Technology-specific Checkpoints

Introduction

This document refers to the 23 August 2000 Draft Reformulation of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

This document incorporates the technology-specific checkpoints created in May 2000.

CSS

Guideline 1.1 Provide a textual equivalent for every non-text (auditory or graphical) component or multimedia presentation.

• For CSS, this applies to use of color? Generated text? Aural cascading style sheets? Does it apply at all?

HTML

Guideline 1.1 Provide a textual equivalent for every non-text (auditory or graphical) component or multimedia presentation.

• Use "alt" for the IMG, INPUT, and APPLET elements, or provide a text equivalent in the content of the OBJECT and APPLET elements. <@@insert link to examples and discussion>
• For complex content (e.g., a chart) where the "alt" text does not provide a complete text equivalent, provide an additional description using, for example, "longdesc" with IMG or FRAME, a link inside an OBJECT element, or a description link.<@@insert link to examples and discussion>
• For image maps, either use the "alt" attribute with AREA, or use the MAP element with A elements (and other text) as content. <@@insert link to examples and discussion>
• Provide any of this information within the content of the document. <@@insert link to examples and discussion>

Guideline 2.1 Use markup languages and data models properly and in accordance with specification

• Mark up lists and list items properly

Guideline 2.2 Use style languages, where available, to control layout and presentation.

• Avoid using images to represent text -- use markup and style sheets instead (this used to say text, but applies to MathML for equations).

Guideline 2.3 Where presentation is used to communicate distinctions of meaning or structure within the content, ensure that the meaning is captured in the markup.

• Title each frame to facilitate frame identification and navigation

Guideline 2.5 Ensure that distinctions needed to the render the content auditorally or tactiely are captured in the markup.

• Mark up quotations. Do not use quotation markup for formatting effects such as indentation

Guideline 3.4 Divide large blocks of information into groups where natural and appropriate.

• Use header elements to convey document structure and use them according to specification

Guideline 5.1 Make sure that the use of newer technologies transform gracefully when a browser does not support the technology or the technology is not enabled in the user's configuration.

• Until user agents support explicit associations between labels and form controls, for all form controls with implicitly associated labels, ensure that the label is properly positioned

SMIL

Guideline 1.1 Provide a textual equivalent for every non-text (auditory or graphical) component or multimedia presentation.

• Use the "alt" attribute for media objects (image, video, audio, textstream, etc.) to specify a short text equivalent that conveys the same function as the media object.
• Use the "longdesc" attribute for media objects to specify a link to a long, more complete description of media content supplementing the description provided by alt attribute.
• Use the "title" attribute with most SMIL 1.0 elements to provide advisory information about the nature of the element. For example, for links, use it to describe the target of the link.
• Use the systems-captions attribute to flag if captions should be shown or not.
• Synchronize text captions with the audio track.
• Synchronize auditory descriptions with the video track.
• Use the switch element to provide captions or descriptions in various languages.
• Provide alternative tracks instead of alt attribute.

SVG

Guideline 1.1 Provide a textual equivalent for every non-text (auditory or graphical) component or multimedia presentation.

• Ensure each svg element and each g element that is a part of a graphic has a title and a desc. Defined symbols must have a desc, and should also have a title.

XHTML

Guideline 1.1 Provide a textual equivalent for every non-text (auditory or graphical) component or multimedia presentation.

• Use "longdesc" attribute on IMG to provide a rich description of the image when appropriate (i.e. when an understanding of the contents of the image is indispensable to an understanding of the document as a whole).
• Provide alternative content within the APPLET element (XHTML does not allow empty elements).
• Use the XHTML modules for the object and map elements (@@ needs to be more specific).

XML

Guideline 1.1 Provide a textual equivalent for every non-text (auditory or graphical) component or multimedia presentation.

• Ensure that authors can associate a text description with any non-text content (graphics, sound, multimedia, scripts, etc.) make sure this is done in the most natural way possible
• Incorporate XHTML modules for OBJECT, MAP element, SMIL switch, etc

Guideline 2.3 Where presentation is used to communicate distinctions of meaning or structure within the content, ensure that the meaning is captured in the markup.

• Create semantically-rich languages.
  • Enable the use of style sheets (linked or internal).
  • Use the standard linking mechanism.
  • Define element types that allow classification and grouping.
  • Define element types that identify important text content.
• Export semantics
  • Provide accessible documentation.
  • Provide schemas and a mean to access it.
  • Reuse accessible DTDs, schemas, etc. (xlink, xml:lang)

$Date: 2001/02/07 06:36:32 $ Wendy Chisholm