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"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
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