Status of this Document
This document is an editors' copy that has no official standing.
This section describes the status of this document at the time of its publication. Other documents may supersede this document. A list of current W3C publications and the latest revision of this technical report can be found in the W3C technical reports index athttp://www.w3.org/TR/.
The W3C Membership and other interested parties are invited to review the document and send comments to public-bpwg-comments@w3.org (with public archive) through [date] 2006.Advisory Committee Representatives should consult their WBS questionnaires.
This document was developed by the Mobile Web Best Practices Working Group and the Education & Outreach Working Group (EOWG) of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).
Publication as an Editor's Draft does not imply endorsement by the W3C Membership. This is a draft document and may be updated, replaced or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to cite this document as other than work in progress.
A record of updates and modifications to this document is available.
This document was produced by a group operating under the 5 February 2004 W3C Patent Policy. This document is informative only. W3C maintains a public list of any patent disclosures made in connection with the deliverables of the group; that page also includes instructions for disclosing a patent. An individual who has actual knowledge of a patent which the individual believes contains Essential Claim(s) must disclose the information in accordance with section 6 of the W3C Patent Policy.
Abstract
This document describes in a general way the relationship between Web content accessibility and making content suitable for mobile Web. It explains the similarities and differences between the two approaches and contains links to other documents that describe in detail the relationships between the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and the Mobile Web Best Practices (MWBP).
Longevity and Versioning
This document makes primary reference to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0 and the 11 December 2007 draft of WCAG 2.0 and Mobile Web Best Practices 1.0. New versions of these documents are expected to be produced during the life of this document. New versions of this document should be produced as soon as new versions of the referenced Recommendations are published and well understood.
How to Use These Documents
This document is part of a suite describing the relationship between WCAG and MWBP. There is a general introduction and five other documents. Of the five, you may find that only one will is of interest to you depending on your current situation. At the time of publication there is one version of the MWBP and two versions of WCAG, version 2.0 being a draft.
- Preface (this document)
- Introduction, background information for all readers, including parallels between the experience of users with disabilities and the experience of the general user in the mobile context.
- Towards accessibility: If you have implemented MWBP 1.0 and are considering doing:
- Towards the Mobile Web: If you are considering doing MWBP 1.0 and have already done:
- Both together: If you have not done either WCAG 2.0 or MWBP, then read Doing WCAG 2.0 and MWBP 1.0 Together
Audience
Readers of this document are expected to be familiar with the creation of Web sites, and to have a general familiarity with the technologies involved, such as Web servers and HTTP. Readers are not expected to have a background in mobile-specific technologies. it is important to understand the other W3C Recommendations to which it refers (see Related Documents of Interest).
Our intention is to make it clear to all involved what the Best Practices are, and hence establish a common basis of understanding. As a result of wishing to be clear to those not already involved in the development of mobile friendly content, some of our statements may appear to be obvious or trivial to those with experience in this area.
The document is not targeted solely at developers; others, such as interaction and graphic designers are encouraged to read it.
Many readers of the document are likely to have a good knowledge of general Web accessibility but are concerned with the problems of persons with disabilities in the mobile context.
Scope
This document describes the relationships, overlaps and differences between [MWBP] and [WCAG]. It also describes the relationships between content characteristics and the effects these have on users with disabilities in all contexts and all users in the mobile context.
At the time of writing there is a draft of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. The MWBP make direct reference to WCAG 1.0 and many of the concepts described relate directly to those in that version. Like WCAG 1.0, MWBP 1.0 assumes content in HTML. This document covers the WCAG 1.0 recommendation and WCAG 2.0 in the the latest available draft available at the time of publication.
Web accessibility for people with disabilities is beyond the scope of this document except where it especially affects mobile users. It is described in [WCAG]. The needs of users in the mobile Web context is beyod the scope of this document except where it especially affects users with disabilities. It is described in [MWBP].
This document does not create any further requirements beyond those defined in the [MWBP] and [WCAG].
References
For the latest version of any W3C specification please consult thelist of W3C Technical Reports.
- [MWBP]
- The “Mobile Web Best Practices 1.0” J. Rabin, C. McCathieNevile, eds, W3C Proposed Recommendation 2 November 2006. Available at http://www.w3.org/TR/mobile-bp/.
- [WCAG]
- The “Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0” W. Chisholm, G. Vanderheiden, I. Jacobs, eds, May 1999. Available at http://www.w3.org/TR/1999/WAI-WEBCONTENT-19990505/.
- [WCAG20]
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, W3C World Wide Web Consortium Recommendation 11 December 2007 (http://www.w3.org/TR/2007/WD-WCAG20-20071211/, Latest version at http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/).