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WAI: Strategies, guidelines, resources to make the Web accessible to people with disabilities

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1. Getting Started
2. Designing for Inclusion
   1. How People with Disabilities Use the Web
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   3. »Mobile
      1. Mobile-Accessibility Overlap
3. Guidelines & Techniques
4. Planning & Implementing
5. Evaluating Accessibility
6. Presentations & Tutorials
7. Getting Involved with WAI

Mobile Accessibility

Introduction

"Mobile accessibility" generally refers to making websites and applications more accessible to people with disabilities when they are using mobile phones. WAI's work in this area includes people using a broad range of devices to interact with the web: phones, tablets, TVs, and more.

This page summarizes existing and developing resources related to mobile web accessibility. There are not separate guidelines for mobile accessibility — mobile is covered in existing W3C accessibility guidelines (particularly WCAG and UAAG, which are introduced below). We plan to provide more guidance on applying WCAG and UAAG in the mobile context.

WAI is a community effort and we welcome your participation.

Current Work is listed below.

W3C WAI Addresses Mobile Accessibility

WAI's accessibility guidelines address mobile accessibility:

• WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) covers web pages and web applications, including content used on mobile devices.
  To learn how WCAG 2.0 can be applied to mobile web content, mobile web apps, native apps, and hybrid apps using web components inside native apps, see Mobile Accessibility: How WCAG 2.0 and Other W3C/WAI Guidelines Apply to Mobile.
  To learn how WCAG addresses similar issues as Mobile Web Best Practices and Mobile Web Application Best Practices, see Shared Web Experiences.
• UAAG (User Agent Accessibility Guidelines) covers web browsers and other 'user agents', including mobile browsers.
  For examples of how web browsers that follow UAAG benefit people with disabilities using the Web on mobile devices, see Mobile Accessibility Examples from UAAG.
• ATAG (Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines) covers software used to create web pages and applications, including for mobile.

WAI is working to enhance technologies for mobile accessibility, including:

• IndieUI (Independent User Interface) is a way for user actions to be communicated to web applications, including mobile applications. This will make it easier for applications to work with a wide range of devices, including assistive technologies.
• WAI-ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) defines a way to make web content more accessible, especially dynamic content and advanced user interface controls. It applies to web applications and to accessing websites with mobile devices.

W3C addresses mobile accessibility. WAI ensures that the core W3C technologies support accessibility, including those that are essential for the mobile web. All W3C work is reviewed for accessibility by WAI's Protocols and Formats Working Group (PFWG). W3C work on mobile includes:

• Mobile Web Application Best Practices, Mobile Web Best Practices, mobileOK Checker
• Standards for Web Applications on Mobile summarizes technologies developed in W3C that increase the capabilities of web applications, and how they apply specifically to the mobile context.

Mobile and Accessibility Overlap

Most of this page addresses people with disabilities using mobile devices. We also have related resources that address situations such as: a web development project wants to make their websites and web applications work better for all mobile users (including those without disabilities) and also work better for users with disabilities using "traditional" computers.

• Web Content Accessibility and Mobile Web: Making a Web Site Accessible Both for People with Disabilities and for Mobile Devices introduces the significant overlap between making a website accessible for a mobile device and for people with disabilities. Provides a brief overview that is useful for the business case.
• Shared Web Experiences: Barriers Common to Mobile Device Users and People with Disabilities provides examples of barriers that people with disabilities and people using mobile devices experience when interacting with web content. It is organized by the principles perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust, and includes links to the relevant sections of MWBP (Mobile Web Best Practices) and WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).
• Relationship between Mobile Web Best Practices (MWBP) and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provides guidance for people who are familiar with MWBP and want to know how it relates to WCAG, or are familiar with WCAG and want to know how it relates to MWBP.

Current Work

WAI's current work related to mobile accessibility includes:

• WCAG techniques and other guidance for designers and developers through the Mobile Accessibility Task Force, including Mobile Accessibility: How WCAG 2.0 and Other W3C/WAI Guidelines Apply to Mobile.
• UAAG (User Agent Accessibility Guidelines) material: Mobile Accessibility Examples from UAAG, and How UAAG Applies in the Mobile Context (a rough draft of Applying UAAG to Mobile Phones is available).
• IndieUI (Independent User Interface) - See the IndieUI Overview for an introduction and links to the in-progress specification and the Use Cases and Requirements.
• WAI-ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) - See the WAI-ARIA Overview for an introduction and links to the draft documents.
• HTML5 through the HTML Accessibility Task Force.
• A Mobile Accessibility Research Report based on the Mobile Accessibility Symposium in June 2012.
• Accessibility Support Database that will provide information on accessibility support in web technologies, including mobile devices and mobile platforms.
• Reviewing Standards for Web Applications on Mobile through the Protocols and Formats Working Group (PFWG).

Get Involved

If you would like to be more involved in WAI's work on mobile accessibility, please send an e-mail with a little about your interests and time availability to Kathy Wahlbin and Kim Patch.

Get Updates

If you would like to get notification of future work on mobile accessibility at W3C WAI, see Getting WAI Announcements.

About W3C and WAI

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international consortium where Member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work together to develop Web standards. W3C primarily pursues its mission through the creation of Web standards and guidelines designed to ensure long-term growth for the Web. To learn more, see About W3C.

W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) brings together individuals and organizations from around the world to develop strategies, guidelines, and resources to help make the Web accessible to people with disabilities. To learn more, see the WAI website.

Document Information

Status: Updated 18 March 2015 (first published January 2008)
Editor: Shawn Lawton Henry. Developed with the Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG).