Web Accessibility Initiative
Encyclopedia
The World Wide Web Consortium
(W3C)'s Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is an effort to improve the accessibility
of the World Wide Web
(WWW or Web) for people with disabilities
. People with disabilities may encounter difficulties when using computers generally, but also on the Web.
Since people with disabilities often require non-standard devices and browsers
, making websites more accessible
also benefits a wide range of user agents and devices, including mobile devices, which have limited resources.
The W3C launched the Web Accessibility in 1997 with endorsement by The White House and W3C members.
It has several working groups and interest groups that work on guidelines, technical reports, educational materials and other documents that relate to the several different components of web accessibility.
These components include web content, web browsers and media players, authoring tools, and evaluation tools.
s, each with its own focus. Only working groups can produce technical reports that become W3C recommendations. A working group can sometimes delegate specific work to a task force
, which then presents its results back to the working group for approval. Interest groups may produce reports (for example, as W3C Notes), but not recommendations.
Each of these types of groups (working group, task force, interest group) can have one or more mailing lists. They meet through conference calls at regular intervals (typically every week or every other week) and sometimes use web-based surveys to collect input or comments from participants. They can also meet face to face (one to five times per year).
s to content management system
s.
The accessibility requirements apply to two types of things: the user interface on the one hand, and the content produced by the tool on the other.
The working group consists of representatives from organizations that produce authoring tools, researchers, and other accessibility experts.
The working group produced the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 in 2000 and is currently working on Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. It also published a document on Selecting and Using Authoring Tools for Web Accessibility.
Currently, the working group has a task force to support the work done in the WAI-AGE project. This project published a document that reviews literature about the needs of older users and compares these needs with those of people with disabilities as already addressed in WAI guidelines.
The Education and Outreach Working Group can also review working drafts produced by other WAI working groups.
The working group consists mainly of developers of such tools and researchers.
Current work focuses on
,
a paper on natural language usage for people with cognitive disabilities,
and initial work on accessibility requirements for XML-based markup languages (XML Accessibility Guidelines).
In 2006, the working group started development of a set of document and specifications for accessible rich internet applications
: WAI-ARIA
.
This interest group has seen very little activity since 2004. Its current charter expired at the end of 2006.
s: browsers
and plug-ins.
The working group consists mainly of organizations that develop user agents, researchers, and other accessibility experts.
The working group published User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (UAAG 1.0) as a W3C Recommendation in 2002, and is currently working on the second version of this specification.
The language of the mailing list is English; there are no parallel mailing lists in other languages.
such as JavaScript
). Thus, the guidelines also apply to rich internet applications
.
The working group consists of representatives from industry, accessibility consultancies, universities, organizations that represent end users, and other accessibility experts.
The working group published the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG 1.0) as W3C Recommendation in 1999, followed by techniques documents in 2000.
In 2001, the working group started work on WCAG 2.0, which became a W3C Recommendation on 11 December 2008.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group is probably the most well-known working group in WAI; the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 are often simply referred to as “the WAI guidelines,” even though WAI also produces other guidelines and specifications.
WCAG 1.0 is a set of guidelines for making web content more accessible to persons with disabilities. They also help make web content more usable for other devices, including mobile devices (PDAs and cell phones).
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 are recognized as a de facto standard and have served as a basis for legislation and evaluation methodologies in many countries.
The WCAG working group published WCAG 2.0 as a Recommendation on 11 December 2008. WCAG 2.0 is based on very different requirements from WCAG 1.0:
The combination of more general applicability and higher precision proved very challenging.
The ATAG is a set of guidelines for developers of any kind of authoring tool for Web content: simple HTML editor
s, tools that export content for use on the Web (for example, word processors that can save as HTML), tools that produce multimedia, content management system
s, etcetera.
The goal is for developers to create tools that:
The ATAG working group is currently working on a second version of the guidelines. A Last Call Working Draft was published in November 2004
but subsequent versions were published as normal working drafts.
Implementation Techniques for ATAG 2.0 are also available as a working draft.
s and media players) aimed at making the user agent accessible to users with disabilities. Techniques for User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 was published as a W3C Note on the same day; it provides techniques for satisfying the checkpoints defined in UAAG 1.0.
Working group members also produced other supporting documents, including initial notes on How to evaluate a user agent for conformance to UAAG 1.0; this document was not formally approved by the working group.
No user agents have been reported as fully conforming to UAAG 1.0.
The working group is currently working on a new version of the guidelines. The first public draft of User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 was published on 12 March 2008.
Recommended Web Standard
. It allows web page
s (or portions of pages) to declare themselves as applications
rather than as static documents
, by adding role, property, and state information to dynamic web applications. ARIA is intended for use by developers of web application
s, web browser
s, assistive technologies
, and accessibility evaluation tools.
World Wide Web Consortium
The World Wide Web Consortium is the main international standards organization for the World Wide Web .Founded and headed by Tim Berners-Lee, the consortium is made up of member organizations which maintain full-time staff for the purpose of working together in the development of standards for the...
(W3C)'s Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is an effort to improve the accessibility
Web accessibility
Web accessibility refers to the inclusive practice of making websites usable by people of all abilities and disabilities. When sites are correctly designed, developed and edited, all users can have equal access to information and functionality...
of the World Wide Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
(WWW or Web) for people with disabilities
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
. People with disabilities may encounter difficulties when using computers generally, but also on the Web.
Since people with disabilities often require non-standard devices and browsers
User agent
In computing, a user agent is a client application implementing a network protocol used in communications within a client–server distributed computing system...
, making websites more accessible
Accessibility
Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to access" and benefit from some system or entity...
also benefits a wide range of user agents and devices, including mobile devices, which have limited resources.
The W3C launched the Web Accessibility in 1997 with endorsement by The White House and W3C members.
It has several working groups and interest groups that work on guidelines, technical reports, educational materials and other documents that relate to the several different components of web accessibility.
These components include web content, web browsers and media players, authoring tools, and evaluation tools.
Organization
WAI develops guidelines and other technical reports through the same process as other parts of the W3C. Like other W3C initiatives, the WAI consists of several working groups and Special interest groupSpecial Interest Group
A Special Interest Group is a community with an interest in advancing a specific area of knowledge, learning or technology where members cooperate to effect or to produce solutions within their particular field, and may communicate, meet, and organize conferences...
s, each with its own focus. Only working groups can produce technical reports that become W3C recommendations. A working group can sometimes delegate specific work to a task force
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
, which then presents its results back to the working group for approval. Interest groups may produce reports (for example, as W3C Notes), but not recommendations.
Each of these types of groups (working group, task force, interest group) can have one or more mailing lists. They meet through conference calls at regular intervals (typically every week or every other week) and sometimes use web-based surveys to collect input or comments from participants. They can also meet face to face (one to five times per year).
Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (AUWG)
The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines Working Group develops guidelines, techniques and supporting resources for tools that create web content, ranging from desktop HTML editorHTML editor
An HTML editor is a software application for creating web pages. Although the HTML markup of a web page can be written with any text editor, specialized HTML editors can offer convenience and added functionality. For example, many HTML editors work not only with HTML, but also with related...
s to content management system
Content management system
A content management system is a system providing a collection of procedures used to manage work flow in a collaborative environment. These procedures can be manual or computer-based...
s.
The accessibility requirements apply to two types of things: the user interface on the one hand, and the content produced by the tool on the other.
The working group consists of representatives from organizations that produce authoring tools, researchers, and other accessibility experts.
The working group produced the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 in 2000 and is currently working on Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. It also published a document on Selecting and Using Authoring Tools for Web Accessibility.
Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG)
The Education and Outreach Working Group develops materials for training and education on Web accessibility. This working group has produced documents on a wide range of subjects, including:- Accessibility Features of CSS
- Curriculum for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
- Evaluating Web Sites for Accessibility, a suite of documents about subjects such as conformance evaluation, evaluation approaches for specific contexts, involving users in web accessibility evaluation, and selecting web accessibility evaluation tools
- Planning Web Accessibility Training
- Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization
- How People with Disabilities Use the Web, a document that describes various fictitious characters with disabilities and how they use the Web in different scenarios
- many introduction pages on the WAI website.
Currently, the working group has a task force to support the work done in the WAI-AGE project. This project published a document that reviews literature about the needs of older users and compares these needs with those of people with disabilities as already addressed in WAI guidelines.
The Education and Outreach Working Group can also review working drafts produced by other WAI working groups.
Evaluation and Repair Tools Working Group (ERT WG)
The Evaluation and Repair Tools Working Group develops technical specifications that support the accessibility evaluation and repair of Web sites. It also maintains a database of tools for evaluating Web sites and for making them more accessible (“repair”, “retrofitting”).The working group consists mainly of developers of such tools and researchers.
Current work focuses on
- Evaluation and Report Language (EARL): a language for expressing evaluation reports in a machine-readable way
- HTTP Vocabulary in RDF, which specifies how HTTPHypertext Transfer ProtocolThe Hypertext Transfer Protocol is a networking protocol for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems. HTTP is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web....
requests and responses can be expressed in RDFResource Description FrameworkThe Resource Description Framework is a family of World Wide Web Consortium specifications originally designed as a metadata data model... - Representing Content in RDF, which specifies how content (retrieved from the Web or a local storage device) can be represented in RDF
- Pointer Methods in RDF, early work on how locations in and parts of online documents can be expressed in RDF.
Protocols & Formats Working Group (PFWG)
The Protocols & Formats Working Group reviews all W3C technologies for accessibility before they are published as a recommendation. It has also published a note on accessibility issues of CAPTCHACAPTCHA
A CAPTCHA is a type of challenge-response test used in computing as an attempt to ensure that the response is generated by a person. The process usually involves one computer asking a user to complete a simple test which the computer is able to generate and grade...
,
a paper on natural language usage for people with cognitive disabilities,
and initial work on accessibility requirements for XML-based markup languages (XML Accessibility Guidelines).
In 2006, the working group started development of a set of document and specifications for accessible rich internet applications
Rich Internet application
A Rich Internet Application is a Web application that has many of the characteristics of desktop application software, typically delivered either by way of a site-specific browser, via a browser plug-in, independent sandboxes, extensive use of JavaScript, or virtual machines...
: WAI-ARIA
WAI-ARIA
is a draft technical specification published by the World Wide Web Consortium that specifies how to increase the accessibility of dynamic content and user interface components developed with Ajax, HTML, JavaScript and related technologies...
.
Research and Development Interest Group (RDIG)
The goal of the Research and Development Interest Group is- to increase the incorporation of accessibility considerations into research on Web technologies, and
- to identify projects researching Web accessibility and suggest research questions that may contribute to new projects.
This interest group has seen very little activity since 2004. Its current charter expired at the end of 2006.
User Agent Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (UAWG)
The User Agent Accessibility Guideline Working Group develops guidelines, techniques and other documents to promote the accessibility of user agentUser agent
In computing, a user agent is a client application implementing a network protocol used in communications within a client–server distributed computing system...
s: browsers
Web browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
and plug-ins.
The working group consists mainly of organizations that develop user agents, researchers, and other accessibility experts.
The working group published User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (UAAG 1.0) as a W3C Recommendation in 2002, and is currently working on the second version of this specification.
WAI Interest Group (WAI IG)
The WAI Interest Group is an open group with a mailing list to which anyone can subscribe. W3C staff post announcements of new WAI documents to this mailing list to invite reviews and comments. Members of the list also post announcements of relevant events and publications, and ask advice on issues related to web accessibility.The language of the mailing list is English; there are no parallel mailing lists in other languages.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (WCAG WG)
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group produces guidelines, techniques and other supporting documents relating to the accessibility of Web content. Web content refers to any information you may find on a Web site: text, images, forms, sound, video, etcetera, regardless whether these were produced on the server side or on the client side (with a client-side scripting languageClient-side scripting
Client-side scripting generally refers to the class of computer programs on the web that are executed client-side, by the user's web browser, instead of server-side...
such as JavaScript
JavaScript
JavaScript is a prototype-based scripting language that is dynamic, weakly typed and has first-class functions. It is a multi-paradigm language, supporting object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles....
). Thus, the guidelines also apply to rich internet applications
Rich Internet application
A Rich Internet Application is a Web application that has many of the characteristics of desktop application software, typically delivered either by way of a site-specific browser, via a browser plug-in, independent sandboxes, extensive use of JavaScript, or virtual machines...
.
The working group consists of representatives from industry, accessibility consultancies, universities, organizations that represent end users, and other accessibility experts.
The working group published the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG 1.0) as W3C Recommendation in 1999, followed by techniques documents in 2000.
In 2001, the working group started work on WCAG 2.0, which became a W3C Recommendation on 11 December 2008.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group is probably the most well-known working group in WAI; the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 are often simply referred to as “the WAI guidelines,” even though WAI also produces other guidelines and specifications.
WAI Coordination Group
The WAI Coordination Group co-ordinates that activities of the WAI working groups (and interest groups). Its activities are not public.Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (known as WCAG) were published as a W3C Recommendation on 5 May 1999. A supporting document, Techniques for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 was published as a W3C Note on 6 November 2000.WCAG 1.0 is a set of guidelines for making web content more accessible to persons with disabilities. They also help make web content more usable for other devices, including mobile devices (PDAs and cell phones).
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 are recognized as a de facto standard and have served as a basis for legislation and evaluation methodologies in many countries.
The WCAG working group published WCAG 2.0 as a Recommendation on 11 December 2008. WCAG 2.0 is based on very different requirements from WCAG 1.0:
- the guidelines needed to be technology-neutral, whereas WCAG 1.0 was strongly based on HTML and CSS;
- the guidelines needed to be worded as testable statements instead of instructions to authors.
The combination of more general applicability and higher precision proved very challenging.
Authoring Tools Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG)
Developed by the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines Working Group, the ATAG 1.0 became a W3C Recommendation on February 3, 2000.The ATAG is a set of guidelines for developers of any kind of authoring tool for Web content: simple HTML editor
HTML editor
An HTML editor is a software application for creating web pages. Although the HTML markup of a web page can be written with any text editor, specialized HTML editors can offer convenience and added functionality. For example, many HTML editors work not only with HTML, but also with related...
s, tools that export content for use on the Web (for example, word processors that can save as HTML), tools that produce multimedia, content management system
Content management system
A content management system is a system providing a collection of procedures used to manage work flow in a collaborative environment. These procedures can be manual or computer-based...
s, etcetera.
The goal is for developers to create tools that:
- are accessible to authors regardless of disability,
- produce accessible content by default,
- support and encourage authors to create accessible content.
The ATAG working group is currently working on a second version of the guidelines. A Last Call Working Draft was published in November 2004
but subsequent versions were published as normal working drafts.
Implementation Techniques for ATAG 2.0 are also available as a working draft.
User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG)
Developed by the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines Working Group, the UAAG 1.0 became a W3C Recommendation on 17 December 2002. The UAAG is a set of guidelines for user agent developers (such as web browserWeb browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
s and media players) aimed at making the user agent accessible to users with disabilities. Techniques for User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 was published as a W3C Note on the same day; it provides techniques for satisfying the checkpoints defined in UAAG 1.0.
Working group members also produced other supporting documents, including initial notes on How to evaluate a user agent for conformance to UAAG 1.0; this document was not formally approved by the working group.
No user agents have been reported as fully conforming to UAAG 1.0.
The working group is currently working on a new version of the guidelines. The first public draft of User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 was published on 12 March 2008.
XML Accessibility Guidelines (XAG)
The XAG explains how to include features in XML applications (i.e. markup languages conforming to the XML specification) that promote accessibility. Work on these guidelines stopped in 2002; the guidelines are still a working draft.Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA)
WAI-ARIA (Web Accessibility Initiative - Accessible Rich Internet Applications) is a draft technical specification which is yet to become a W3CWorld Wide Web Consortium
The World Wide Web Consortium is the main international standards organization for the World Wide Web .Founded and headed by Tim Berners-Lee, the consortium is made up of member organizations which maintain full-time staff for the purpose of working together in the development of standards for the...
Recommended Web Standard
W3C recommendation
A W3C Recommendation is the final stage of a ratification process of the World Wide Web Consortium working group concerning a technical standard. This designation signifies that a document has been subjected to a public and W3C-member organization's review. It aims to standardise the Web technology...
. It allows web page
Web page
A web page or webpage is a document or information resource that is suitable for the World Wide Web and can be accessed through a web browser and displayed on a monitor or mobile device. This information is usually in HTML or XHTML format, and may provide navigation to other web pages via hypertext...
s (or portions of pages) to declare themselves as applications
Application software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
rather than as static documents
Static web page
A static web page is a web page that is delivered to the user exactly as stored, in contrast to dynamic web pages which are generated by a web application....
, by adding role, property, and state information to dynamic web applications. ARIA is intended for use by developers of web application
Web application
A web application is an application that is accessed over a network such as the Internet or an intranet. The term may also mean a computer software application that is coded in a browser-supported language and reliant on a common web browser to render the application executable.Web applications are...
s, web browser
Web browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
s, assistive technologies
Assistive technology
Assistive technology or adaptive technology is an umbrella term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and also includes the process used in selecting, locating, and using them...
, and accessibility evaluation tools.
See also
- Web accessibilityWeb accessibilityWeb accessibility refers to the inclusive practice of making websites usable by people of all abilities and disabilities. When sites are correctly designed, developed and edited, all users can have equal access to information and functionality...
- Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 - a Federal law requiring US government electronic and information technology (EIT) to meet accessibility requirements
External links
- Official website
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (W3C Proposed Recommendation 03 November 2008)
- Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
- User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
- XML Accessibility Guidelines Working Draft
- Education & Outreach Working Group
- Research and Development Interest Group
- Getting Started
- WAI early days