Note: This document is an early, rough draft and should not be distributed, referenced, or quoted under any circumstances.This document is under development by the Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG), and will be offered to other W3C groups and the public for review. A change log lists revisions in progress.
versions on this page: 2004.07.20 - 2004.07.16 - 2004.06.11 - 2004.06.10Web accessibility focuses on developing the Web so that people with disabilities can use it effectively. More specifically, the primary goal of Web accessibility is that people with visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological impairments can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with Web sites. How different disabilities affect Web use and scenarios of people with disabilities using the Web are described in "How People with Disabilities Use the Web."
Flexibility to meet different needs, situations, and preferences is a key principle of Web accessibility and one aspect that can benefit all Web users, including people without disabilities, people with temporary disabilities, and older people. Organizations can also benefit from Web accessibility, which is addressed in "Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization."
The Web plays an increasingly important role in education, employment, commerce, and government. An accessible Web that allows people with disabilities to actively participate in society is essential for equal opportunities in many areas. The opportunity that the Web offers of unprecedented access to information and interaction for people with disabilities is addressed in Web Accessibility is a Social Issue.
There are millions of people who have disabilities that affect their use of the Web. Currently most Web sites are designed with accessibility barriers that create unnecessary difficulties for many people with disabilities or even prevent them from using the site at all. However, if Web tools and Web sites were made accessible, people with disabilities could use the Web effectively.
Web accessibility is required by law in some cases. "Policies Relating to Web Accessibility" lists laws and policies around the world.
Web accessibility is dependent on many factors, including Web site developers, Web browsers and media players, assistive technologies, authoring tools and evaluation tools, Web technologies, and users, as explained in "Components of Web Accessibility." The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) develops guidelines for these components, that are international standards for Web accessibility.
The effort required to make a Web site accessible depends on many factors, including the type of content, the size and complexity of the site, and the development tools and environment. Many accessibility features are easily implemented when planned from the beginning of a Web development project.
Most sites today are not accessible primarily because of lack of awareness of accessibility issues when the site was initially developed. Retrofitting existing sites can require significant effort, especially sites that do not meet other Web standards, such as XHTML, and sites with certain types of content, such as multimedia.
"Implementation Plan for Web Accessibility" lists basic steps for making an organization's Web site accessible.
Simple techniques such as changing settings in a common browser can be used to determine if a Web page does or does not meet some accessibility guidelines. A comprehensive evaluation to determine if a Web site effectively meets all accessibility guidelines is much more complex.
"Evaluating Web Sites for Accessibility" includes a section on preliminary review with techniques to quickly assess some of the accessibility issues on a Web site, and a section on conformance evaluation with general procedures and tips for evaluating to accessibility guidelines.
There are automated tools that help with evaluation; however, no tool alone can determine if a site meets accessibility guidelines. Knowledgeable human evaluation is required to determine if a site is accessible.
WAI guidelines and support material to help implement the guidelines - such as "Quick Tips to Make Accessible Web Sites" - are provided free on the WAI Web site. Many other organizations also provide resources to help make the Web accessible.
Web accessibility is primarily about developing the Web so that people with disabilities can use it effectively. More specifically, the goal of Web accessibility is that people with visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with Web sites. How People with Disabilities Use the Web describes how different disabilities affect Web use and includes scenarios of people with disabilities using the Web.
An accessible Web is flexible to meet different needs, situations, and preferences. Web accessibility can benefit all Web users, including people without disabilities, people with temporary disabilities, and older people. Web accessibility also benefits organizations whose Web sites are accessible, as addressed in Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization.
One example of Web accessibility is designing a Web site so it can be used without a mouse. Some people with disabilities cannot use a mouse. Some people without disabilities may be in a situation where they cannot use a mouse, or prefer to use only a keyboard. Organizations that provide accessible Web sites that can be used without a mouse potentially get more use because of the benefits of accessible design.
Web accessibility efforts often focus on the responsibilities of Web developers; however, Web accessibility is dependent on many factors. Components of Web Accessibility explains the integrated role of Web site developers, Web browsers and media players, assistive technologies, Web authoring tools and evaluation tools, Web technologies, and Web users.
The Web plays an increasingly key role in education, employment, commerce, and government. An accessible Web that allows people with disabilities to actively participate in society is essential for equal opportunities in many areas. Web Accessibility is a Social Issue discusses the opportunity the Web offers of unprecedented access to information and interaction for people with disabilities.
There are millions of people who have disabilities that affect their use of the Web. Currently most Web sites are designed so that many people with disabilities have unnecessary difficulties using them or cannot use them at all. However, if Web developers made Web tools and Web sites accessible, people with disabilities could use the Web effectively, as demonstrated in How People with Disabilities Use the Web.
Web accessibility is required by law in some cases. Policies Relating to Web Accessibility lists information related to Web accessibility governmental laws and policies around the world. Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization: Legal Factors includes guidance on determining which policies apply to a specific Web site.
The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) developers guidelines that are international standards for Web accessibility. Components of Web Accessibility explains the role of the different WAI guidelines for Web content, browsers, media players, assistive technologies, authoring tools, and accessibility evaluation tools.
The WAI guidelines and support material to help implement the guidelines - such as Quick Tips to Make Accessible Web Sites - are provided free on the WAI Web site. Many other organizations also provide resources to help make the Web accessible.
The effort required to make a Web site accessible depends on many factors, including the type of content, the size and complexity of the site, and the development tools and environment. Many accessibility features are easily implemented when planned from the beginning of a Web development project.
Most sites today are not accessible primarily because of lack of awareness of accessibility issues when the site was initially developed. Retrofitting existing sites can require significant effort, especially sites that do not meet other Web standards - such as XHTML - and sites with certain types of content - such as multimedia.
Implementation Plan for Web Accessibility lists basic steps for making an organization's Web site accessible.
It is fairly easy to determine if a Web page does or does not meet some of the basic accessibility guidelines by conducting a preliminary review with simple techniques such as interacting without a mouse and changing settings in a common browser. A comprehensive evaluation to determine if a Web site effectively meets all accessibility guidelines is much more complex.
There are automated tools that help with evaluation; however, no tool alone can determine if a site meets accessibility guidelines. Knowledgeable human evaluation is required to determine if a site meets all accessibility guidelines.
Evaluating Web Sites for Accessibility includes a section on preliminary review with techniques to quickly assess some of the accessibility issues on a Web site, and on conformance evaluation with general procedures and tips for evaluating to accessibility guidelines.
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Web accessibility is making the Web usable by everyone, regardless of disability.
Web accessibility focuses on designing so that people with disabilities can use the Web effectively. For example, some people cannot use a mouse. Web accessibility ensures that the Web can be used with only a keyboard and does not require a mouse.
More specifically, the goal of Web accessibility is that people with visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web.
How People with Disabilities Use the Web describes how different disabilities affect Web use and includes scenarios of people with disabilities using the Web.
Web accessibility efforts often focus on the responsibilities of Web developers; however, Web accessibility is dependent on many factors. Components of Web Accessibility explains the integrated role of Web site developers, Web browsers and media players, assistive technologies, Web authoring tools and evaluation tools, Web technologies, and Web users.
An accessible Web is flexible to meet different needs, situations, and preferences. Web accessibility can benefit all Web users, including people without disabilities, people with temporary disabilities, and older people. For example, people without disabilities might need to use the Web without a mouse in certain situations.
Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization lists many benefits of Web accessibility. The Technical Factors and Financial Factors pages include benefits to organizations that make their Web site accessible.
The Web plays an increasingly key role in education, employment, commerce, and government. An accessible Web that allows people with disabilities to actively participate in society is essential for equal opportunities in many areas. Web Accessibility is a Social Issue discusses the opportunity the Web offers of unprecedented access to information and interaction for people with disabilities.
There are millions of people who have disabilities that affect their use of the Web. Currently most Web sites are designed so that many people with disabilities have unnecessary difficulties using them or cannot use them at all. However, if Web developers made Web tools and Web sites accessible, people with disabilities could use the Web effectively, as demonstrated in How People with Disabilities Use the Web.
Web accessibility is required by law in some cases. Policies Relating to Web Accessibility lists information related to Web accessibility governmental laws and policies around the world. Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization: Legal Factors includes guidance on determining which policies apply to a specific Web site.
The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) developers guidelines which are international standards for Web accessibility. Components of Web Accessibility explains the role of the different WAI guidelines for Web content, browsers, media players, assistive technologies, authoring tools, and accessibility evaluation tools.
The WAI guidelines and support material to help implement the guidelines, such as Quick Tips to Make Accessible Web Sites, are provided free on the WAI Web site. Many other organizations also provide resources to help make the Web accessible.
The effort required to make a Web site accessible depends on many factors, including the type of content, the size and complexity of the site, and the development tools and environment. Many accessibility features are easily implemented when planned from the beginning of a Web development project.
Most sites today are not accessible primarily because of lack of awareness of accessibility issues when the site was initially developed. Retrofitting existing sites can require significant effort, especially sites that do not meet other Web standards (such as XHTML) and sites with certain types of content such as multimedia.
Implementation Plan for Web Accessibility lists basic steps for making an organization's Web site accessible.
It is fairly easy to determine if a Web page does or does not meet some of the basic accessibility guidelines by conducting a preliminary review with simple techniques such as interacting without a mouse and changing settings in a common browser. A comprehensive evaluation to determine if a Web site meets all accessibility guidelines is much more complex.
There are automated tools that help with evaluation; however, no tool alone can determine if a site meets accessibility guidelines. Knowledgeable human evaluation is required to determine if a site meets all accessibility guidelines.
Evaluating Web Sites for Accessibility includes a section on preliminary review with techniques to quickly identify some of the accessibility problems on a Web site, and on conformance evaluation with general procedures and tips for evaluating to accessibility guidelines.
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Version: Early Draft 2004.06.10
At the most basic level, Web accessibility is about people with disabilities being able to use the Web. The goal of Web accessibility is that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with Web sites and Web applications. An accessible Web is flexible to meet different needs and preferences.
Components of Web Accessibility explains the role of Web sites and Web applications, Web browsers and media players, assistive technologies, Web authoring and evaluation tools, Web technologies, and people in the Web accessibility.
How People with Disabilities Use the Web provides a general introduction to how people with different kinds of disabilities use the Web through scenarios describing Web accessibility.
The "Web Accessibility is a Cross-Disability Issue" online slide lists some examples of requirements for people with different kinds of disabilities.
Web pages often include images, such as graphical navigation buttons, illustrations, and photos. People who are blind cannot see the images. Most people who are blind use a screen reader, which reads aloud the text on a screen. However, screen readers cannot "read" a bitmap image itself.
Accessibility provides equivalent text descriptions for images, so that people who cannot see the images can get the information they need about the images. For example, the text descriptions of the images at the top of this page are "W3C logo" and "Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) logo". These text descriptions are called ‘alt text’, which is short for alternative text. Alt text is read by screen readers and similar assistive technology.
Alt text for images is just one example of accessibility for people who are blind, which is just one disability. It is important to remember that Web design also affects people with other disabilities.
Web Accessibility is a Social Issue in "Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization: Social Factors" discusses in more detail why web accessibility is important.
Policies Relating to Web Accessibility lists information related to Web accessibility governmental laws and policies around the world. Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization: Legal Factors includes guideance on determining if policies apply to a specific Web site.
In many countries the Web is increasingly used for government information and services, education and training, commerce, news, workplace interaction, civic participation, and entertainment. There are millions of people who have disabilities that affect their use of the Web. An accessible Web that allows people with disabilities to actively participate is essential for equal opportunities in many areas.
Currently there are significant barriers on the Web such that many people with disabilities have unnecessary difficulties using the Web, and in some cases cannot effectively use the Web at all. However, if Web developers made sites accessible, people with disabilities could use the Web. Because the Web can be made accessible, it offers the opportunity of unprecedented access to information and interaction for people with disabilities.
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Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization is a 5-page resource suite that includes many benefits of Web accessibility. For example, Social Factors lists how accessibility benefits people with and without disabilities, such as older people; and Technical Factors and Financial Factors include benefits to organizations that provide accessible Web sites.
The primary focus of Web accessibility is access by people with disabilities, including people with visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities that affect access to the Web. Accessibility also benefits people without disabilities who use accessible Web sites, and benefits organizations that make their site accessible.
Alt text (described in web accessibility example above) is also an example of how accessibility benefits people without disabilities. Some people cannot see images because they are working with a handheld device that cannot display images, or they have turned off image downloading because they have a slow Internet connection. Alt text can be displayed instead of the image in these cases. An example of benefits to organizations is that search engines can index alt text; for example, the content of a logo bitmap image is not available to search engines, but the alt text is.
Components of Web Accessibility explains the role of different WAI accessibility guidelines.
The WCAG Introduction explains the role of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) in helping make Web sites accessible, and links to related documents such as Quick Tips to Make Accessible Web Sites.
Implementation Plan for Web Accessibility describes basic steps for making an organization's Web site accessible.
The effort required to make a Web site accessible depends on many factors, such as the type of Web content, the size and complexity of the site, and the development environment. Most accessibility features are easily implemented when planned from the beginning of a Web development project.
Many sites today are not accessible primarily because of lack of awareness of accessibility issues when the site was initially developed. Retrofitting existing sites can require significant effort, especially sites that do not meet other Web standards (such as XHTML), and certain types of content such as multimedia.
Evaluating Web Sites for Accessibility provides guideance on evaluating Web accessibility. It includes a section on preliminary review to quickly identify some of the accessibility problems on a Web site, and on conformance evaluation.
It is fairly easy to determine if a Web page meets most basic accessibility guidelines by conducting a "preliminary review". Simple techniques such as changing settings in a common browser and interacting without a mouse can identify accessibility problems.
There are also automated tools that help with evaluation; however, no tool alone can determine if a site meets accessibility guidelines. Knowledgeable human evaluation is required to determine if a site meets all accessibility guidelines, which can be called a "conformance evaluation".
Editor: Shawn Lawton Henry. Developed by the Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG).
Last updated $Date: 2004/08/02 19:19:24 $ by $Author: shawn $