Long ago...

...Today

Web is Everywhere!

One Web...
The Open Web Platform

Making the Web Accessible

Web accessibility addresses several components that work together:

• Content - websites, web applications, documents, ...
• Browsers - media players, assistive technology, ...
• Authoring Tools - content management systems, ...
• Technologies - HTML, CSS, XML, SVG, SMIL, ...

Components of Web Accessibility

WCAG 2.0

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0:

• Principles (4)
  • Guidelines (12)
    • Success Criteria - Level A (25)
    • Success Criteria - Level AA (13)
    • Success Criteria - Level AAA (23)
• Conformance

Supported by non-formative WCAG 2.0 Techniques

WCAG 2.0 Techniques

Documented non-normative ways for implementing WCAG 2.0:

• Sufficient Techniques - ways that meet the requirements
• Advisory Techniques - good practice beyond the minimum
• Failures - commonly known mistakes that must be avoided

Techniques need to have sufficient accessibility support to work!

Non-Exclusive,
Non-Exhaustive

Techniques documented by W3C are not the only ways to meet WCAG 2.0:

• Techniques by technology vendors
• Language-specific techniques
• Techniques in particular contexts
• Techniques by trusted entities

Feedback and contribution of new techniques are welcome.

Accessibility Support

Techniques are not guaranteed to be accessibility-supported by:

• Web technologies
• Web browsers
• Assistive technologies
• Operating systems

...and individual versions and combinations of these!

Crowd Source?

Accessibility Support Database in development:

• Anyone can suggest test cases
• Vetted test cases are provided
• Anyone can provide test results
• Anyone can browse test results

First prototype expected in the third quarter.

Conformance Evaluation

Website Accessibility Conformance Evaluation Methodology (WCAG-EM) 1.0:

• Process-oriented guidance
• W3C Note to support WCAG 2.0
• Does not change WCAG 2.0
• Currently a Working Draft
• To be finalized by December

5 Steps of WCAG-EM

WCAG-EM is designed around 5 steps of evaluation:

1. Define the evaluation scope
2. Explore the target website
3. Select representative sample
4. Audit the selected sample
5. Report evaluation findings

Feedback, participtation, and contribution is welcome!

Developer Support

Accessibility Tutorials for WCAG 2.0:

• Short thematic articles on tables, forms, carousels, ...
• Brief explanation of the basic accessibility concepts
• Build up of examples from basic to advanced aspects
• References to guidelines and techniques throughout

Feedback, participtation, and contribution is welcome!

Thank You

Shadi Abou-Zahra, W3C/WAI
Activity Lead, WAI International Program Office
http://www.w3.org/People/shadi/