Accessibility References in Draft IEEE Standard 2001 Revision dated November 2000.

2.6ÊÊÊÊÊÊ HTML 4.01 Specification, W3C Recommendation 24 December 1999, http://www.w3.org/TR/1999/REC-html401-19991224

This specification defines the HyperText Markup Language (HTML), the publishing language of the World Wide Web.Ê This specification defines HTML 4.01, which is a subversion of HTML 4.Ê In addition to the text, multimedia, and hyperlink features of the previous versions of HTML (HTML 3.2 [HTML32] and HTML 2.0 [RFC1866]), HTML 4 supports more multimedia options, scripting languages, style sheets, better printing facilities, and documents that are more accessible to users with disabilities.Ê HTML 4 also takes great strides towards the internationalization of documents, with the goal of making the Web truly World Wide.

HTML 4 is an SGML application conforming to International Standard ISO 8879 -- Standard Generalized Markup Language [ISO8879]

2.7ÊÊÊÊÊÊ W3C WAI WEB CONTENT 19990324, W3C Recommendation Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, WAI Page Author Guidelines - W3C, Working Draft 15‑Jan‑1999 (http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT-19990324/).

These guidelines explain how to make Web content accessible to people with disabilities.Ê The guidelines are intended for all Web content developers (page authors and site designers) and for developers of authoring tools.Ê The primary goal of these guidelines is to promote accessibility.Ê However, following them will also make Web content more available to all users, whatever user agent they are using (e.g., desktop browser, voice browser, mobile phone, automobile-based personal computer, etc.) or constraints they may be operating under (e.g., noisy surroundings, under- or over-illuminated rooms, in a hands-free environment, etc.).Ê Following these guidelines will also help people find information on the Web more quickly.Ê These guidelines do not discourage content developers from using images, video, etc., but rather explain how to make multimedia content more accessible to a wide audience.

4.1.8ÊÊÊ Design Review

Web page designs should be subjected to design reviews in keeping with good engineering practices.Ê Depending on the value and expected impact of specific WEPs, additional reviews may be warranted.Ê The design review subject matter may include evaluations of the graphical design, legal implications, cultural impacts, linguistic review, market research, accessibility, and usability.Ê The design review should span the entire range of functional objectives, technical capabilities and constraints throughout the system.Ê The review should also address the capabilities and limitations of the target user community.Ê The insertion of new technology into the system requires the widest extent of reviewers.Ê In addition, the content should be subjected to review by applicable experts or users.

4.1.9ÊÊÊ Proofreading and Quality Control and testing

Web pages should be subjected to proofreading and quality control.Ê Proofreading should involve the use of the full range of browsers, screen resolutions, and browser window sizes and shapes.Ê Final assessments must be done on the object(s) (text, graphics, layout, navigation, multimedia, etc.) as delivered to client device(s), and not assume that generation tools will convert the source accurately.Ê Proofreading shall be applied to static as well as dynamically generated pages.

Quality control should validate that the presentation meets all the functional objectives and requirements of this and other applicable standards.Ê The quality control activities should also validate the user functional requirements.Ê Quality control shall be applied to static as well as dynamically generated pages.

Development (component) testing should be conducted by the web page development team.Ê Validation testing should be pursued in at least two distinct phases: development testing and operational testing.Ê

ÊDevelopment testing of WEPs shall be designed to address issues such as:

a)ÊÊÊÊ WEPs shall display as intended

b)ÊÊÊ WEPs should not require excessive scrolling

c)ÊÊÊÊ WEPs shall provide security controls such as passwords and firewalls if required

d)ÊÊÊ WEPs shall be tested for conformance to IEEE Std 2001-1999 using an existing verification tool to verify compliance where appropriate

Operational testing should be conducted using the support of the members of the intended user community.Ê Operational testing of WEPs shall be designed to address issues such as:

a)ÊÊÊÊ WEPs shall display as designed

b)ÊÊÊ WEPs shall not require excessive scrolling

c)ÊÊÊÊ WEPs shall provide required security controls

d)ÊÊÊÊ WEPs shall be tested for conformance to accessibility requirements

e)ÊÊÊÊ WEPs should render an appropriate printout or offer an alternative method of printing.

The web site shall meet all defined user requirements.Ê New user requirements that evolve from design initiation through final delivery shall be documented.

All links shall work correctly.

4.2.4ÊÊÊ Physical characteristics

Consideration shall be given to the legacy and anticipated evolution of the user-community environment in terms of hardware and software capabilities.Ê The rate of adoption of new technology at the consumer level often exceeds that of industry and the public sector.Ê Similarly, consideration shall be given to anticipated or likely changes in technology to minimize the need to re-engineer Web sites to accommodate these changes.Ê Some examples of devices that should be considered include:

a)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)

b)ÊÊÊÊ Video enhanced telephones

c)ÊÊÊÊ TV devices with Web interfaces

d)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Braille display units

e)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Access-specific and/or text-only devices

f)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Mobile devices

Considerations should include screen display area (which can be quite small on some of these devices); latency of communications (e.g., satellite links, wireless channel bandwidth, etc.); and, limited (or non-existent) local cache/storage.Ê Similar considerations related to communications bandwidth and costs are required.Ê U.S.Ê communications tariffs are not exemplary of international practices.Ê Limited bandwidth and "per minute" tariffs are common on an international basis and in the emerging mobile and radio communications environments.

Protocols or protocol subsets to support this next generation of mobile devices may require additional consideration in selection of target protocols.Ê Consideration should be given to the Wireless Applications Protocol (WAP), and XHTML Base protocol.Ê Note that rapid expansion of low bandwidth wireless devices in the next few years may be a significant consideration in web page design.

4.2.7ÊÊÊ Content Accessibility

The target-user community evaluation shall take into account the likely existence (or future existence) of individuals who will need to access the information or services of the site and who have limited sight, color blindness, mobility impairments, audio impairments, or require other special considerations as well as ergonomic requirements for general ease-of-access and ease-of-use for users.Ê

WEPs shall conform to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.Ê WEPs shall satisfy Priority 1 checkpoints (Level P1 conformance), and should satisfy Priority 2 checkpoints (Level P12 conformance), and the design shall include consideration of satisfying Priority 3 checkpoints (Level P123 conformance:).Ê [See the W3C WAI ãWeb Content Accessibility Guidelinesä http://www.w3.org/TR/1999/WD-WAI-PAGEAUTH-19990226.]

There are legal requirements for access that vary by jurisdiction , and also practical considerations as Web-based information becomes either "mission critical" within an organization or displaces other forms of communication with target-user community individuals.Ê Information about current guidelines and related initiatives from the W3C can be found at http://www.w3.org/WAI.

Use of the 216 "Web safe" colors is recommended.Ê These colors are selected, in hex terms, with RGB values of 00, 33, 66, 99, CC or FF only.Ê

WEP text to background luminance -contrast shall exceed 33% (better than 67% recommended)Ê This the luminance for any specific RGB color can be computed as: luminance = 0.3 x Red + 0.59 x Green + 0.11 x Blue.Ê

WEPs shall avoid color combinations that cause problems for individuals with color blindness in its various forms.Ê Avoid using the color pairs (table x) for background/foreground of text, or of any objects (e.g., links, borders or icons) which need to be differentiated by color.Ê (This relates to red and green deficiencies, which are the most common).Ê

A table of web-safe colors has been arranged to indicate which colors should not be used together.Ê See Annex G for the numerical versionand the visual color table.Ê

For extra information on choosing colors and color vision deficiency, see http://www.labs.bt.com/people/rigdence/colours/.

Some recommendations to increase accessibility include:

a)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Images and Animations.Ê Use the alt attribute to describe the function of all visuals.Ê

b)ÊÊÊÊ Image Maps.Ê Use client-side MAP and text for hotspots.Ê If used for navigation, sites shall provide text links in addition to the image map.

c)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Multimedia.Ê Provide captioning and transcripts of audio, descriptions of video, and accessible versions in case inaccessible formats are used.Ê

d)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Hypertext Links.Ê Use text that makes sense when read out of context.Ê For instance, do not use "click here."

e)ÊÊÊÊ Page Organization.Ê Use headings, lists, and consistent structure.Ê Use CSS for layout and style where possible.Ê

f)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Graphs and Charts.Ê Summarize or use the longdesc attribute.Ê

g)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Scripts, Applets, and Plug-ins.Ê Provide alternative content in case active features are inaccessible or unsupported.Ê

h)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Frames.Ê Label with the title or name attribute.Ê

i)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Tables.Ê Make line by line reading sensible.Ê Summarize.

j)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Column data presentation should be presented using style sheet mechanisms where supported by target user environments in preference to using tables.

Check your work.Ê Validate the HTML.Ê Use evaluation tools and text-only browsers to verify accessibility

The requriements in this section are expected to provide substantive conformance to 36 CFR 1194.Ê None-the-less sites required to meet 36 CFR 1194 shall assure they meet the requirements of Annex I which duplicates the relevant sections of 1194.

WEPâs shall not include flashing or blinking objects which have a blinking frequency or flicker rate greater than 2 hertz without consideration for photosensitive epilepsy impact.Ê Frequency greater than 55 hertz is acceptable under 36 CFR 1194.22(j).Ê

Where time-out is applied to user response forms, a mechanism shall be provided to allow a user to indicate more time is required.Ê Timeouts or refresh should be used with care to assure users can understand and interact with pages correctly.

Forms shall use label and taborder designations to allow persons using assistive technology to access the fields and functionality required to complete and submit the forms.

4.2.9ÊÊÊ Maintenance

WEP maintenance planning shall consider, as a minimum, the following factors:

a)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Eliminating obsolete information or services

b)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Updating the status of information or services

c)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Changing and periodically validating links to related information

d)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Changing client or server environments that may require or warrant WEP re-engineering

e)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Changing policy (e.g., organizational, regulatory, legislative, etc.) that may require changes in information content, protection, designation, or access

f)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Updating WEPs to remain in compliance with applicable standards

Style sheets may be used to indicate obsolete pages or other classifications (e.g., "draft," "confidential") as "background." If style sheets are not available, the WEP design shall use an alternate method for indicating WEP page classifications.Ê An alternate method for accessibility to users with physical disabilities should be included.

In some cases, a collection of WEPs may approach the complexity of a software project, particularly if the WEPs implement interactive functionality.Ê In such a case, a software maintenance process should be adopted to provide a disciplined basis for the maintenance activity.Ê The software life cycle maintenance process of IEEE/EIA Std 12207.0-1996 [B2] should be considered for this purpose.

4.3.1ÊÊÊ Scripting Languages

Scripting languages are widely used, and supported by most recent browsers.Ê Scripts can operate on the server side using the Common Gateway Interface (CGI) or on the client side through scripts embedded in the page or applets.Ê However, not all browsers support client-side scripts and users may turn off both Java and client side scripting.Ê This may be a matter of security policy, or to reduce the distraction of intrusive dynamic elements.Ê The W3C WAI stipulates that any Web page using scripts client-side must provide the same functionality on the page without the scripts in order to be considered accessible.

4.3.2ÊÊÊ Java

Java has become a key language of the Internet.Ê This is also the case for intranets, since considerable corporate application functionality can be provided through the use of applets client-side communicating with servlets server-side, and capable of yielding generally superior performance and security to CGI scripts.Ê The recent advent of application service providers in the Internet is likely to accelerate the use of Java.Ê Java Foundation Classes (JFC) with the Swing architecture and the Accessibility classes offer interface flexibility and accommodation to users with disabilities that are not possible using DHTML and style sheets.Ê Current browser offerings do not yet support all of the JFC.Ê For some applications, HTML may be secondary to the Java portions of a Web page, acting only as a carrier for multiple applets that do the actual work and presentation of the page.Ê The W3C WAI stipulates that, to be accessible, a page containing an applet must be capable of operating without the applet.Ê This may also be required to serve clients where Java is disabled for policy or security reasons.Ê Server side applications and detection of client preferences can be used to meet this objective.Ê

5.7ÊÊÊ Webmaster contact

E-mail to "Webmaster@domain" shall provide a point of contact for the site.Ê This email address shall exist and monitored for messages in keeping with the criticality of the site(s).Ê This may be necessary to notify a site of problems that preclude successful access to the site or its proper content.Ê This is a required e-mail address, even if it is not part of the page content.Ê This is not an alternative for having information concerning the content owner (see clause 7.6).

5.12ÊÊÊÊ Site Index and search

WEP sites shall include an index of all pages relevant to the target audience.Ê A site may have more than one such index if there are distinct target audiences.Ê The site index shall be accessible, following the requirements of subclause 4.2.7, and should be provided in plain text format.

Web indexes maintained within a managed site shall consider the implications of referencing pages beyond the maintained responsibility of the site.Ê Such pages may vary in availability, size, consistency of style, accessibility, correctness, timeliness, human language or other requirements of the managed site.Ê A similar distinction may be applicable to any pages indexed which are not managed web pages adhering to the siteâs guidelines.Ê Contractual arrangements with external site managers may be appropriate to address requirements of the managed site.Ê Maintenance of biographies of off site references may also be appropriate.

Users may expect site index/search results to access all appropriate content and not content from outside of the site.

6.3ÊÊÊÊÊÊ Metadata

WEPs shall incorporate appropriate metadata to provide for accurate cataloguing and indexing of pages for the environment in which the pages are accessible.Ê WEPs shall not provide duplicate data to search engines or indexing systems, other than divergent spellings or grammatical forms.Ê Header tags should include data needed for page processing (link, style, script) or page indexing (title, meta/kewords, meta/description, PICS and Dublin core items.)Ê Where more than four metatags are included, the use of link to profiles should be used.Ê Links to style sheets and script files should also be used to facilitate re-use as well as off-loading network overhead.

7.5.1ÊÊÊ Phone numbers

All WEPs containing telephone numbers shall provide sufficient context for use of the number.Ê (ITU Recommendation REC.E.123, version 11, 1988, Notation for National and International Telephone Numbers shall be used.Ê Example: xxxxx-xxxx-xxxx).Ê Toll-free numbers may not be accessible outside of the geographical area.Ê With internal organizational net-works, be aware of the potential need for contact by target-user communities who may only have access to external telephone lines (e.g., travel or telecommuting), or may need full prefix information between locations.Ê Contact numbers shall be accessible for those who are visually impaired or deaf.Ê Telephone numbers should be tagged using the HTML tag <phone> (an RMfield).Ê Applicable hours for the telephone number should be indicated.Ê Time zone information should be indicated for networks that span multiple time zones.Ê (Note: PHONE is an HTML 3+ tag.)

7.13ÊÊÊÊ Graphical images

All graphic elements shall contain declared height/width display size, permitting the immediate allocation of page layout for these and concurrent rendering.Ê The use of consistent style sheets can reduce page size, and provide for reuse of style for subsequent pages.Ê Reuse of images, as opposed to use of new images, can reduce download time by taking advantage of local caching.

Multiple graphic images at the server should be considered, providing for lower bandwidth connections, and/or user choice.Ê A potential convention is to have a "thumbnail" graphic delivered, which is also a link to a higher resolution graphic as an option for the user community.

Where a server may deliver images in multiple formats, image URLs should not include a specific format name structure (e.g.Ê xxx.gif).Ê To allow for content negotiation with users and to minimize overhead in response, a diverse set of image formats should be provided.

Images should not be used to bypass HTML limitations or provide "style" control.Ê Where available, CSS should be used.Ê Images shall not be used to present text in an alternative style.Ê This is disruptive to text-only browsers, it limits accessibility and global applicability, and it has a negative impact on performance.Ê Graphic presentation of written materials for certain languages, cultures, or disciplines may be necessary.

Sites should support image formats for JPEG, PNG, and GIF for compatibility, and seek to deliver the least overhead image acceptable to the client.Ê For animated images, Network Motion Graphics (NMG) should be supported, and scripting or client-side executable languages may be more efficient means of providing the required functionality.

(Note: the ALT attribute is required by section 4.2.8.Ê and also facilitates access by non-graphical browsers, or use with images disabled.)

Unfortunately, firewalls and gateways can convert data types.Ê Hence, the client may not receive the expected graphic.

Annex AÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Potential areas of future or additional work

a)ÊÊÊÊ Use of cookies and potentially invasive operations.Ê Server-initiated actions can affect client systems.Ê These should be "appropriate."

b)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Copyright/IPR considerations.Ê What rights are asserted for a given page? These include ownership, license contact information, use of trademarks, patents and trademarks, IPR, and acknowledgment of references and quotes.Ê (See IEEE P1420.1b, IEEE Draft Standard for Information Technology -Ê Software Reuse - Data Model for Reuse Library Interoperability: Intellectual Property Rights FrameworkÊ under development.)

c)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Security considerations for transfer of pages, limiting access, etc.

d)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Information on digital signatures and value for WEP design.Ê See work of IETF/W3C joint effort on XML digital signatures (IETF Security area)

e)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Application of resource description framework (RDF).

f)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Bandwidth efficiencies in header data.Ê

g)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Respecting anonymous access on the net.

h)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Discussion of PICs.Ê A PIC would provide checkpoints that a user would need, as well as specify those options where available.Ê (OSI PICs as a list of requirements & options within a standard and potentially tests for these)

i)ÊÊÊÊÊ Site authentication.Ê Provide a mechanism to determine that the location providing the information is properly identified.Ê (refer back to digital signature)

j)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Indexing.Ê Add recommended practices to Clauses 5 and 6 on indexing.Ê (Consider ASC X3.285 Standard for Metamodel for Shareable Data and related resource description work.)

k)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Recommendations on static vs.Ê dynamic page trade-offs.

l)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Recommendations concerning Web-page development process.

m)ÊÊÊ Web-page aliasing.Ê (redirection, refresh ·considerations?)

n)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Definition of metrics for WEP success rating.Ê

o)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Scripting languages.Ê

p)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Review forms of validation available (e.g., DTD, IEEE Std 2001-200x, etc.) and determine what requirements should be put on conforming WEPs in the future.

q)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Include additional XML, XSL specific recommendations.

r)ÊÊÊÊ Use of simplified English/limited vocabulary to facilitate access/translation

s)ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Incorporation or reference to e-commerce considerations