|
Legal Issues | Business Issues | Technical Issues
"The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect."
- Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide Web
The Web Accessibility Initiative has set up a series of guidelines to ensure this 'universality' can be achieved.
The WAI Technical Activity addresses barriers to Web accessibility on several levels. First, it seeks to ensure that the core technologies of the Web are accessible, including HTML, CSS, XML, SMIL, SVG, and DOM. Barriers exist when these technologies lack features needed by users with visual, hearing, physical, or cognitive disabilities.
WAI works closely with other W3C Working Groups to ensure that Web technologies support accessibility. For example, WAI has worked closely with the HTML, SYMM, and SVG Working Groups so that those markup languages include features that promote the separation of structure and style, improved navigation, extended descriptions of complex graphics such as charts and diagrams, captions for multimedia, and device-independent user interface descriptions (e.g., to enable interaction with a page through mouse, keyboard, or voice input).
The WAI Technical Activity promotes implementation of accessibility improvements in core Web technologies through development of a set of three WAI guidelines: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines; User Agent Accessibility Guidelines; and Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines. These guidelines prioritize implementation of accessibility features needed to ensure accessibility, and include easy-to-use reference checklists as well as in-depth technical reference documents, which provide detailed implementation guidance. The WAI Technical Activity also coordinates the development of accessibility-checking and repair tools synchronized with WAI guidelines.
The WAI guidelines specify 3 priority ratings for the checkpoints: A, AA and AAA, so a website can conform to any one of these (level "A" being the minimum conformation. Conformance to WCAG 1.0 is defined in section 5 of the WAI specification - Conformance.
There are other 'seals of approval' such as Bobby and the RNIB's 'See It Right' accreditation. Unlike the See it Right, which is monitored and assessed by RNIB, the WAI and Bobby logos are self-assessed and maintained. Therefore the value of the 'See it Right' accreditation is that the verification is much more vigorous as it is done by an independent body. The Usability Company works closely with the RNIB to lead clients through the process of getting the 'See It Right' accreditation from the RNIB.
Click here for information about The Usability Company's accessibility services.
Legal Issues | Business Issues | Technical Issues
Next Month, Part Four: Moral Issues
Return to newsletter
|
