Techniques for Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0

ATAG checkpoint 1.1: Ensure that the author can produce accessible content in the markup language(s) supported by the tool. [Priority 1]

Techniques:

• Ensure the tool supports all the structural features of the supported languages. [T0001] (Highly Recommended) @@Use of "Highly Recommended"?@@
• Allow the author to directly edit the source markup (so knowledgeable authors can ensure accessible content). [T0002] (Suggested)
• When an extended (superset) or simplified (subset) markup language is supported, ensure that the accessibility features in the base language are still available. [T0003] (Suggested)
• Allow the addition of equivalent alternatives for all supported image formats that allow text content, including PNG, SVG, WebCGM, JPEG, and GIF. [T0004] (Highly Recommended) @@Use of "Highly Recommended"?@@
• Enable the author to produce metadata that can be used to construct an accessible version of the output. For example, when producing image formats that do not allows the inclusion of alternative information within them, use Dublin Core metadata to incorporate description, title information, or "foaf" metadata to identify people depicted in images.[T????] @@CMN Proposal@@
• Notify the author, if a given output format is not accessible (so they can decide to use a different format). [T????] @@CMN Proposal@@

Reference:

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 WCAG10 and Techniques (Full, Core, HTML, CSS).
• Language specific accessibility notes: CSS, SMIL, HTML4, SVG, XML languages.

ATAG checkpoint 1.2: Ensure that the tool preserves all accessibility information during authoring, transformations, and conversions. [Priority 1]

Techniques:

• This checkpoint covers systems that digest documents and reconstitute them in standardized formats. [T????] @@F2F Proposal@@
• Ensure that the tool preserves all the elements and attributes defined in the relevant specification(s) even if it is unable to render them in a publishing view or preview mode. [T0005] (Highly Recommended) @@Use of "Highly Recommended"?@@
• Allow the author to decide whether or not to preserve unrecognized markup (since it might be related to accessibility). See ATAG 4.3. [T0006] (Suggested)
• Consider explaining automatic changes made by the tool to the author. [T????] (Suggested) @@F2F Proposal@@
• Allow authors to edit document conversion templates to specify the way presentation conventions should be converted into structural markup. [T0008] (Suggested)
• Ensure that changes to a document's graphical layout do not reduce readability when rendered serially. For example, confirm the linearized reading order with the author. [T0012] (Suggested)
• Some examples of conversion best practice include: @@Use of "conversion best practice"@@
  • Avoid transforming text into images. Use style sheets for presentation control, or use an XML application such as Scalable Vector Graphics [SVG] that keeps the text as text. If this is not possible, ensure that the text is available as equivalent text for the image. [T0010] (Highly Recommended) @@Use of "Highly Recommended"?@@
  • When importing images with associated descriptions into a markup document, make the descriptions available through appropriate markup. [T0009] (Suggested)
  • When transforming a table to a list or list of lists, ensure that table headings are transformed into headings and that summary or caption information is retained as rendered content. [T0007] (Highly Recommended) @@Use of "Highly Recommended"?@@
  • When converting linked elements (i.e. footnotes, endnotes, call-outs, annotations, references, etc.) provide them as inline content or maintain two-way linking. [T0013] (Suggested)
  • When converting from an unstructured word-processor format to markup, ensure that headings and list items are transformed into appropriate structural markup (appropriate level of heading or type of list, etc.). [T0011] (Suggested)
  • When generating a natural language translation of text, produce the simplest and clearest possible use of the new language. [T????] @@CMN Proposal@@

ATAG Checkpoint 1.3: Ensure that when the tool automatically generates markup it conforms to the W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 [WCAG10]. [Relative Priority]

Techniques:

• Ensure that when the tool automatically generates markup @@Does this cover content other than tagging?@@ (e.g. the author has not specifically specified the markup to be used), that markup conforms to the following WCAG10 checkpoints. (Note: An asterix (*) denotes those WCAG checkpoints that involve the inclusion of equivalent alternative information. For these WCAG checkpoints, see ATAG 3.4 for restrictions on automatically generating equivalent alternatives and ATAG 3.1 for prompting guidance) [T0014]:
  • WCAG 1.1 (P1) Provide text equivalent* for non-text elements.
  • WCAG 1.2 (P1) Provide redundant text links* for server-side image map areas.
  • WCAG 1.3 (P1) Provide auditory descriptions* for multimedia.
  • WCAG 1.4 (P1) Provide synchronized equivalent alternatives* for time-based multimedia.
  • WCAG 1.5 (P3) Provide redundant text links* for client-side image map areas.
  • WCAG 2.1 (P1) Ensure information provided with color is also provided without.
  • WCAG 2.2 (Images: P2, Text: P3) Use sufficient foreground/background contrast.
  • WCAG 3.1 (P2) Use markup rather than images to convey information.
  • WCAG 3.2 (P2) Validate to published formal grammars.
  • WCAG 3.3 (P2) Use style sheets.
  • WCAG 3.4 (P2) Use relative units.
  • WCAG 3.5 (P2) Use header elements.
  • WCAG 3.6 (P2) Use lists and list items properly.
  • WCAG 3.7 (P2) Use quotations properly.
  • WCAG 4.1 (P1) Identify natural language changes.
  • WCAG 4.2 (P3) Specify abbreviation or acronym expansions.
  • WCAG 4.3 (P3) Identify the primary natural language of documents.
  • WCAG 5.1 (P1) Identify data table row and column headers.
  • WCAG 5.2 (P1) Associate data cells and header cells in complex data tables.
  • WCAG 5.3 (P2) Avoid layout tables or provide an alternative equivalent*.
  • WCAG 5.4 (P2) Avoid structural markup in layout tables.
  • WCAG 5.5 (P3) Provide summaries* for tables.
  • WCAG 5.6 (P3) Provide abbreviations for table header labels.
  • WCAG 6.1 (P1) Organize documents to be read without style sheets.
  • WCAG 6.2 (P1) Keep equivalents* for dynamic content up to date.
  • WCAG 6.3 (P1) Ensure pages usable without scripts, applets, programmatic objects. Else, provide equivalent information*.
  • WCAG 6.4 (P2) Ensure script and applet event handlers are input device-independent.
  • WCAG 6.5 (P2) Ensure dynamic content is accessible or provide an alternative presentation*.
  • WCAG 7.1 (P1) Avoid causing screen to flicker.
  • WCAG 7.2 (P2) Avoid causing content to blink.
  • WCAG 7.3 (P2) Avoid causing movement on the screen.
  • WCAG 7.4 (P2) Avoid periodically auto-refreshing pages.
  • WCAG 7.5 (P2) Avoid redirecting pages automatically. Use server redirects.
  • WCAG 8.1 (Important: P1, Else: P2) Make programmatic elements (scripts, applets) directly accessible or AT compatible.
  • WCAG 9.1 (P1) Use client-side image maps instead of server-side image maps.
  • WCAG 9.2 (P2) Ensure element with own interface are input device-independent.
  • WCAG 9.3 (P2) Specify logical (device independent) event handlers for scripts.
  • WCAG 9.4 (P3) Create a logical tab order.
  • WCAG 9.5 (P3) Provide keyboard shortcuts to important elements.
  • WCAG 10.1 (P2) Avoid spawned windows.
  • WCAG 10.2 (P2) Implicitly associate labels with form controls.
  • WCAG 10.3 (P3) Provide a linear text alternative to tables with text in parallel, word-wrapped columns.
  • WCAG 10.4 (P3) Include place-holding text* in edit boxes and text areas.
  • WCAG 10.5 (P3) Include non-link characters between adjacent links.
  • WCAG 11.1 (P2) Use W3C technologies.
  • WCAG 11.2 (P2) Avoid deprecated features of W3C technologies.
  • WCAG 11.3 (P3) Include metadata information (e.g., language, content type, etc.)
  • WCAG 11.4 (P1) Keep alternative pages synchronized with original pages.
  • WCAG 12.1 (P1) Title* each generated frame.
  • WCAG 12.2 (P2) Describe* the purpose and relation of frames.
  • WCAG 12.3 (P2) Divide large blocks of information into manageable groups.
  • WCAG 12.4 (P2) Associate labels explicitly with their controls.
  • WCAG 13.1 (P2) Clearly identify the target* of each link.
  • WCAG 13.2 (P2) Provide metadata* to pages and sites.
  • WCAG 13.3 (P2) Provide information* about the general layout of a site.
  • WCAG 13.4 (P2) Provide navigation mechanisms in a consistent manner.
  • WCAG 13.5 (P3) Provide navigation bars.
  • WCAG 13.6 (P3) Group, identify, and provide a way to bypass related links.
  • WCAG 13.7 (P3) Enable different types of searches.
  • WCAG 13.8 (P3) Provide distinguishing information at the beginning of headings, paragraphs, lists, etc.
  • WCAG 13.9 (P3) Provide information* about document collections (i.e., documents comprising multiple pages.).
  • WCAG 13.10 (P3) Provide a means to skip over multi-line ASCII art.
  • WCAG 14.1 (P1) Use clearest and simplest language appropriate.
  • WCAG 14.2 (P3) Supplement text with graphic or auditory presentations*.
  • WCAG 14.3 (P3) Use a consistent style of presentation.

ATAG Checkpoint 1.4: Ensure that templates provided by the tool conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 [WCAG10]. [Relative Priority]

Techniques:

• For tools that allow author's to create their own templates, advise the author that templates should be held to a high accessibility standard, since they will be repeatedly reused. Help the author reach this goal by making an accessibility check mandatory before saving as a template. [T0080] (Suggested)
• Ensure that all templates provided by the tool conforms to the following WCAG10 checkpoints [T0081]:
  • WCAG 1.1 (P1) Provide text equivalent for non-text elements.
  • WCAG 1.2 (P1) Provide redundant text links for server-side image map areas.
  • WCAG 1.3 (P1) Provide auditory descriptions for multimedia.
  • WCAG 1.4 (P1) Provide synchronized equivalent alternatives for time-based multimedia.
  • WCAG 1.5 (P3) Provide redundant text links for client-side image map areas.
  • WCAG 2.1 (P1) Ensure information provided with color is also provided without.
  • WCAG 2.2 (Images: P2, Text: P3) Use sufficient foreground/background contrast.
  • WCAG 3.1 (P2) Use markup rather than images to convey information.
  • WCAG 3.2 (P2) Validate to published formal grammars.
  • WCAG 3.3 (P2) Use style sheets.
  • WCAG 3.4 (P2) Use relative units.
  • WCAG 3.5 (P2) Use header elements.
  • WCAG 3.6 (P2) Use lists and list items properly.
  • WCAG 3.7 (P2) Use quotations properly.
  • WCAG 4.1 (P1) Identify natural language changes.
  • WCAG 4.2 (P3) Specify abbreviation or acronym expansions.
  • WCAG 4.3 (P3) Identify the primary natural language of documents.
  • WCAG 5.1 (P1) Identify data table row and column headers.
  • WCAG 5.2 (P1) Associate data cells and header cells in complex data tables.
  • WCAG 5.3 (P2) Avoid layout tables or provide an alternative equivalent.
  • WCAG 5.4 (P2) Avoid structural markup in layout tables.
  • WCAG 5.5 (P3) Provide summaries for tables.
  • WCAG 5.6 (P3) Provide abbreviations for table header labels.
  • WCAG 6.1 (P1) Organize documents to be read without style sheets.
  • WCAG 6.2 (P1) Keep equivalents for dynamic content up to date.
  • WCAG 6.3 (P1) Ensure pages usable without scripts, applets, programmatic objects. Else, provide equivalent information.
  • WCAG 6.4 (P2) Ensure script and applet event handlers are input device-independent.
  • WCAG 6.5 (P2) Ensure dynamic content is accessible or provide an alternative presentation.
  • WCAG 7.1 (P1) Avoid causing screen to flicker.
  • WCAG 7.2 (P2) Avoid causing content to blink.
  • WCAG 7.3 (P2) Avoid causing movement on the screen.
  • WCAG 7.4 (P2) Avoid periodically auto-refreshing pages.
  • WCAG 7.5 (P2) Avoid redirecting pages automatically. Use server redirects.
  • WCAG 8.1 (Important: P1, Else: P2) Make programmatic elements (scripts, applets) directly accessible or AT compatible.
  • WCAG 9.1 (P1) Use client-side image maps instead of server-side image maps.
  • WCAG 9.2 (P2) Ensure element with own interface are input device-independent.
  • WCAG 9.3 (P2) Specify logical (device independent) event handlers for scripts.
  • WCAG 9.4 (P3) Create a logical tab order.
  • WCAG 9.5 (P3) Provide keyboard shortcuts to important elements.
  • WCAG 10.1 (P2) Avoid spawned windows.
  • WCAG 10.2 (P2) Implicitly associate labels with form controls.
  • WCAG 10.3 (P3) Provide a linear text alternative to tables with text in parallel, word-wrapped columns.
  • WCAG 10.4 (P3) Include place-holding text in edit boxes and text areas.
  • WCAG 10.5 (P3) Include non-link characters between adjacent links.
  • WCAG 11.1 (P2) Use W3C technologies.
  • WCAG 11.2 (P2) Avoid deprecated features of W3C technologies.
  • WCAG 11.3 (P3) Include metadata information (e.g., language, content type, etc.)
  • WCAG 12.1 (P1) Title each generated frame.
  • WCAG 12.2 (P2) Describe the purpose and relation of frames.
  • WCAG 12.3 (P2) Divide large blocks of information into manageable groups.
  • WCAG 12.4 (P2) Associate labels explicitly with their controls.
  • WCAG 13.1 (P2) Clearly identify the target of each link.
  • WCAG 13.2 (P2) Provide metadata to pages and sites.
  • WCAG 13.3 (P2) Provide information about the general layout of a site.
  • WCAG 13.4 (P2) Provide navigation mechanisms in a consistent manner.
  • WCAG 13.5 (P3) Provide navigation bars.
  • WCAG 13.6 (P3) Group, identify, and provide a way to bypass related links.
  • WCAG 13.7 (P3) Enable different types of searches.
  • WCAG 13.8 (P3) Provide distinguishing information at the beginning of headings, paragraphs, lists, etc.
  • WCAG 13.9 (P3) Provide information about document collections (i.e., documents comprising multiple pages.).
  • WCAG 13.10 (P3) Provide a means to skip over multi-line ASCII art.
  • WCAG 14.1 (P1) Use clearest and simplest language appropriate.
  • WCAG 14.2 (P3) Supplement text with graphic or auditory presentations.
  • WCAG 14.3 (P3) Use a consistent style of presentation.
• The following WCAG10 checkpoints are not considered relevant to this checkpoint:
  • WCAG 11.4 (P1) Keep alternative pages synchronized with original pages. (This checkpoint not relevant because it refers to a worst case scenario that templates should not encourage

Samples:

• The following are examples of accessible templates (Note: not all the features of these templates are supported by all browsers):
  • Template 1: Home page
  • Template 2: News and events page
  • Template 3: About page
  • Stylesheet: Used by sample templates

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