Technology-specific Checkpoints
Introduction
This document refers to the 23 August 2000 Draft Reformulation
of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
This document incorporates the technology-specific
checkpoints created in May 2000.
CSS
- For CSS, this applies to use of color? Generated text? Aural cascading
style sheets? Does it apply at all?
HTML
- Use "alt" for the IMG, INPUT, and APPLET elements, or provide a text
equivalent in the content of the OBJECT and APPLET elements.
<@@insert link to examples and discussion>
- For complex content (e.g., a chart) where the "alt" text does not
provide a complete text equivalent, provide an additional description
using, for example, "longdesc" with IMG or FRAME, a link inside an OBJECT
element, or a description link.<@@insert link to examples and
discussion>
- For image maps, either use the "alt" attribute with AREA, or use the MAP
element with A elements (and other text) as content. <@@insert link
to examples and discussion>
- Provide any of this information within the content of the document.
<@@insert link to examples and discussion>
Guideline 2.1 Use markup languages and data models properly and in
accordance with specification
- Mark up lists and list items properly
Guideline 2.2 Use style languages, where available, to control layout and
presentation.
- Avoid using images to represent text -- use markup and style sheets
instead (this used to say text, but applies to MathML for equations).
Guideline 2.3 Where presentation is used to communicate distinctions of
meaning or structure within the content, ensure that the meaning is captured
in the markup.
- Title each frame to facilitate frame identification and navigation
Guideline 2.5 Ensure that distinctions needed to the render the content
auditorally or tactiely are captured in the markup.
- Mark up quotations. Do not use quotation markup for formatting effects
such as indentation
Guideline 3.4 Divide large blocks of information into groups where natural
and appropriate.
- Use header elements to convey document structure and use them according
to specification
Guideline 5.1 Make sure that the use of newer technologies transform
gracefully when a browser does not support the technology or the technology is
not enabled in the user's configuration.
- Until user agents support explicit associations between labels and form
controls, for all form controls with implicitly associated labels, ensure
that the label is properly positioned
SMIL
- Use the "alt" attribute for media objects (image, video, audio,
textstream, etc.) to specify a short text equivalent that conveys the same
function as the media object.
- Use the "longdesc" attribute for media objects to specify a link to a
long, more complete description of media content supplementing the
description provided by alt attribute.
- Use the "title" attribute with most SMIL 1.0 elements to provide
advisory information about the nature of the element. For example, for
links, use it to describe the target of the link.
- Use the systems-captions attribute to flag if captions should be shown
or not.
- Synchronize text captions with the audio track.
- Synchronize auditory descriptions with the video track.
- Use the switch element to provide captions or descriptions in various
languages.
- Provide alternative tracks instead of alt attribute.
SVG
- Ensure each svg element and each g element that is a part of a graphic
has a title and a desc. Defined symbols must have a desc, and should also
have a title.
XHTML
Guideline 1.1 Provide a textual equivalent for every non-text (auditory or
graphical) component or multimedia presentation.
- Use "longdesc" attribute on IMG to provide a rich description of the
image when appropriate (i.e. when an understanding of the contents of the
image is indispensable to an understanding of the document as a
whole).
- Provide alternative content within the APPLET element (XHTML does not
allow empty elements).
- Use the XHTML modules for the object and map elements (@@ needs to be
more specific).
XML
- Ensure that authors can associate a text description with any non-text
content (graphics, sound, multimedia, scripts, etc.) make sure this is
done in the most natural way possible
- Incorporate XHTML modules for OBJECT, MAP element, SMIL switch, etc
Guideline 2.3 Where presentation is used to communicate distinctions of
meaning or structure within the content, ensure that the meaning is captured
in the markup.
- Create semantically-rich languages.
- Enable the use of style sheets (linked or internal).
- Use the standard linking mechanism.
- Define element types that allow classification and grouping.
- Define element types that identify important text content.
- Export semantics
- Provide accessible documentation.
- Provide schemas and a mean to access it.
- Reuse accessible DTDs, schemas, etc. (xlink, xml:lang)
$Date: 2001/02/07 06:36:32 $ Wendy Chisholm