Intent of Guideline 1.1
The purpose of this guideline is to ensure that all non-text content is also available in text. "Text" refers to electronic text, not an image of text. Electronic text has the unique advantage that it [begin add]is presentation neutral. That is, it
[2319]
[end add] can be rendered visually, auditorily, tactilely, or by any combination. As a result, information rendered in electronic text can be presented in whatever form best meets the needs of the user. It can also be easily enlarged, spoken in a voice that is easy to understand, or rendered in whatever tactile form best meets the needs of a user.
Intent of this Success Criterion
The intent of this Success Criterion is to make information conveyed by non-text content accessible through the use of a text alternative. Text alternatives are a primary way for making information accessible because they can be rendered through any sensory modality (for example, visual, auditory or tactile) to match the needs of the user. Providing text alternatives allows the information to be rendered in a variety of ways by a variety of user agents. For example, a person who cannot see a picture can have the text alternative read aloud using synthesized speech. A person who cannot hear an audio file can have the text alternative displayed so that he or she can read it. In the future, text alternatives will also allow information to be more easily translated into sign language or into a simpler form of the same language.
[begin add]
Note on CAPTCHA
CAPTCHAs are a controversial topic in the accessibility community. As is described in the paper Inaccessibility of CAPTCHA, CAPTCHAs intrinsically push the edges of human abilities in an attempt to defeat automated processes. Every type of CAPTCHA will be unsolvable by users with certain particular disabilities. However, they are widely used, and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group believes that if CAPTCHAs were forbidden outright, Web sites would choose not to conform to WCAG rather than abandon CAPTCHA. This would create barriers for a great many more users with disabilities. For this reason the Working Group has chosen to structure the requirement about CAPTCHA in a way that meets the needs of most people with disabilities, yet is also considered adoptable by sites. Requiring two different forms of CAPTCHA on a given site ensures that most people with disabilities will find a form they can use.
Because some users with disabilities will still not be able to access sites that meet the minimum requirements, the Working Group provides recommendations for additional steps. Organizations motivated to conform to WCAG should be aware of the importance of this topic and should go as far beyond the minimum requirements of the guidelines as possible. Additional recommended steps include:
Providing more than two modalities of CAPTCHAs
Providing access to a human customer service representative who can bypass CAPTCHA
Not requiring CAPTCHAs for authorized users
[1940]
[end add] Additional information
Non-text content can take a number of forms, and this Success Criterion specifies how each is to be handled.
For non-text content that is not covered by one of the other situations listed below,
such as charts, diagrams, audio recordings, pictures, and animations, text alternatives can make the same information available in a form that can be rendered through any modality (for example, visual, auditory or tactile). Short and long text alternatives can be used as needed to convey the information in the non-text content. Note that
prerecorded
audio-only and
prerecorded
video-only files are covered here.
Live-audio-only and
Live-video-only files are covered below (see 3rd paragraph following this one).
For non-text content that is a control or accepts user input
, such as images used as submit buttons or complex animations, a name is provided to describe the purpose of the non-text content so that the person at least knows what the non-text content is and why it is there.
Non-text content that is synchronized media
is made accessible through guideline 1.2. However it is important that users know what it is when they encounter it on a page so they can decide what action if any they want to take with it. A text alternative that describes the synchronized media and/or gives its title is therefore provided.
Live Audio-only and live video-only files
- It is much more difficult to provide text alternatives that convey the same information as live audio-only and live video-only content. For these types of non-text content, text alternatives provide a descriptive label.
Sometimes a test or exercise must use a particular sense. Audio or visual information is provided that cannot be changed to text because the test or exercise must be conducted using that sense. For example, a hearing test would be invalid if a text alternative were provided. A visual skill development exercise would similarly make no sense in text form. And a spelling test with text alternatives would not be very effective. For these cases, text alternatives should be provided to describe the purpose of the non-text content; of course, the text alternatives would not provide the same information needed to pass the test.
Sometimes content is primarily intended to create a specific sensory experience that words cannot fully capture. Examples include a symphony performance, works of visual art etc. For such content, text alternatives at least identify the non-text content with a descriptive label and where possible, some descriptive text. If the reason for including the content in the page is known and can be described it is helpful to include that information.
Sometimes there are non-text exercises that are used to prove you are human. To avoid spam robots and other software from gaining access to a site a device called a CAPTCHA is used. These usually involve visual or auditory tasks that are beyond the current capabilities of Web robots. Providing a text alternative to them would however make them operable by Robots, thus defeating their purpose. In this case a text alternative would describe the purpose of the CAPTCHA, and alternate forms using different modalities would be provided to address the needs of people with different disabilities.
Sometimes there is non-text content that really is not meant to be seen or understood by the user. Transparent images used to move text over on a page; a one pixel transparent "Web-bug" that tells the author when the page is viewed; and a swirl in the corner that conveys no information but just fills up a blank space to create an aesthetic effect are all examples of this. Putting alternative text on such items just distracts people using screen readers from the content on the page. Not marking the content in any way, though, leaves users guessing what the non-text content is and what information they may have missed (even though they have not missed anything in reality). This type of non-text content, therefore, is marked or implemented in a way that assistive technologies (AT) will ignore it and not present anything to the user.
Specific Benefits of Success Criterion 1.1.1:
This Success Criterion helps people who have difficulty perceiving visual content. Assistive technology can read text alternatives aloud, present them visually, or convert them to braille.
Text alternatives may help some people who have difficulty understanding the meaning of photographs, drawings, and other images (e.g. line drawings, graphic designs, paintings, three-dimensional representations), graphs, charts, animations, etc.
People who are deaf, are hard of hearing, or who are having trouble understanding audio information for any reason can read the text presentation. Research is ongoing regarding automatic translation of text into sign language.
People who are deaf-blind can read the text in braille.
Additionally, text alternatives support the ability to search for non-text content and to repurpose content in a variety of ways.
A data chart
A bar chart compares how many widgets were sold in June, July, and August. The short label says, "Figure one - Sales in June, July and August." The longer description identifies the type of chart, provides a high-level summary of the data, trends and implications comparable to those available from the chart. Where possible and practical, the actual data is provided in a table.
An audio recording of a speech (no video)
The link to an audio clip says, "Chairman's speech to the assembly." A link to a text transcript is provided immediately after the link to the audio clip.
An animation that illustrates how a car engine works
An animation shows how a car engine works. There is no audio and the animation is part of a tutorial that describes how an engine works. Since the text of the tutorial already provides a full explanation, the text alternative has a brief description of the image and refers to the tutorial text for more information.
A traffic Web camera
A Web site allows users to select from a variety of Web cameras positioned throughout a major city. After a camera is selected, the image updates every two minutes. A short text alternative identifies the Web camera as "traffic Web camera." The site also provides a table of travel times for each of the routes covered by the Web cameras. The table is also updated every two minutes.
A photograph of an historic event in a news story
A photograph of two world leaders shaking hands accompanies a news story about an international summit meeting. The text alternative says, "President X of Country X shakes hands with Prime Minister Y of country Y."
A photograph of a historic event in content discussing diplomatic relationships
The same image is used in a different context intended to explain nuances in diplomatic encounters. The image of the president shaking hands with the prime minister appears on a Web site discussing intricate diplomatic relationships. The first text alternative reads, "President X of country X shakes hands with Prime Minister Y of country Y on January 2, 2009." An additional text alternative describes the room where the leaders are standing as well as the expressions on the leaders' faces, and identifies the other people in the room. The additional description might be included on the same page as the photograph or in a separate file associated with the image through a link or other standard programmatic mechanism.
An audio recording
The Web page described in the previous example includes a link to an audio recording of the leaders' press conference. The page also links to a text transcript of the press conference. The transcript includes a verbatim record of everything the speakers say. It identifies who is speaking as well as noting other significant sounds that are part of the recording, such as applause, laughter, questions from the audience, and so on.
An e-learning application
An e-learning application uses sound effects to indicate whether or not the answers are correct. The chime sound indicates that the answer is correct and the beep sound indicates that the answer is incorrect. A text description is also included so that people who can't hear or understand the sound understand whether the answer is correct or incorrect.
A linked thumbnail image
A thumbnail image of the front page of a newspaper links to the home page of the "Smallville Times". The text alternative says "Smallville Times".
[begin add] Different alternatives for an image of the world: An image of the world that is used on a travel site as a link to the International Travel section has the text alternative "International Travel". The same image is used as a link on a university Web site with the text alternative "International Campuses".
[2331]
[end add]
Each numbered item in this section represents a technique or combination of techniques that the WCAG Working Group deems sufficient for meeting this Success Criterion. The techniques listed only satisfy the Success Criterion if all of the WCAG 2.0 conformance requirements have been met.
[begin add] Live Audio-only:
Understanding SC 1.1.2
[begin add]
1.1.2 Live Audio-only: All live audio-only content has a text alternative
[1944]
(Level AAA)
[end add]
Intent of this Success Criterion
The intent of this Success Criterion is to make information conveyed by live audio, such as video conferencing, live speeches and radio Webcasts, accessible through the use of a text alternative. A live text caption service will enable live audio to be accessible to people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, or who cannot otherwise hear the audio. Such services use a trained human operator who listens in to what is being said and uses a special keyboard to enter the text with only a small delay. They are able to capture a live event with a high degree of fidelity, and also to insert notes on any non spoken audio which is essential to understanding the event. A transcript is sometimes a possibility if the live audio is following a set script; but a live caption service is preferred because it plays out at the same pace as the audio itself, and can adapt to any deviations from the script that might occur.
Using untrained operators, or providing a transcript which differs markedly from what actually happens would not be considered meeting this Success Criterion.
Examples of Success Criterion 1.1.2
A public relations firm uses Web based caption services to cover live events; the output from the service is incorporated in a sub frame of the Web page which includes the streaming audio control.
A live radio play of a fringe theatre group is being broadcast to the Web. As the actors stick largely to a set script, and the budget for the program is small, the producers provide a link (with the playwright's permission) to the script of the play.
A streaming audio server uses a media format which can also accommodate text and graphics, such as Flash or Silverlight. A stenographer is used to create live captions at an event, and these are mixed on the fly to produce live captions in the media stream which can be viewed by the media player.
A CEO is to give a press release by telephone to the media in response to a breaking news story, the audio is being recorded and streamed over the internet, but due to time constraints a Web captioning service cannot be set up in time. As the press release is a set statement which the CEO will be reading out, the company simultaneously provides the transcript of the release.
Related Resources
Resources are for information purposes only, no endorsement implied.
Techniques and Failures for Success Criterion 1.1.2 - Live Audio-only
Each numbered item in this section represents a technique or combination of techniques that the WCAG Working Group deems sufficient for meeting this Success Criterion. The techniques listed only satisfy the Success Criterion if all of the WCAG 2.0 conformance requirements have been met.
Sufficient Techniques
Providing a viewport to a live text service which is being created by a trained stenographer who transcribes the spoken audio with minimal errors (future link)
Providing a link to a text transcript of a prepared statement or script if the script is followed (future link)
Additional Techniques (Advisory)
Although not required for conformance, the following additional techniques should be considered in order to make content more accessible. Not all techniques can be used or would be effective in all situations.
Metadata Techniques
Using metadata to associate text transcriptions with audio-only content (future link)
EXAMPLE: Providing, in metadata, URL(s) that point to several text transcripts (English, French, Dutch) of an audio file.
Failures
The following are common mistakes that are considered failures of Success Criterion 1.1.2 by the WCAG Working Group.
(No failures currently documented)
[end add]