W3C/WAI Web Accessibility Guidelines

JTC1 Special Working Group on Accessibility
Sheffield, UK
11-12 April 2005

Judy Brewer
Director, Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

Overview

• W3C and WAI
• WAI Guidelines: Interdependent Components of Web Accessibility
• The Role of Standards Harmonisation in Web Accessibility
• W3C/WAI Resources on Web Accessibility
  

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

• W3C is an international, vendor-neutral consortium
• Develops core standards for the Web: HTML, XML, etc
  • promotes evolution, interoperability, universality
• Internationally hosted
  • ERCIM, MIT, Keio
  • Fourteen outreach offices around the world
• Four domains
  • Architecture, Interaction, Technology and Society, Web Accessibility Initiative
  • Only industry consortium with consensus-based multi-stakeholder accessibility effort

Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)

• Stakeholder involvement:
  • industry, disability, research, government, education
• Support:
  • US Dept of Education NIDDR, EC IST; Canada ADIO
  • Fundacion ONCE, HP, IBM, Microsoft, SAP, Verizon, Wells Fargo
  • W3C Membership
• Five primary levels of activity:
  • technology, guidelines, tools, education, research
• Cross-disability requirements
  • visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, neurological

Interdependent Components of Web Accessibility

• Web developers usually use authoring tools and evaluation tools to create Web content
• People ("users") use Web browsers, media players, and sometimes assistive technologies to access Web content
• When one "component" is weak:
• developers have to work harder to create less accessible Web sites
• users have to work harder to access less Web content
• W3C develops WAI Guidelines to address the accessibility of each component
• W3C technologies have been reviewed for accessibility support before release

WAI Guidelines

1. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
   • address accessibility of Web content
   • Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 under development
     • more easily understandable
     • more easily implementable
     • more precisely testable
     • addressing more advanced Web technologies
2. Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
   • addresses accessibility of Authoring Tools
   • and their support for production of accessible Web content
   • Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 under development
3. User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
   • addresses accessibility support in browsers & media players
   • and their interoperability with assistive technologies

Implementation Support Materials for WAI Guidelines

• Guidelines
• Checkpoints
• Techniques
• Test suites
• Curriculum
• Quick tips
• Frequently asked questions

The Role of Standards Harmonisation in Web Accessibility

• Fragmentation of Web accessibility requirements
  • harder for developers of:
    • Web sites; authoring tools; evaluation tools; browsers and media players; assistive technologies
  • harder for organizations to track their obligations
  • less likely that people with disabilities will be able to use Web sites
• Harmonisation of Web accessibility requirements
  • adopting a consistent set of Web accessibility requirements internationally
  • faster development of authoring and evaluation software
  • Web developers can learn one set of guidelines and tools
  • organisations around the world can re-use training and implementation support materials

Opportunities for Participation and Review

• Participate in W3C/WAI Working Groups
• Provide review comments
• Conduct implementation testing during Candidate Recommendation stage

WAI Resources on Web Accessibility

• WAI home page
  • http://www.w3.org/WAI/
• Resources relating to Web accessibility
  • http://www.w3.org/WAI/Resources/
• Interdependent Components of Web Accessibility
  • http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/components
• Why Standards Harmonization is Essential to Web Accessibility
  • http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/standard-harmon