This document is designed to be used a the basis for discussion of the priorities of techniques for the user agent working draft, please send comments on the priorities to the UA list at w3c-wai-ua@w3.org, or contact the editor, Jon Gunderson, at jongund@uiuc.edu.
Reflect the importance of a technique to the users ability to access information.
Implementation is recommendation is based on how best to implement a technique
Priority 1 and Direct Implementation (currently 69 techniques)
Priority 1 and Direct or Compatibility (currently 1 techniques)
Priority 1 and no current consensus on implementation (currently 13 techniques)
Priority 2 (currently 19 techniques)
Priority 3 (currently 10 techniques)
[Technique: 3.1.1] Ensure that all functionalities offered by the user agent (for the user agent itself or for access to the document) are available through redundant input and output mechanisms (e.g. not mouse-only).
[Technique: 3.1.2] Implement user agent all windows, menus, controls and toolbars using the general principles of accessible design.
[Technique: 3.1.3] Ensure that the application installation procedure, including the interface, is accessible.
[Technique: 3.2.1] Allow users to configure the user agent according to the conventions of the operating system.
[Technique: 3.2.2] Ensure that the Interface for configuring the software is accessible (e.g., no mouse-only configuration mechanisms).
[Technique: 3.2.3] Allow users to configure keyboard access (key combinations, distance between active keys, etc.).
[Technique: 3.3.1]Allow the user to turn on and off image rendering.
[Technique: 3.3.2] Allow the user to turn on and off video rendering.
[Technique: 3.3.3] Allow the user to turn on and off sound rendering.
[Technique: 3.3.4]Allow the user to turn on and off support for equivalent textual representation.
[Technique: 3.3.5]Allow the user to turn on and off blinking text for all cases when the user agent knows that text is blinking.
[Technique: 3.3.6] Allow the user to turn on and off blinking images and animations.
[Technique: 3.3.7] Allow the user to turn on and off support for scripts (including event handlers).
[Technique: 3.3.8] Allow the user to turn on and off support for style sheets.
[Technique: 3.3.9] Allow the user to turn on and off support for frames.
[Technique: 3.4.1] Ensure that installation documentation is accessible.
[Technique: 3.4.2] Ensure that the online documentation is in an accessible format.
[Technique: 3.4.3] Ensure that the online documentation interface is accessible.
[Technique: 3.5.1] Provide the user with information about keyboard bindings (organized by key or by topic).
[Technique: 3.6.1] Allow the user to follow links in a device-independent manner.
[Technique: 3.6.2] Allow the user to activate form controls in a device-independent manner.
[Technique: 3.6.3] Allow the user to trigger events in a device-independent manner.
[Technique: 4.1.1] Allow the user to override author styles and user agent defaults for font family.
[Technique: 4.1.2] Allow the user to override author styles and user agent defaults for font size.
[Technique: 4.1.3] Allow the user to override author styles and user agent defaults for foreground color.
[Technique: 4.1.4] Allow the user to override author styles and user agent defaults for background color.
[Technique: 4.1.5] Allow the user to override author styles and user agent defaults for selection foreground and background color.
[Technique: 4.1.6] Allow the user to override author styles and user agent defaults for focus foreground and background color.
[Technique: 4.1.7] Allow the user to override author styles and user agent defaults for background images.
[Technique: 4.1.8] Allow the user to override author styles and user agent defaults for animations.
[Technique: 4.1.9] Allow the user to override author styles and user agent defaults for video frame rates.
[Technique: 4.1.10] Allow the user to override author styles and user agent defaults for audio playback rate.
[Technique: 4.1.11] Allow the user to override author styles and user agent defaults for audio volume.
[Technique: 4.1.12] Allow the user to select a specific audio track when several are available.
[Technique: 4.1.13] Allow the user to override author styles and user agent defaults for speech playback rate.
[Technique: 4.1.14] Allow the user to override author styles and user agent defaults for speech volume.
[Technique: 4.2.1] Allow the user to specify that alternative representations of content (e.g., the value of "alt" in HTML or SMIL, the resource designated by "longdesc", or the content of OBJECT in HTML 4.0) be rendered in place of primary content.
[Technique: 4.2.2] Allow the user to specify that alternative representations of content (e.g., the value of "alt" in HTML or SMIL, the resource designated by "longdesc", or the content of OBJECT in HTML 4.0) be rendered at the same time as primary content.
Technique: 4.2.5] Allow the user specify that textual equivalents for audio be rendered at the same time as the audio.
[Technique: 4.2.6] Allow the user specify that textual equivalents for video be rendered at the same time as the video.
[Technique: 4.2.7] Ensure that textual equivalents rendered at the same time as video not interfere visually with the video.
[Technique: 4.2.8] Allow the user specify that audio equivalents for video be rendered at the same time as the video.
[Technique: 4.2.9] For textual equivalents, allow the user to override author styles and user agent defaults for font family.
[Technique: 4.2.10] For textual equivalents, allow the user to override author styles and user agent defaults for font size.
[Technique: 4.2.11] For textual equivalents, allow the user to override author styles and user agent defaults for foreground color.
[Technique: 4.2.12] For textual equivalents, allow the user to override author styles and user agent defaults for background color.
[Technique: 4.2.13] Allow the user to specify that alternatives to a script be rendered (e.g., in HTML, the content of NOSCRIPT).
[Technique: 4.2.14] Allow the user to specify that alternatives to a frame be rendered (e.g., in HTML, the content of NOFRAMES).
[Technique: 4.2.15] Allow the user to specify that alternatives to a table be rendered (e.g., the value of the "summary" attribute on TABLE in HTML 4.0).
[Technique: 5.1.1] Provide the user with information about the number of links in a document.
[Technique: 5.1.2] Provide the user with information about the number of form controls in a document.
[Technique: 5.1.3] Provide the user with information about the number of tables in a document.
[Technique: 5.2.1] Provide a mechanism for highlighting and identifying the current view.
[Technique: 5.2.2] Provide a mechanism for highlighting and identifying the user selection.
[Technique: 5.2.3] Provide a mechanism for highlighting and identifying the current focus.
[Technique: 5.2.4] Allow the user to specify that a view's focus should follow changes in the viewport.
[Technique: 5.4.1] Allow the user to navigate sequentially among links.
[Technique: 5.4.2] Allow the user to navigate sequentially among elements with associated long descriptions.
[Technique: 5.4.3] Allow the user to navigate sequentially among form controls.
[Technique: 5.4.4] Allow the user to navigate sequentially among elements with associated event handlers.
[Technique: 5.5.1] Allow the user to navigate views (notably those with frame viewports). Navigating into a view makes it the current view.
[Technique: 5.6.1] Allow the user to search for a link in the current document based on its link text.
[Technique: 5.6.2] Allow the user to search for a link in the current document based on its attribute values.
[Technique: 5.6.3] Allow the user to search for a link in the current document based on its position.
[Technique: 5.6.4] Allow the user to search for a form control in the current document based on its text content (label?).
[Technique: 5.6.5] Allow the user to search for a form control in the current document based on its attribute values.
[Technique: 6.1.1] Support accessibility features of HTML.
[Technique: 6.1.2] Support accessibility features of CSS.
[Technique: 6.1.3] Support accessibility features of SMIL.
[Technique: 6.2.1] Use operating system application programming interfaces (APIs) that support accessibility.
[Technique: 6.2.2] For information that can be exchanged through an interface defined by a W3C specification, user agents should implement that specification.
[Technique: 3.1.2] Implement user agent all windows, menus, controls and toolbars using the general principles of accessible design.
[Technique: 3.6.3] Allow the user to trigger events in a device-independent manner.
[Technique: 4.1.15] When new windows or user interface components are spawned, allow the user to override author-designated changes to window size.
[Technique: 4.1.16] When new windows or user interface components are spawned, allow the user to override author-designated changes to window position.
Technique: 4.3.1] Allow users to specify that a page be formatted linearly.
[Technique: 4.3.2] Allow users to specify that a table be formatted linearly.
[Technique: 5.2.5] Keep track of the user's point of regard in each view and put it within the viewport when the user returns to the view.
[Technique: 5.3.1] Alert the user when scripts are executed.
[Technique: 5.3.2] Provide information about document changes resulting from the execution of a script.
[Technique: 5.3.3] Allow users to be prompted before spawning a new window.
[Technique: 5.5.3] Provide a mechanism for designating the current table of a document.
[Technique: 5.5.4] Provide a mechanism for designating the current cell of a table.
[Technique: 5.5.5] Allow the user to navigate among tables in a document.
[Technique: 5.5.6] Allow the user to navigate among table cells of the current table (notably left/right within a row and up/down within a column).
[Technique: 3.2.4]Allow users to configure the user agent in profiles that may be shared (by other users or software). Furthermore, for convenience, users should be able to name groups of settings and be able to apply them all at once (e.g., by selecting a group by name from a menu).
[Technique: 3.4.4] Provide a section on accessibility features in the online documentation.
[Technique: 3.5.2] Display keyboard navigation shortcut commands in customizable menus.
[Technique: 4.2.3] When no alternative text representation is available, indicate what type of object is present.
[Technique: 4.3.3] Allow users to view a document outline constructed from its structural elements (e.g., from header and list elements in HTML).
[Technique: 5.1.4] Provide the user with information about the number of viewports and how they may be distinguished.
[Technique: 5.1.5] When a document is loaded or when requested by the user, make available document summary information.
[Technique: 5.1.6] Provide a mechanism to indicate visually the presence of an "accesskey" attribute defined for a link.
[Technique: 5.1.7] Provide a mechanism to indicate visually the presence of an "accesskey" attribute defined for a form control.
[Technique: 5.2.6] Provide the user with information about how much of the document has been viewed (i.e., the location of the point of regard).
[Technique: 5.2.7] Provide the user with information about which table cell is the current table cell.
[Technique: 5.4.5] Allow the user to navigate sequentially among headers.
[Technique: 5.4.6] Allow the user to navigate sequentially among block elements (e.g., paragraphs, lists and list items, etc.)
[Technique: 5.5.2] Allow the user to use the keyboard to navigate the document tree.
[Technique: 5.6.6] Allow the user to search the long description text of any element with an identifiable long description (e.g., via the "longdesc" attribute). If a match occurs, the point of regard should be moved to the link to the long description in the main document.
[Technique: 5.6.7] Allow the user to search for an element in the current document based on its text content.
[Technique: 6.2.3] Otherwise, if an accessible application programming interface (API) is available for the exchange, user agents should implement that interface agents should implement that specification.
[Technique: 6.2.4] Otherwise, standard interfaces defined for the operating system should be used.
[Technique: 6.2.5] Make use of operating system accessibility flags and interfaces.
[Technique: 3.2.5] Allow the user, through a keyboard command, to switch between user agent default values and the user profile.
[Technique: 3.2.6] Allow the user to name a group of settings and to apply them all at once (e.g., by selecting a group by name from a menu).
[Technique: 3.2.7] Furnish predefined profiles of user agent feature settings applicable to users with common disabilities.
[Technique: 4.2.4] When null alternative text has been defined, suppress the rendering of the alternative representation.
[Technique: 5.1.8] Provide the user with visual feedback about document loading information. Such information includes whether loading has stalled, whether enough of the page has loaded to begin navigating, whether following a link involves a fee, etc.
[Technique: 5.1.9] Provide the user with audio feedback about document loading information. Such information includes whether loading has stalled, whether enough of the page has loaded to begin navigating, whether following a link involves a fee, etc.
[Technique: 5.1.10] Provide a mechanism to distinguish visited links from unvisited links.
[Technique: 5.1.11] Allow the user to specify that images used in links must have borders.
[Technique: 5.2.8] Allow the user to turn on and off automatic page forwarding.
[Technique: 5.6.8] Allow the user to search for a table cell based on its contents, row/column coordinates, or header information.