This document is an appendix to "User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0" [UAAG10]. It provides a
list of all checkpoints from the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0,
organized by concept, as a checklist for user agent developers. Please refer to
the Guidelines document for introductory information, information about related
documents, a glossary of terms, and more.
This list may be used to review a tool or set of tools for accessibility.
For each checkpoint, indicate whether the checkpoint has been satisfied, has
not been satisfied, or is not applicable.
A tabular version of the list of
checkpoints is also available (e.g., for printing).
This section describes the status of this document at the time of its
publication. Other documents may supersede this document. The latest status of
this document series is maintained at the W3C.
This document is an appendix to a Working Draft. It is a draft document and
may be updated, replaced or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is
inappropriate to use W3C Working Drafts as reference material or to cite them
as other than "work in progress". This is work in progress and does not imply
endorsement by, or the consensus of, W3C Members.
Please send comments about this document to the public mailing list w3c-wai-ua@w3.org; public archives are
available.
This document has been produced as part of the Web Accessibility Initiative. WAI
Accessibility Guidelines are produced as part of the WAI Technical Activity. The
goal of the WAI User Agent Guidelines
Working Group is discussed in the Working Group
charter.
A list of current W3C Recommendations and
other technical documents can be found at the W3C Web site.
Priorities
Each checkpoint in this document is assigned a priority that indicates its
importance for users with disabilities.
- [Priority
1]
- This checkpoint must be satisfied by user agents,
otherwise one or more groups of users with disabilities will find it impossible
to access the Web. Satisfying this checkpoint is a basic requirement for
enabling some people to access the Web.
- [Priority
2]
- This checkpoint should be satisfied by user agents,
otherwise one or more groups of users with disabilities will find it difficult
to access the Web. Satisfying this checkpoint will remove significant barriers
to Web access for some people.
- [Priority
3]
- This checkpoint may be satisfied by user agents to make it
easier for one or more groups of users with disabilities to access information.
Satisfying this checkpoint will improve access to the Web for some people.
Priority 1 checkpoints
In General (Priority 1)
- Checkpoint 2.1 Make all
content available through the user interface.
(Techniques for 2.1)
- Checkpoint 2.3 If content
available in a viewport has equivalent alternatives, provide easy access in
context to the alternatives. (Techniques
for 2.3)
- Checkpoint
6.1 Implement the accessibility features of all supported
specifications (markup languages, style sheet languages, metadata languages,
graphics formats, etc.). Accessibility features are those identified in the
specification and those features of the specification that support requirements
of the "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0" [WCAG10], the "Authoring Tool
Accessibility Guidelines 1.0" [ATAG10], and the current document.
(Techniques for 6.1)
- Checkpoint 7.3 Allow the user to
navigate all active elements. If the author has not specified a navigation
order, allow at least forward sequential navigation of elements, in document
order.
(Techniques for 7.3)
- Checkpoint 8.1 Make available to
the user the author-specified purpose of each table and the author-specified
relationships among the table cells and headers. (Techniques
for 8.1)
- Checkpoint 11.1 Provide a
version of the product documentation that conforms to the Web Content
Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 [WCAG10]. (Techniques
for 11.1)
- Checkpoint
11.2 Document all user agent features that promote accessibility.
(Techniques for 11.2)
- Checkpoint
11.3 Document the default input configuration (e.g., default keyboard
bindings).
(Techniques for 11.3)
Control of style (Priority 1)
- Checkpoint 2.2 For a
presentation that requires user input within a specified time interval, allow
the user to configure the user agent to pause the presentation automatically
and await user input before proceeding. (Techniques
for 2.2)
- Checkpoint 2.4 Allow
the user to specify that text transcripts, collated text transcripts, captions,
and auditory descriptions be rendered at the same time as the associated audio
and visual tracks. Respect author-specified synchronization cues during
rendering.
(Techniques for 2.4)
- Checkpoint
3.1 Allow the user to configure the user agent not to render
background images.
(Techniques for 3.1)
- Checkpoint 3.2 Allow the user
to configure the user agent not to render audio. (Techniques
for 3.2)
- Checkpoint 3.3 Allow the user to
configure the user agent not to render video. (Techniques for
3.3)
- Checkpoint 3.4 Allow the
user to configure the user agent to render animated or blinking text as
motionless text.
(Techniques for 3.4)
- Checkpoint 3.5 Allow
the user to configure the user agent to render animated or blinking images as
motionless images.
(Techniques for 3.5)
- Checkpoint 3.6 Allow the user
to configure the user agent not to execute scripts and applets. (Techniques
for 3.6)
- Checkpoint 4.1 Allow the
user to configure and control the size of text. Make available the range of
system font sizes.
(Techniques for 4.1)
- Checkpoint 4.2 Allow the
user to configure font family. Allow the user to select from among the range of
system font families.
(Techniques for 4.2)
- Checkpoint
4.3 Allow the user to configure foreground color. Allow the user to
select from among the range of system colors.
(Techniques for 4.3)
- Checkpoint
4.4 Allow the user to configure background color. Allow the user to
select from among the range of system colors.
(Techniques for 4.4)
- Checkpoint 4.5 Allow the user
to slow the presentation rate of audio, video, and animations. For a visual
track, provide at least one setting between 40% and 60% of the original speed.
For a pre-recorded audio track including audio-only presentations, provide at
least one setting between 75% - 80% of the original speed. For a synchronized
multimedia presentation where the visual track may be slowed from 100% to to
80% of its original speed, synchronize the visual and audio tracks. Below 80%,
the user agent is not required to render the audio track. (Techniques
for 4.5)
- Checkpoint 4.6 Allow the
user to start, stop, pause, resume, advance, and rewind to the beginning audio,
video, and animations.
(Techniques for 4.6)
- Checkpoint 4.7 Allow the
user to position text transcripts, collated text transcripts, and captions on
graphical displays. The range of available positions must be the same range
available to the author according to specification.
(Techniques for 4.7)
- Checkpoint 4.8 Allow
the user to configure and control the global audio volume. The user must be
able to choose zero volume (i.e., silent).
(Techniques for 4.8)
- Checkpoint
4.9 Allow the user to control independently the volumes of distinct
audio sources synchronized to play simultaneously.
(Techniques for 4.9)
- Checkpoint 4.10 Allow
the user to configure and control synthesized speech playback rate according to
the full range offered by the speech synthesizer. The lower bound for this
range must be at most 120 words per minute. The upper bound for this range must
be at least 400 words per minute. The user must be able to increase or decrease
the playback rate in increments of 5% of the current playback rate.
(Techniques for 4.10)
- Checkpoint 4.11 Allow
the user to control the synthesized speech volume independently of other
sources of audio.
(Techniques for 4.11)
- Checkpoint 4.13 Allow the
user to select from available author and user style sheets or to ignore them.
(Techniques for 4.13)
User Interface (Priority 1)
- Checkpoint
4.14 Allow the user to configure how the selection is highlighted
(e.g., foreground and background color). Offer at least three rendering
options, including colors and fonts. Allow the user to select from among the
range of system colors and fonts.
(Techniques for 4.14)
- Checkpoint
4.15 Allow the user to configure how the content focus is highlighted
(e.g., foreground and background color). Offer at least three rendering
options, including colors and fonts. Allow the user to select from among the
range of system colors and fonts. The default focus highlight mechanism must be
different from the default selection highlight mechanism.
(Techniques for 4.15)
- Checkpoint 7.1 Allow the user to
navigate among all viewports (including frames). (Techniques
for 7.1)
- Checkpoint 7.2 Associate
a point of regard with each state in a viewport's browsing history and when the
user returns to a state in the history, restore the associated point of regard.
(Techniques for 7.2)
- Checkpoint
8.8 Implement selection, content focus, and user interface focus
mechanisms. Implement them according to system conventions per checkpoint 5.8.
(Techniques for 8.8)
- Checkpoint
8.9 Provide a mechanism for highlighting and identifying (through a
standard interface where available) the current viewport, selection, and
content focus.
(Techniques for 8.9)
For Keyboard and other Input Devices (Priority 1)
- Checkpoint 1.3 Implement the
standard keyboard API of the operating system and ensure that every
functionality available through the user interface is available through this
API. This checkpoint always applies on systems with a
standard keyboard API. (Techniques
for 1.3)
- Checkpoint 10.2 Avoid
default input configurations that interfere with operating system accessibility
conventions.
(Techniques for 10.2)
For Communication (Priority 1)
- Checkpoint 1.1 Ensure
that every functionality available through the user interface is also available
through every input API implemented by the user agent. This checkpoint does not
require developers to reimplement the input methods associated with the
keyboard, pointing device, voice, and other input APIs. The device-independence
required by this checkpoint applies to the functionalities described by the
other checkpoints in this document (e.g., installation, documentation, user
agent user interface configuration, etc.).
(Techniques for 1.1)
- Checkpoint 1.2 Use the
standard input and output device APIs of the operating system. Do not bypass
the standard output APIs when rendering information.
(Techniques for 1.2)
- Checkpoint
1.4 Ensure that the user can interact with all active elements in a
device-independent manner.
(Techniques for 1.4)
- Checkpoint 1.5 Ensure every
non-text message (e.g., prompt, alert, notification, etc.) that is part of the
user agent's user interface also has a text equivalent in the user interface.
This text equivalent must be available to assistive technologies through an
API.
(Techniques for 1.5)
- Checkpoint 5.1 Provide
programmatic read access to HTML and XML
content by conforming to the W3C Document Object Model (DOM) Level 2 Core and
HTML modules and exporting the interfaces they define. (Techniques
for 5.1)
- Checkpoint 5.2 If the user
can modify HTML and XML content through the user interface,
provide the same functionality programmatically by conforming to the W3C
Document Object Model (DOM)
Level 2 Core and HTML modules and exporting the interfaces
they define. (Techniques
for 5.2)
- Checkpoint 5.3 For markup
languages other than HTML and XML, provide programmatic
access to content using standard APIs (e.g., platform-independent APIs and
standard APIs for the operating system).
(Techniques for 5.3)
- Checkpoint 5.4 Provide
programmatic read and write access to user agent user interface controls using
standard APIs (e.g., platform-independent APIs such as the W3C DOM, standard
APIs for the operating system, and conventions for
programming languages, plug-ins, virtual machine environments, etc.) (Techniques
for 5.4)
- Checkpoint 5.5 Using standard APIs,
provide programmatic notification of changes to content and user interface
controls (including selection, content focus, and user interface focus). (Techniques for
5.5)
- Checkpoint 10.1 Provide
information to the user about current user preferences for input configurations
(e.g., keyboard or voice bindings).
(Techniques for 10.1)
Priority 2 checkpoints
In General (Priority 2)
- Checkpoint 2.5 For non-text
content that has no recognized text equivalent, generate a text equivalent from
other author-supplied content. If the non-text content is included by URI
reference, base the text equivalent on the URI reference and the content type
of the Web resource. (Techniques for
2.5)
- Checkpoint 5.8 Follow operating
system conventions that benefit accessibility. In particular, follow
conventions for user interface design, keyboard configuration, product
installation, and documentation. (Techniques
for 5.8)
- Checkpoint 6.2 Use and
conform to W3C Recommendations when they are available and appropriate for a
task.
(Techniques for 6.2)
- Checkpoint 7.4 Allow the user
to choose to navigate only active elements. If the author has not specified a
navigation order, allow at least forward and reverse sequential navigation of
active elements, in document order. (Techniques
for 7.4)
- Checkpoint 7.5 Allow the user to
search for rendered text content, including rendered text equivalents. Allow
the user to start a forward search from a location in content selected or
focused by the user. After a match, allow searching from location of the match.
Provide a case-insensitive search option when applicable to the natural
language of text. (Techniques for
7.5)
- Checkpoint 7.6 Allow the user to
navigate efficiently to and among important structural elements identified by
the author. For markup languages with known semantics, allow forward sequential
navigation to important structural elements. For other markup languages, allow
at least forward sequential navigation of the document object, in document
order.
(Techniques for 7.6)
- Checkpoint 8.2 Render
recently visited links in a distinct style. Allow the user to configure this
style and offer at least three rendering options, including colors and fonts.
Allow the user to select from among the range of system colors and fonts.
(Techniques for 8.2)
- Checkpoint 8.3 Render in a
distinct style those links that have been marked up to indicate that following
them will involve a fee. Allow the user to configure this style and offer at
least three rendering options, including colors and fonts. Allow the user to
select from among the range of system colors and fonts. (Techniques
for 8.3)
- Checkpoint 8.4 Make
available to the user an "outline" view of content, composed of text labels for
important structural elements (e.g., heading text, table titles, form titles,
etc.). The set of important structural elements is the same required by checkpoint 7.6.
(Techniques for 8.4)
- Checkpoint 8.10 Provide a
mechanism for highlighting and identifying active elements. (Techniques
for 8.10)
- Checkpoint 10.7 For the
configuration requirements of this document, allow the user to save user
preferences in at least one user profile. Allow users to select from among
available profiles or no profile (i.e., the user agent default settings). (Techniques for
10.7)
- Checkpoint 11.4 In a
dedicated section of the documentation, describe all features of the user agent
that promote accessibility.
(Techniques for 11.4)
- Checkpoint 11.5 In each
software release, document all changes that affect accessibility. (Techniques
for 11.5)
Control of style (Priority 2)
- Checkpoint
3.7 Allow configuration so that author-specified "client-side
redirects" (i.e., those initiated by the user agent, not the server) do not
change content automatically. Allow the user to access the new content manually
(e.g., by following a link).
(Techniques for 3.7)
- Checkpoint 3.8 Allow
configuration so that author-specified content refreshes do not change content
automatically. Allow the user to access the new content manually (e.g., by
activating a button or following a link). Advise the user to refresh content
according to the same schedule as the automatic refresh, and indicate when the
user has not yet refreshed content.
(Techniques for 3.8)
- Checkpoint 3.9 Allow the user to
configure the user agent not to render images. (Techniques
for 3.9)
- Checkpoint 4.12 Allow
the user to configure synthesized voice gender, pitch, pitch range, stress, and
richness according to the full range of values offered by the speech
synthesizer.
(Techniques for 4.12)
User Interface (Priority 2)
For Keyboard and other Input Devices (Priority 2)
- Checkpoint 10.4 Allow the user
to change the default input configuration as follows: Allow the user to
override any binding that is part of the user agent default input
configuration. Allow the user to override the default keyboard bindings with a
binding that consists of modifier keys and a single key, or a single key. The
user agent is not required to allow the user to override standard bindings for
the operating system (e.g., for access to help). (Techniques
for 10.4)
- Checkpoint 10.5 Allow the
user to override the default keyboard configuration as follows: Allow the user
to override any binding that is part of the user agent default keyboard
configuration. Allow the user to assign a single key binding to a majority of
the functionalities that are available in the default keyboard configuration.
The user agent is not required to allow the user to override standard keyboard
bindings for the operating system (e.g., for access to help). (Techniques
for 10.5)
- Checkpoint 10.6 Follow
operating system conventions to indicate the input configuration.
(Techniques for 10.6)
For Communication (Priority 2)
Priority 3 checkpoints
In General (Priority 3)
- Checkpoint 2.6 When the author has
specified an empty text equivalent for non-text content, do not generate one.
(Techniques for
2.6)
- Checkpoint 2.7 For
author-identified but unsupported natural languages, allow the user to
configure the user agent to identify those language changes in content.
(Techniques for 2.7)
- Checkpoint 7.7 Allow the
user to configure and control the set of elements navigable according to checkpoint 7.6 by allowing
inclusion and exclusion of element types in the navigation sequence.
(Techniques for 7.7)
- Checkpoint 8.5 Allow
the user to configure and control the outline view of checkpoint 8.4 to include
and exclude element types.
(Techniques for 8.5)
- Checkpoint 8.6 To help the user
decide whether to follow a link, make available to the user the following
information: link content, link title, whether the link is internal, whether
the link has been followed, whether following it may involve a fee, and
information about the type, size, and natural language of the linked Web
resource.
(Techniques for 8.6)
- Checkpoint 9.4 When
transferring content (e.g., a document, image, audio, video, etc.) indicate
what percentage of the content has been transferred and whether the transfer
has stalled.
(Techniques for 9.4)
- Checkpoint 9.5 Indicate as a
percentage the relative position of the viewport in rendered content (e.g., the
percentage of an audio or video clip that has been played, the percentage of a
Web page that has been viewed, etc.). (Techniques
for 9.5)
User Interface (Priority 3)
For Keyboard and other Input Devices (Priority 3)
For Communication (Priority 3)
- Checkpoint 5.7 Provide
programmatic access to Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) by
conforming to the W3C Document Object Model (DOM) Level 2 CSS
module and exporting the interfaces it defines. (Techniques
for 5.7)
For the latest version of any
W3C specification please consult the list of
W3C Technical Reports at http://www.w3.org/TR.
- [ATAG10]
- "Authoring Tool
Accessibility Guidelines 1.0", J. Treviranus, C. McCathieNevile, I. Jacobs,
and J. Richards, eds., 3 February 2000. This ATAG 1.0
Recommendation is http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/REC-ATAG10-20000203.
- [UAAG10]
- "User Agent Accessibility
Guidelines 1.0," J. Gunderson, I. Jacobs, eds. The latest draft of the
guidelines is available at http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/UAAG10/.
- [WCAG10]
- "Web Content
Accessibility Guidelines 1.0", W. Chisholm, G. Vanderheiden, and I. Jacobs,
eds., 5 May 1999. This WCAG 1.0 Recommendation is
http://www.w3.org/TR/1999/WAI-WEBCONTENT-19990505.