ATAG
Checkpoint 7.1: Use all applicable
operating system and accessibility standards and conventions (Priority 1 for
standards and conventions that are essential to accessibility; Priority 2 for
those that are important to accessibility; Priority 3 for those that are
beneficial to accessibility).
Techniques:
The techniques for
this checkpoint include references to checklists and guidelines for a number
of platforms and to general guidelines for accessible applications. This list does
not cover all requirements for all platforms, and items may not apply to some
software. In addition, not all of the guidelines and checklists for
application accessibility are prioritized according to their impact on
accessibility. For instance, the priorities in "The Microsoft Windows
Guidelines for Accessible Software Design" [MS-SOFTWARE] are partially
determined by a logo requirement program. Therefore, developers may need to
compare the documents they are using to other UAAG 1.0 [UAAG10]
that has a priority system that is directly compatible with the priorities in
[ATAG10]. Also, when user
interfaces are built as Web content, they should follow the Web Content
Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 [WCAG10].
- Following
Standards
- Draw text and objects using system conventions. [T0249]
- Make mouse, keyboard, and API activation of
events consistent. [T0250]
- Provide a user interface that is "familiar" (to system standards,
or across platform). [T0251]
- Use system standard indirections and APIs wherever
possible. [T0252]
- Ensure all dialogs, subwindows, etc., satisfy these requirements.
[T0253]
- Avoid blocking assistive technology functions (sticky/mouse keys,
screenreader controls, etc.) where possible. [T0254]
- Configurability
- Allow users to create profiles. [T0255]
- Allow control of timing, colors, sizes, input/output devices and
media. [T0256]
- Allow users to reshape the user interface - customize toolbars,
keyboard commands, etc. [T0257]
- Input Device Independence
- Provide Keyboard access to all functions. [T0258]
- Document all keyboard bindings. [T0259]
- Provide customizable keyboard shortcuts for common functions. [T0260]
- Provide logical navigation order for the keyboard interface. [T0261]
- Avoid repetitive keying wherever possible. [T0262]
- Provide mouse access to functions where possible. [T0263]
- Icons, Graphics, Sounds
- Provide graphical (text) equivalents for sound warnings. [T0264]
- Allow sounds to be turned off. [T0265]
- Provide text equivalents for images/icons. [T0266]
- Use customizable (or removable) colors/patterns. [T0267]
- Ensure high contrast is available (as default setting). [T0268]
- Provide text equivalents for all audio. [T0269]
- Use icons that are resizable or available in multiple sizes. [T0270]
- Layout
- Do not rely on color alone for meaning. Use color for
differentiation, in combination with accessible cues (text
equivalents, natural language, etc.). [T0271]
- Position objects and their related text labels in a consistent and
obvious manner (labels before objects is recommended). [T0272]
- Group related controls. [T0273]
- Ensure default window sizes fit in screen. [T0274]
- Allow for window resizing (very small to very large). [T0275]
- User Focus
- Clearly identify the user focus (and expose it via API). [T0276]
- Viewing content (i.e., moving the focus to a new point) should not
cause unexpected events. [T0277]
- Allow user control of timing (i.e., delays, time-dependent
response, etc.) [T0278]
- Allow for navigation between as well as within windows. [T0279]
- Documentation
- Provide documentation for all features of the tool. [T0280]
- Ensure that help functions are accessible. [T0281]
References:
- Guidelines for specific platforms include:
- Java: "IBM Guidelines for Writing Accessible
Applications Using 100% Pure Java" [JAVA-ACCESS] R.
Schwerdtfeger, IBM Special Needs Systems.
- X Windows: "An ICE Rendezvous Mechanism for X
Window System Clients" [ICE-RAP], W. Walker. A
description of how to use the ICE and RAP protocols for X Window
clients.
- MS Active Accessibility: "Information for
Developers About Microsoft Active Accessibility" [MSAA]
Microsoft Corporation.
- X Windows: "The Inter-Client communication
conventions manual" [ICCCM]. A protocol for
communication between clients in the X Window system.
- Lotus Notes: "Lotus Notes accessibility
guidelines" [NOTES-ACCESS] IBM
Special Needs Systems.
- Java: "Java accessibility guidelines and
checklist" [JAVA-CHECKLIST]
IBM Special Needs Systems.
- Java Swing: "The Java Tutorial. Trail: Creating a
GUI with JFC/Swing" [JAVA-TUT]. An online
tutorial that describes how to use the Swing Java Foundation Class to
build an accessible User Interface.
- Macintosh: "Macintosh Human Interface Guidelines"
[APPLE-HI] Apple
Computer Inc.
- MS Windows: "The Microsoft Windows Guidelines for
Accessible Software Design"c [MS-SOFTWARE].
- Guidelines for specific software types include:
- Authoring Tools: "The Three-tions of
Accessibility-Aware HTML Authoring Tools" [ACCESS-AWARE], J.
Richards.
- User Agents: "User Agent Accessibility Guidelines
(Working Draft)" J. Gunderson, I. Jacobs eds. (This is a work in
progress) [UAAG10]
- General guidelines for producing accessible software include:
- Microsoft: "Accessibility for applications
designers" [MS-ENABLE] Microsoft
Corporation.
- Trace: "Application Software Design Guidelines"
[TRACE-REF] compiled
by G. Vanderheiden. A thorough reference work.
- Sun: "Designing for Accessibility" [SUN-DESIGN] Eric
Bergman and Earl Johnson. This paper discusses specific disabilities
including those related to hearing, vision, and cognitive
function.
- EITAAG: "EITAAC Desktop Software standards"
[EITAAC] Electronic
Information Technology Access Advisory (EITACC) Committee.
- US Sept. of Education: "Requirements for
Accessible Software Design" [ED-DEPT] US Department
of Education, version 1.1 March 6, 1997.
- IBM: "Software Accessibility" [IBM-ACCESS] IBM
Special Needs Systems
- "Towards Accessible Human-Computer Interaction" [SUN-HCI] Eric Bergman,
Earl Johnson, Sun Microsystems 1995. A substantial paper, with a
valuable print bibliography.
- "What is Accessible Software" [WHAT-IS] James W.
Thatcher, Ph.D., IBM, 1997. This paper gives a short example-based
introduction to the difference between software that is accessible,
and software that can be used by some assistive technologies.
ATAG Checkpoint
7.2:
Allow the author to change the presentation within editing views without affecting the document
markup. [Priority 1]
This allows the author to edit the document according to personal
requirements, without changing the way the document is rendered when
published.
Techniques:
- Respect system settings (see ATAG checkpoint 7.1).
- For tools with
editing views, the author must have the ability to change the fonts,
colors, sizing (zoom), etc. within the editing view, independently of the
ability to control the markup that is actually produced. [T0282]
- For tools
that display the source structure of a document using graphic
representations of tags, provide the author with the option of displaying
the text of the elements, instead (i.e., <html> rather than a
generic marker image). [T0283]
- An authoring
tool that offers a "rendered view" of a document, such as a browser
preview mode, may provide an editing view whose presentation can be
controlled independently of the rendered view. [T0284]
- A WYSIWYG
editor may allow an author to specify a local style sheet, that will
override the "published" style of the document in the editing view. [T0285]
- Allow the
author to create audio style sheets using a graphical representation
rather than an audio one (with accessible representation, of course). [T0286]
ATAG Checkpoint
7.3:
Allow the author to edit all properties of each element and object in an accessible fashion.
[Priority 1]
Techniques:
- Allow the
author to individually edit each attribute of the elements in an HTML or
XML document, for example, through a menu. This must include the ability
to add and edit later, values for all valid attributes. [T0287]
- For tools
that graphically represented element start and end tags, text equivalent
must be provided in order to be accessible to assistive technologies that
render text as Braille, speech, or large print.[T0288]
- An
authoring tool may offer several editing views of the same document, such
as a source mode that allows direct editing of all properties. [T0289]
- For a site
management tool, allow the author to render a site map in text form
(i.e., as a structured tree file). [T0290
]
- Allow the
author to specify that alternative information (or identifiers such as a
URI or filename) are rendered in place of images or other multimedia
content while editing. [T0291]
- Include
attributes / properties of elements in a view of the structure. [T0292]
- Provide access
to a list of properties via a "context menu" for each element. [T0293]
ATAG Checkpoint
7.4: Ensure that the editing view allows navigation via the
structure of the document in an accessible fashion. [Priority 1]
Techniques:
- To minimally
satisfy this checkpoint, allow navigation from element to element. [T0295]
- Allow the
author to navigate via an "outline" or "structure" of the document being
edited. This is particularly important for people who are using a slow
interface such as a small Braille device, or speech output, or a single
switch input device. It is equivalent to the ability provided by a mouse
interface to move rapidly around the document. [T0296]
- In a hypertext
document, allow the author to navigate among links and active elements of
a document. [T0297]
- For
time-based presentations (i.e., SMIL), allow the author to navigate
temporally through the presentation. [T0298]
- For an
image expressed in a structured language (i.e., SVG), allow the author to
navigate regions of the image, or the document tree. [T0299]
- Implement
the HTML
"accesskey"
attribute, and activate it in editing
views. [T0294]
ATAG Checkpoint 7.5: Enable editing of the structure of the document
in an accessible fashion. [Priority 2]
Techniques:
- An authoring tool
may offer a structured tree view of the document that allows the author
to move among, select and cut, copy or paste elements of the document.
[T0300]
- A WYSIWYG tool may
allow elements to be selected, and copied or moved while retaining their
structure. [T0301]
- A tool may allow
transformation from one element type to another, such as:
- HTML: Paragraphs to lists and back [T0302]
- HTML:
BR
to P [T0303]
- SMIL: Transformations between
switch
,
excl
, and par [T0304]
- HTML:
FONT
(deprecated) into
heuristically determined structure [T0305]
- MathML: Transformations between semantic and
presentation markup [T0306]
- SVG:
g
to symbol [T0307]
- Lists of lists to tables and back [T0308]
- Giving a structural role to a part of an element, such as an SVG
g
or an HTML p
element [T0309]
Techniques:
- Allow the user
to search for a sequence of characters as a minimal measure for meeting
this checkpoint. [T0310]
- More powerful
searches can include the ability to perform searches that are case
sensitive or case-insensitive, the ability to replace a search string,
the ability to repeat a previous search to find the next or previous
occurrence, or to select multiple occurrences with a single search. [T0311]
- The ability to
search for a particular type of structure is useful in a structured
document, structured image such as a complex SVG image, etc. [T0312]
- In an
image editor, the ability to select an area by properties (such as color,
or closeness of color) is useful and common in middle range and high end
image processing software. [T0313]
- The ability
to search a database for particular content, or to search a collection of
files at once (a simple implementation of the latter is the Unix function
"grep") is an important tool in managing large collections, especially
those that are dynamically converted into Web content. [T0314]
- The use of
metadata (per WCAG 1.0 [WCAG10]) can allow for very
complex searching of large collections, or of timed presentations. Refer
also to the paper "A Comparison of Schemas for Dublin Core-based Video
Metadata Representation" [SEARCHABLE] for
discussion specifically addressing timed multimedia presentations. [T0315]
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