2007 Update

Jan Richards
Interim Staff Contact & Editor, W3C/WAI AUWG
Adaptive Technology Resource Centre (ATRC), University of Toronto

ATAG Overview and Status

• Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) Overview
  • describes the audience, content, and versions of ATAG
• ATAG 1.0 became a W3C Recommendation in 2000
  • http://www.w3.org/TR/ATAG10/
• ATAG 2.0 is a W3C Public Working Draft
  • Most recent Public Working Draft (7 December 2006)
• It may move to second Last Call Working Draft at the same time as WCAG 2.0
  • Current Editor's Draft

ATAG 2.0 Has Two Parts

• Part A : Make the authoring tool user interface accessible
• Part B: Support the production of accessible content

ATAG Part A

• Follows a similar pattern to WCAG 2.0:
  • PRINCIPLE A.1 Authoring tool must facilitate access by assistive technologies
  • PRINCIPLE A.2 Authoring tool user interface must be perceivable
  • PRINCIPLE A.3 Authoring tool user interface must be operable
  • PRINCIPLE A.4 Authoring tool user interface must be understandable

ATAG Part A (cont.)

• Part A requirements cover general software accessibility issues
• Part A also covers some issues that are specific to authoring tools including:
  • ability to change display settings without affecting the markup being authored
  • ability to navigate and edit using hierarchies intrinsic in some kinds of content
  • preview functions
  • etc.

The Key Role of ATAG

• We can’t rely on the average author to implement WCAG on their own because
  • accessibility requirements can be complex to manage (e.g. keeping navigation consistent)
  • most authors are not (nor do they wish to be) accessibility experts
  • the delivery of Web content is becoming more complex
  • and tools are being produced that hide many of the low-level details of the final content

The Key Role of ATAG (cont.)

• The average author needs accessibility to be handled like their other authoring constraints (spelling, grammar, syntax, etc.)

ATAG: Part B

• PRINCIPLE B.1: Production of accessible content must be enabled
• PRINCIPLE B.2: Authors must be supported in the production of accessible content
• PRINCIPLE B.3: Accessibility solutions must be promoted and integrated

B.1: Production of accessible content must be enabled

• B.1.1 Support content types that enable the creation of content that is accessible
• B.1.2 Ensure the authoring tool preserves accessibility information
• B.1.3 Ensure automatically generated content is accessible

B.2: Authors must be supported in the production of accessible content

• B.2.1 Prompt authors to create accessible content
• B.2.2 Assist authors in checking for accessibility problems
• B.2.3 Assist authors in repairing accessibility problems
• B.2.4 Assist authors to manage, edit, and reuse equivalent alternatives for non-text objects
• B.2.5 Assist authors to use accessible templates and other pre-authored content
• B.2.6 Provide authors with a tutorial on the process of accessible authoring

B.3: Accessibility solutions must be promoted and integrated

• B.3.1 Ensure the most accessible authoring action for achieving an authoring outcome is given prominence
• B.3.2. Ensure sequential authoring processes integrate accessible authoring practices
• B.3.3 Ensure features of the authoring tool supporting the production of accessible content are available
• B.3.4 Ensure features of the authoring tool supporting the production of accessible content are documented
• B.3.5 Ensure any authoring practices demonstrated in documentation are accessible

ATAG Conformance Model

• The levels are the same as for ATAG 1.0 (“A”, “AA”, “AAA”)
• An “authoring tool” can be any combination of software products, whether there is a formal relationship or not
• A conformance profile is required, which includes:
  • The conformance level satisfied (e.g. Single-"A")
  • The content types in question – a tool may conform to ATAG 2.0 for some output types but not for others
  • The platform: OS or user agent (for Web-based tools)
  • The “Web Content Accessibility Benchmark” document interpreting a given standard (e.g. WCAG 2.0) for a given content type (e.g. "HTML 4.01")

ATAG Conformance Model (cont.)

• ATAG 2.0 has special checkpoints related to checking, repair, etc. of content that take their level indirectly from WCAG
  • or optionally from other content accessibility standards
• The Web Content Accessibility Benchmark Document mechanism helps to facilitate this and ensure interoperability between accessibility features of a tool
  • e.g. between auto-generation and checking
• Because it must be public, it also helps outside observers gauge the seriousness of the effort

Checking and Repair

• ATAG 2.0 requires only a manual level of built-in checking and repair because:
  • Major tools want to be able to conform without relying heavily on secondary tools, but
  • Most cutting-edge evaluation and repair expertise is concentrated in secondary tools that have the freedom to specialize

Conclusion

• As the Web develops, the requirements for accessibility are becoming increasingly difficult to meet by hand
• Author acceptance of these requirements will depend on the degree to which authoring tools automate these tasks
• Knowledgeable customers should be asking for ATAG conforming tools to help ensure WCAG conforming content

Thank You

• For more information, please visit:
  • www.w3.org/WAI/AU/
  • or send email to:jan.richards@utoronto.ca