WCAG 1 checkpoints and relevant content types
Status of this document
This document is an attempt by the authoring tool accessibiltyi guidelines
working group to represent the kinds of tools (and therefore the relevant
kinds of content) for each of the checkpoints in WCAG 1. This is an excerpt from
the 1 August draft of the Techniques for Authoring Tool Accessibility.
This is a partial snapshot from a draft of a work in progress, and is likely
to become outdated fairly fast. This document was last edited $Date: 2001/10/22 13:27:02 $ and
was last brought up to date with the thoughts of the Working Group on 1
August 2001.
How the document is organised
This is a list of the WCAG checkpoints in numerical order. For each
checkpoint the working group attempted to determine the types of tools which
might have pre-supplied content, which should be evaluated against that
checkpoint.
It uses iconic identifiers for each tool type as follows:
Note: For the purposes of these techniques, authoring
tools may fall into one or more of the following categories. For example, an
HTML authoring tool that allows the user to create JavaScripts will fall
under two categories, Markup Editing Tools and Programming Tools. A SMIL
editor that includes a text-only view of the markup and a preview mode would
be considered both a Markup Editing Tool and a Multimedia Creation Tool.
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Markup Editing Tools: Tools that assist authors to produce
markup documents. These include text-based and WYSIWYG markup editors for
HTML, XHTML, SMIL, etc. and word processors that save as markup
formats.
-
Multimedia Creation Tools: Tools that assist authors to create
multimedia Web content without allowing access to the raw markup or
code of the output format. These include multimedia production tools
outputting SMIL or Quicktime as well as image editors, video editors,
sounds editors, etc.
-
Content Management Tools: Tools that assist authors to create
and organize specific types of Web content without the author having
control over the markup or programming implementation. Good examples
include courseware in which the author is prompted to enter various
information which is then displayed in a format determined by the tool.
Note: If the tool allows the author to control the
markup that is actaully used to implement the higher-order content, then
that functionality would be considered to be a Markup Editing Tool.
-
Programming Tools: Tools for creating all kinds of Web
Applications, including Java applets, Flash, server and client-side
scripts, etc.Also includes tools that assist authors to create markup
languages (i.e. XML) and tools that assist authors to create user
interfaces (i.e. UIML?).
-
Conversion Tools: Tools for converting content from one format
to another. This includes tools for chanigng the format of images, for
conversion of other document formats to XHTML, and tools for importing
document formats. Note that this tool type is not considered
here.
The checkpoints
-
(WCAG 1.1, P1) Provide a text equivalent* for every
non-text element in a template. This includes:
- images
- graphical representations of text (including symbols)
- image map regions
- animations (e.g., animated GIFs)
- applets and programmatic objects
- ascii art
- frames
- scripts
- images used as list bullets
- spacers
- graphical buttons
- sounds (played with or without user interaction)
- stand-alone audio files
- audio tracks of video
- video.
-
(WCAG 1.2, P1) Provide redundant text links* for each
active region of a server-side image map in a template.
-
(WCAG 1.3, P1) Until user agents can automatically read
aloud the text equivalent of a visual track, provide an auditory
description* of the important information of the visual track of a
multimedia presentation template.
-
(WCAG 1.4, P1) For templates of time-based multimedia
presentations (e.g., a movie or animation), ensure synchronized
equivalent alternatives* are provided. (e.g., captions or auditory
descriptions of the visual track)
-
(WCAG 1.5, P3) Until user agents render text equivalents
for client-side image map links, provide redundant text links* for each
active region of a client-side image map in a template.
-
(WCAG 2.1, P1) Ensure that all information conveyed with
color in a template is also available without color.
-
(WCAG 2.2, Images: P2, Text: P3) Ensure that template
foreground and background color combinations of images and text provide
sufficient contrast when viewed by someone having color deficits or when
viewed on a black and white screen.
-
(WCAG 3.1, P2) When an appropriate markup language
exists, use markup rather than images in templates to convey
information.
-
(WCAG 3.2, P2) Create templates that validate to
published formal grammars.
-
(WCAG 3.3, P2) Use style sheets to control layout and
presentation in templates.
-
(WCAG 3.4, P2) Use relative rather than absolute units
in markup language attribute values and style sheet property values for
templates.
-
(WCAG 3.5, P2) Use header elements to convey template
structure and use them according to specification.
-
(WCAG 3.6, P2) Mark up lists and list items properly in
templates.
-
(WCAG 3.7, P2) Mark up quotations in templates. Do not
use quotation markup for formatting effects such as indentation.
-
(WCAG 4.1, P1) Clearly identify changes in the natural
language of text in a template.
-
(WCAG 4.2, P3) Specify the expansion of each
abbreviation or acronym in a template where it first occurs.
-
(WCAG 4.3, P3) Identify the primary natural language of
a template.
-
(WCAG 5.1, P1) For data tables in a template, identify
row and column headers.
-
(WCAG 5.2, P1) For data tables in a template that have
two or more logical levels of row or column headers, use markup to
associate data cells and header cells.
-
(WCAG 5.3, P2) Do not include tables for layout in a
template unless the table makes sense when linearized.
-
(WCAG 5.4, P2) If a table is used for layout in a
template, do not use any structural markup for the purpose of visual
formatting.
-
(WCAG 5.5, P3) Provide summaries* for tables in a
template.
-
(WCAG 5.6, P3) Provide abbreviations* for header labels
of tables in templates.
-
(WCAG 6.1, P1) Organize templates so they may be read
without style sheets.
-
(WCAG 6.2, P1) Ensure that equivalents* for dynamic
content in a template are updated when the dynamic content changes.
-
(WCAG 6.3, P1) Ensure that page templates are usable
when scripts, applets, or other programmatic objects are turned off or
not supported. If this is not possible, provide equivalent information*
on an alternative accessible page.
-
(WCAG 6.4, P2) For template scripts and applets, ensure
that event handlers are input device-independent.
-
(WCAG 6.5, P2) Ensure that dynamic content in a template
is accessible or provide an alternative presentation* or page.
-
(WCAG 7.1, P1) Until user agents allow users to control
flickering, avoid templates that causes the screen to flicker.
-
(WCAG 7.2, P2) Until user agents allow users to control
blinking, avoid templates that causes content to blink.
-
(WCAG 7.3, P2) Until user agents allow users to freeze
moving content, avoid templates generating markup that causes
movement.
-
(WCAG 7.4, P2) Until user agents provide the ability to
stop the refresh, do not produce auto-refreshing templates.
-
(WCAG 7.5, P2) Until user agents provide the ability to
stop auto-redirect, do not redirect pages automatically from a template.
Instead, configure the server to perform redirects.
-
(WCAG 8.1, Important and not elsewhere: P1, Otherwise:
P2) Make programmatic element templates, such as scripts and applets, and
templates directly accessible or compatible with assistive
technologies.
-
(WCAG 9.1, P1) Use client-side image maps in templates
instead of server-side image maps except where the regions cannot be
defined with an available geometric shape.
-
(WCAG 9.2, P2) Ensure that any element in a template
that has its own interface can be operated in a device-independent
manner.
-
(WCAG 9.3, P2) For scripts in a template, specify
logical event handlers rather than device-dependent event handlers.
-
(WCAG 9.4, P3) Create a logical tab order through links,
form controls, and objects in a template.
-
(WCAG 9.5, P3) Provide keyboard shortcuts to important
links (including those in client-side image maps), form controls, and
groups of form controls in a template.
-
(WCAG 10.1, P2) Until user agents allow users to turn
off spawned windows, do not produce templates that cause pop-ups or other
windows to appear or change the current window without informing the
user.
-
(WCAG 10.2, P2) Until user agents support explicit
associations between labels and form controls, for all form controls with
implicitly associated labels* in a template, ensure that the label is
properly positioned .
-
(WCAG 10.3, P3) Until user agents render side-by-side
text correctly, provide a linear text alternative (on the current page or
some other) for all tables in a template that lay out text in parallel,
word-wrapped columns.
-
(WCAG 10.4, P3) Until user agents handle empty controls
correctly, include default, place-holding characters in edit boxes and
text areas in a template.
-
(WCAG 10.5, P3) Until user agents render adjacent links
distinctly, include non-link, printable characters (surrounded by spaces)
between adjacent links in a template.
-
(WCAG 11.1, P2) Produce templates using W3C technologies
when they are available and appropriate for a task and use the latest
versions when supported.
-
(WCAG 11.2, P2) Avoid using deprecated features of W3C
technologies in templates.
-
(WCAG 11.3, P3) Provide information in a template so
that users may receive documents according to their preferences (e.g.,
language, content type, etc.)
-
(WCAG 12.1, P1) Title* each frame in a template to
facilitate frame identification and navigation.
-
(WCAG 12.2, P2) Describe* the purpose of frames in a
template and how frames relate to each other if it is not obvious by
frame titles alone.
-
(WCAG 12.3, P2) Divide large blocks of information in a
template into more manageable groups where natural and appropriate.
-
(WCAG 12.4, P2) Associate labels* explicitly with their
controls in a template.
-
(WCAG 13.1, P2) Clearly identify the target* of each
link in a template.
-
(WCAG 13.2, P2) Provide metadata* to add semantic
information to templates.
-
(WCAG 13.3, P2) Provide information* about the general
layout of a template page or site (e.g., a site map or table of
contents).
-
(WCAG 13.4, P2) Use navigation mechanisms in a
consistent manner in templates.
-
(WCAG 13.5, P3) Provide navigation bars to highlight and
give access to the navigation mechanism in templates.
-
(WCAG 13.6, P3) Group related links, identify the group
(for user agents), and, until user agents do so, provide a way to bypass
the group in templates.
-
(WCAG 13.7, P3) If search functions are provided in a
template, enable different types of searches for different skill levels
and preferences.
-
(WCAG 13.8, P3) Place distinguishing information* at the
beginning of headings, paragraphs, lists, etc. in templates.
-
(WCAG 13.9, P3) Provide information* about template
collections (i.e., templates comprising multiple pages.).
-
(WCAG 13.10, P3) Provide a means to skip over multi-line
ASCII art in templates.
-
(WCAG 14.1, P1) Use the clearest and simplest language
appropriate for template content.
-
(WCAG 14.2, P3) Supplement text with graphic or auditory
presentations where they will facilitate comprehension of the
template.
-
(WCAG 14.3, P3) Create a style of presentation that is
consistent across templates for a site.
- Not Applicable: WCAG 11.4