Ingredients for Web Accessibility: A Step-Through Overview

[@@introduction@@ Much of the focus of Web accessibility has been on the responsibilities of Web content developers. This view misses the crucial interdependence of other "ingredients" of Web development and interaction.]

This overview introduces how the different ingredients each have a role in Web accessibility, and the WAI guidelines for the different ingredients.

See also:
About Ingredients for Web Accessibility Step-Through Overview
includes instructions for using this material.

Web Content

Web content is the information in a Web page or Web application,
including text, images, forms, sounds, and such.

Getting Web Content

People ("users") use Web browsers, media players, assistive technologies, and other "user agents" to get and interact with Web content.

• Web browsers, media players, and other "user agents" are software that you use to get and interact with Web content
• Assistive technologies are software and hardware that people with disabilities use to interact with the Web, such as screen readers, alternative keyboards, switches, and scanning software, and such
• Users' knowledge, skill, and strategies for using the Web are an ingredient in Web accessibility

Making Web Content

Web content developers use authoring tools and evaluation tools to create Web content.

• Content developers are content producers, designers, coders, authors, and such, including developers with disabilities and users who contribute content to the Web
• Authoring tools are software to create and modify Web sites, including Web page editors, Word processors that save files in web formats, content managements systems (CMS), and Web sites that let users add content, such as blogs, wikis, and photo-sharing sites
• Evaluation tools help determine if a Web site is accessible, and include Web accessibility evaluation tools, HTML validators, and CSS validators

The Power of One Ingredient

• When one ingredient has poor accessibility support, Web accessibility doesn't work well
• On the other hand, when one ingredient has good accessibility support, the others are likely to follow
  • Authoring tools example: When an authoring tools makes it easy to implement a Web accessibility feature, content developers are more likely to implement that feature in their content.

Ingredients for Web Accessibility

Question: How do you know who is suppose to do what for Web accessibility?
Answer: W3C WAI Accessibility Guidelines...

W3C WAI Accessibility Guidelines

• Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) addresses authoring tools
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) addresses Web content, and is used by content developers, authoring tools, and accessibility evaluation tools
• User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG) addresses Web browsers and media players, including some aspects of assistive technologies

For More Information

• Essential Components of Web Accessibility provides more explanantion of how these ingredients need to work together for Web accessibility
• Overview of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Slides introduce Web accessibility and the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
• WAI home page lists Web accessibility highlights and links to myriad resources, including Introduction to Web Accessibility and How WAI Develops Accessibility Guidelines through the W3C Process: Milestones and Opportunities to Contribute

Version: DRAFT $Date: Wednesday 13 September 2006 - 11:42:38$
Editor: Shawn Lawton Henry. Graphic artist: Michael Duffy.
Developed with the Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG).
[Contacting WAI] Feedback welcome to wai-eo-editors@w3.org.