IMPORTANT DEFINITION: Equivalent Alternatives (EA)An equivalent alternative (EA) is content that fulfills essentially the same function or purpose upon presentation to the user as the potentially inaccessible primary content. EAs play an important role in accessible authoring practices since certain types of content may not be accessible to all users (e.g., video, images, audio, etc.). For more information, see the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 1.0. This document will refer to three priorities (1, 2 and 3) of EAs according to the priority assigned to it by the WCAG 1.0 recommendation. If a priority is not specified then all priority levels are assumed. The following is a list of EAs followed by their priority and the relevant WCAG checkpoint that assigned the priority. for Images:
for Image Maps:
for Objects displaying Images:
NOTE: Within the current document, it is assumed that the term EA will refer to those EAs appropriate to the type of markup or image produced. For example, an HTML editor only needs to be checked for the EAs relevant to HTML. |
Start: Step 1 and 2 will help you determine which image-related questions to answer about your tool. If you answer YES to both Step 1 AND Step 2 then you must complete both sections. If you answer no to both then, you can skip Part 1 of the evaluation.
Step 1: Does the tool allow users to insert image elements into a markup document (Web authoring tool, word processessor)?
Step 2: Does the tool allow users to create or edit images (paint or drawing program)?
Step 3: Is it possible to add the Equivalent Alternatives (EAs) for images using the tool (includes typing them manually)? (1.1)
Step 4: Does the tool preserve the values of the EAs during re-saving, reformatting, etc.? (1.2)
Step 5: Are meaningful Priority 1 EAs included when images are part of markup generated by the tool (ex. wizard)? (1.3)
Step 6: Are Priority 1 EAs included for images that appear as part of templates included with the distribution of the tool (ex. a photo album template)? (1.4)
Step 7: Does the tool automatically generate valid markup with regard to images (ex. is the required ALT attribute present for all HTML4 IMG elements)? (2.2)
Step 8: Does the tool prompt (require, suggest or notify the user of the absence of information and then provide a means for rectifying the situation) for the addition of Priority 1 EAs when an image is inserted? (3.1)
Step 9: Do any images (ex. clipart, etc.) that are included with the distibution of the tool include pre-written Priority 1 EAs? (3.3)
Step 10: Does the tool automatically generate EAs based on the file name, size or other information that is not necessarily related to the content or function of the image.? (3.4)
Step 11: Does the tool resuse previously authored EAs without author confirmation when the function is not known with certainty (ex. the tool automatically uses the same ALT value for two copies of the same image that are linked to different locations)? (3.4)
Step 12: Does the tool check for and notify the author when Priority 1 EAs for images are absent? (4.1)
Step 13: Does the tool assist the author in adding Priority 1 EAs for images when they are found to be absent? (4.2)
Step 14: Does the tool allow the author to edit all properties (attributes, styles, etc.) of image-related elements in an accessible fashion (i.e. using the keyboard)? (7.3)
Step 15: Are meaningful Priority 2 EAs included when images are part of markup generated by the tool (ex. wizard)? (1.3)
Step 16: Are Priority 2 EAs included for images that appear as part of templates included with the distribution of the tool (ex. a photo album template)? (1.4)
Step 17: Does the tool prompt (require, suggest or notify the user of the absence of information and then provide a means for rectifying the situation) for the addition of Priority 2 EAs when an image is inserted? (3.1)
Step 18: Do any images (ex. clipart, etc.) that are included with the distibution of the tool include pre-written Priority 2 EAs? (3.3)
Step 19: Does the tool support the latest version of all the markup languages it can be used to produce? (2.1)
Step 20: Does the tool support the PNG format for inserting raster images and the SVG format for inserting vector graphics? (2.1)
Step 21: Does the tool check for and notify the author when Priority 2 EAs for images are absent? (4.1)
Step 22: Does the tool assist the author in adding Priority 2 EAs for images when they are found to be absent? (4.2)
Step 23: Does the tool allow unrecognized markup to be preserved through the editing and re-saving process (ex. will the LONGDESC attribute of IMG be preserved if the tool does not support LONGDESC)? ( 4.3)
Step 24: Does functionality for adding and editing the EAs for images appear well integrated with the overall look and feel of the tool (ex. included within standard image insertion and properties dialogs)? (5.1)
Step 25: Does the documentation regarding the EAs for images appear well integrated with the rest of the documentation (used in examples throughout, not confined to a separate section)? (6.2)
Step 26: Are meaningful Priority 3 EAs included when images are part of markup generated by the tool (ex. wizard)? (1.3)
Step 27: Are Priority 3 EAs included for images that appear as part of templates included with the distribution of the tool (ex. a photo album template)? (1.4)
Step 28: Does the tool prompt (require, suggest or notify the user of the absence of information and then provide a means for rectifying the situation) for the addition of Priority 3 EAs when an image is inserted? (3.1)
Step 29: Do any images (ex. clipart, etc.) that are included with the distibution of the tool include pre-written Priority 3 EAs? (3.3)
Step 30: If the image-related output of the tool does not conform to W3C specifications (ex. improper use of IMG element in HTML4), does the tool notify the author? (2.3)
Step 31: Does the tool include the ability to search and reuse or otherwise manage the EAs of images? (3.5)
Step 32: Does the tool check for and notify the author when Priority 3 EAs for images are absent? (4.1)
Step 33: Does the tool assist the author in adding Priority 3 EAs for images when they are found to be absent? (4.2)
Step 34: If the tool supports image formats with text tracks (i.e. PNG, SVG, WebCGM, JPEG, GIF), is it possible to use the tool to add Equivalent Alternatives (EAs) to the text tracks? (1.1)
Step 35: Is it possible to use the tool to author Equivalent Alternatives (EAs) for the images that can be stored in separate files (ex. short (ALT) and long (LONGDESC) descriptive text files)? (1.1)
Step 36: If the tool supports image formats with text tracks, are the text track values preserved during re-saving, conversion to another format that includes text tracks, etc.? (1.2)
Step 37: If the tool supports separate descriptive files for images, are those files preserved during re-saving or conversion to another image format, etc.? (1.2)
Step 38: Does the tool prompt (require, suggest or notify the user of the absence of information and then provide a means for rectifying the situation) for the addition of separate or text track Priority 1 EAs at some point during the creation of an image (ex. after a successful save)? (3.1)
Step 39: Do the images (ex. clipart, etc.) included in the tool's distibution packages include pre-written Priority 1 EAs stored in their text tracks or as separate descriptive files? (3.3)
Step 40: Does the tool automatically generate EAs based on the file name, size or other information that is not necessarily related to the content or function of the image? (3.4)
Step 41: If the tool supports image formats with text tracks, does the tool check for and notify the author when Priority 1 EAs are absent from this track? (4.1)
Step 42: Does the tool check for and notify the author when separate descriptive files storing the Priority 1 EAs for an image are absent? (4.1)
Step 43: If the tool supports image formats with text tracks, does the tool assist the author in adding Priority 1 EAs when they are found to be absent? (4.2)
Step 44: Does the tool assist the author in adding Priority 1 EAs to separate descriptive files when they are found to be absent? (4.2)
Step 45: Does the tool allow the author to edit all properties (colour, size, transparency, etc.) of the image in an accessible fashion (i.e. using the keyboard)? (7.3)
Step 46: If the tool is intended to produce raster images, does the tool support the Portable Network Graphics (PNG) format? (2.1)
Step 47: If the tool is intended to produce vector graphics, does the tool support the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) format? (2.1)
Step 48: Does the tool prompt (require, suggest or notify the user of the absence of information and then provide a means for rectifying the situation) for the addition of separate or text track Priority 2 EAs at some point during the creation of an image (ex. after a successful save)? (3.1)
Step 49: Do the images (ex. clipart, etc.) included in the tool's distibution packages include pre-written Priority 2 EAs stored in their text tracks or as separate descriptive files? (3.3)
Step 50: If the tool supports image formats with text tracks, does the tool check for and notify the author when Priority 2 EAs are absent from this track? (4.1)
Step 51: Does the tool check for and notify the author when separate descriptive files storing the Priority 2 EAs for an image are absent? (4.1)
Step 52: If the tool supports image formats with text tracks, does the tool assist the author in adding Priority 2 EAs when they are found to be absent? (4.2)
Step 53: Does the tool assist the author in adding Priority 2 EAs to separate descriptive files when they are found to be absent? (4.2)
Step 54: Does functionality for adding and editing the EAs stored in separate descriptive files or text tracks appear well integrated with the overall look and feel of the tool? (5.1)
Step 55: Does the documentation regarding the adding and editing the EAs stored in separate descriptive files or text track appear well integrated with the rest of the documentation (used in examples throughout, not confined to a separate section)? (6.2)
Step 56: If the tool produces a raster image in a format besides PNG, does the tool inform the author? (2.3)
Step 57: If the tool produces a vector graphic image in a format besides SVG, does the tool inform the author? (2.3)
Step 58: Does the tool prompt (require, suggest or notify the user of the absence of information and then provide a means for rectifying the situation) for the addition of separate or text track Priority 3 EAs at some point during the creation of an image (ex. after a successful save)? (3.1)
Step 59: Do the images (ex. clipart, etc.) included in the tool's distibution packages include pre-written Priority 3 EAs stored in their text tracks or as separate descriptive files? (3.3)
Step 60: Does the tool include the ability to search and reuse or otherwise manage the EAs stored in separate descriptive files or text track? (3.5)
Step 61: If the tool supports image formats with text tracks, does the tool check for and notify the author when Priority 3 EAs are absent from this track? (4.1)
Step 62: Does the tool check for and notify the author when separate descriptive files storing the Priority 3 EAs for an image are absent? (4.1)
Step 63: If the tool supports image formats with text tracks, does the tool assist the author in adding Priority 3 EAs when they are found to be absent? (4.2)
Step 64: Does the tool assist the author in adding Priority 3 EAs to separate descriptive files when they are found to be absent? (4.2)