Accessibility - Part 1
Article ID: KB101564
The accessibility movement encourages web sites to be built to allow
people with disabilities to view them. For example, one
accessibility standard is that all images have "alternate text" and
"long descriptions" coded into the HTML. This would be useful for
software that reads web pages out loud for blind people. Even if
they cannot see your images, the software can read the description
of the image out loud.
In the words of the W3C, here are some things to consider about
your possible viewers:
- They may not be able to see, hear, move, or may
not be able to process some types of information easily or at
all.
- They may have difficulty reading or comprehending text.
- They may not have or be able to use a keyboard or mouse.
- They may have a text-only screen, a small
screen, or a slow Internet connection.
- They may not speak or understand fluently the
language in which the document is written.
- They may be in a situation where their eyes,
ears, or hands are busy or interfered with (e.g., driving to
work, working in a loud environment, etc.).
- They may have an early version of a browser, a
different browser entirely, a voice browser, or a different
operating system.
In the US, there are two different guidelines often used when
determining whether a site is "accessible": the
US Government Section 508 Guidelines and the
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). (Other countries
such as Australia, France, UK, Germany, etc., have their own
guidelines, mostly based on the WCAG guidelines and checkpoints.)
The US Government Guidelines are, obviously, required for
US Government sites. For your convenience, we've copied the web-site
related points of the US Government Guidelines.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are standards
recommended by the powers-that-be of the W3C. Their sub-guidelines
("checkpoints") are categorized into three priority levels.
Priority 1 means that you must do
something. If you meet all of these checkpoints, your web site
meets Conformance Level A.
Priority 2 means that you should
probably do something. If you meet all these and all of
Priority 1 checkpoints, your web site meets Conformance
Level AA.
Priority 3 means that can do
something. If you meet all the Priority 1, 2, and 3 checkpoints,
then your web site meets Conformance Level AAA.
If you want to state that your site is conformant, you can put a
statement or icon on your web site.
Click to learn more. Another way of "certifying" your site is
through Bobby Worldwide (visit
www.cast.org/bobby). Bobby Worldwide also has a free online tool
that tests your web page.
In later articles, we'll go over some of the basic things to
consider on making an accessible site, and will also cover the
practical how-tos on making your site accessible.
Next: Define Your Images
Contributors
Corrie Haffly:
Corrie is the author of the Accessibility series, which appeared
in the PixelMill Newsletter. Though you may not know her name,
Corrie has become one of the top experts in the FrontPage Template
industry. You may know her work better under the name John Galt's
Templates. See Corrie's stunning products today!
John Galt's Templates
John Galt's Tools, PixelMill Newsletter, Volume 2 - Issue 5 :
5/01/2002
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