Download W3C Accessibility

The W3C Web Accessibility
Initiative (WAI)
Inclusive learning through technology
Damien French
Lecture aim
• To introduce the W3C and the work of the
W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).
• To briefly introduce web accessibility as
part of this.
W3C
• The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is
the main international standards organisation
for the Web.
• Ensures compatibility and agreement among
industry members in the adoption of new
standards.
• In cooperation with the Internet Engineering Task
Force (IETF), The International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) and the International
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) .
W3C/IETF
• TCP/IP and Internet protocol suite (IETF).
• HTML, XHTML, XML, DOM, SOAP and
many others (W3C).
W3C Process
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Members / team generate interest in a topic and
a workshop held and/or discussion on an
Advisory Committee mailing list.
Director announces proposal for a new activity
or working group charter.
Includes working groups, interest groups and
possibly coordination groups to carry out the
work.
W3C Process
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Participants include member
representatives, invited experts and team
representatives.
Specifications and guidelines undergo
cycles of revision and review as
they advance to W3C Recommendation
status.
W3C principles
• Web for all.
– Web Accessibility Initiative.
– Internationalisation.
– Mobile Web for Social Development.
• Web on everything.
– Web of devices.
– Mobile web initiative.
– Browsers and other agents.
Web for all
• “The social value of the Web is that it enables
human communication, commerce, and
opportunities to share knowledge. One of
W3C’s primary goals is to make these
benefits available to all people, whatever
their hardware, software, network
infrastructure, native language, culture,
geographical location, or physical or mental
ability.”
WAI mission and organization
• WAI develops:
– Guidelines widely regarded as the international
standard for Web accessibility.
– Support materials to help understand and
implement Web accessibility.
– Resources, through international collaboration.
WAI Groups
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Authoring Tools Working Group (AUWG)
Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG)
Evaluation Tools Working Group (ERT WG)
Protocols & Formats Working Group (PFWG)
Research and Development Interest Group
(RDIG)
User Agent Working Group (UAWG)
WAI Interest Group (WAI IG)
Web Content Working Group (WCAG WG)
WAI Coordination Group (member only) .
‘WAI Technical Activity’
• Reviews accessibility support across all
W3C specifications.
• Develops the WAI-ARIA suite of resources
for making Rich Internet Applications
accessible.
• Works through the Protocols and Formats
Working Group (PFWG).
‘WAI Technical Activity’
• Also promotes implementation of
accessibility improvements in Web
technologies.
• Develops WAI guidelines as
Recommendations.
‘WAI Technical Activity’
• The guidelines describe accessibility features
needed to achieve different levels of accessibility,
and include reference checklists and
implementation techniques.
• The WAI Technical Activity also develops
techniques to improve tools for evaluation and
repair of Web sites, through the work of the
Evaluation and Repair Tools Working Group (ERT
WG).
Web Accessibility
Web accessibility
• Web accessibility means that people with
disabilities can use the Web.
• It means that people with disabilities can
perceive, understand, navigate, and interact
with the Web, and that they can contribute
to the Web. Web accessibility also benefits
others, including older people with
changing abilities due to aging.
Web accessibility
• Web accessibility encompasses all
disabilities that affect access to the Web,
including visual, auditory, physical, speech,
cognitive, and neurological disabilities.
Web accessibility
• Web accessibility also benefits people
without disabilities.
– Includes designing Web sites and software that
are flexible to meet different user needs,
preferences, and situations.
– Benefits people such as those using a slow
Internet connection, people with “temporary
disabilities” such as a broken arm, and people
with changing abilities due to aging.
Why is it important?
• The Web is an increasingly important resource in
many aspects of life: education, employment,
government, commerce, health care, recreation,
and more.
• Accessibility provides equal access and equal
opportunity to people with disabilities.
• An accessible Web can also help people with
disabilities more actively participate in society.
• Web accessibility is often required by law.
Components of web accessibility
• Content.
– Including text, images, and sounds, code or markup that
defines structure, presentation.
• Web browsers, media players, and other user
agents.
• Assistive technology.
– Screen readers, alternative keyboards, switches,
scanning software, etc.
• Users’ knowledge, experiences, and adaptive
strategies using the Web.
Components of web accessibility
• Developers.
– Designers, coders, authors, etc., including developers
with disabilities and users who contribute content.
• Authoring tools.
– Software that creates Web sites.
• Evaluation tools.
– Web accessibility evaluation tools, HTML validators,
CSS validators, etc.
Guidelines for components
• Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG)
– Addresses authoring tools.
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
– Addresses Web content, and is used by developers,
authoring tools, and accessibility evaluation tools.
• User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG)
– Addresses Web browsers and media players, including
some aspects of assistive technologies.
Web Content Accessibility
Guidelines (WCAG)
• 12 guidelines.
• Organised under 4 principles.
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Perceivable.
Operable.
Understandable.
Robust.
Perceivable
• Provide text alternatives for non-text
content.
• Provide captions and alternatives for audio
and video content.
• Make content adaptable; and make
it available to assistive technologies.
• Use sufficient contrast to make things easy
to see and hear.
Operable
• Make all functionality keyboard accessible.
• Give users enough time to read and use
content.
• Do not use content that causes seizures.
• Help users navigate and find content.
Understandable
• Make text readable and understandable.
• Make content appear and operate
in predictable ways.
• Help users avoid and correct mistakes.
Robust
• Maximize compatibility with current and
future technologies.
The WCAG 2.0 Documents