Procedures for
Accessible Web Design

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Standards

The standards-making body for the Web, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), through its Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) has released a series of recommendations in a stable document called the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG) that explain how to make Web content accessible to people with disabilities. Accompanying these guidelines is the Checklist of Checkpoints for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, a stable document that web content developers can use to determine the degree to which their Web documents are accessible. These checkpoints are divided into three priority levels based on each checkpoint's impact on accessibility. Priority 1 checkpoints must be met in order for some groups to be able to use Web documents. Failure to satisfy these Priority 1 checkpoints means that one or more groups will find it impossible to access information in the document.

Priority 1 Checkpoints

WCAG Priority 1

In General (Priority 1)	Yes	No	N/A
1.1 Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element (e.g., via "alt", "longdesc", or in element content). This includes: images, graphical representations of text (including symbols), image map regions, animations (e.g., animated GIFs), applets and programmatic objects, ascii art, frames, scripts, images used as list bullets, spacers, graphical buttons, sounds (played with or without user interaction), stand-alone audio files, audio tracks of video, and video.
2.1 Ensure that all information conveyed with color is also available without color, for example from context or markup.
4.1 Clearly identify changes in the natural language of a document's text and any text equivalents (e.g., captions).
6.1 Organize documents so they may be read without style sheets. For example, when an HTML document is rendered without associated style sheets, it must still be possible to read the document.
6.2 Ensure that equivalents for dynamic content are updated when the dynamic content changes.
7.1 Until user agents allow users to control flickering, avoid causing the screen to flicker.
14.1 Use the clearest and simplest language appropriate for a site's content.
And if you use images and image maps (Priority 1)	Yes	No	N/A
1.2 Provide redundant text links for each active region of a server-side image map.
9.1 Provide client-side image maps instead of server-side image maps except where the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric shape.
And if you use tables (Priority 1)	Yes	No	N/A
5.1 For data tables, identify row and column headers.
5.2 For data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers, use markup to associate data cells and header cells.
And if you use frames (Priority 1)	Yes	No	N/A
12.1 Title each frame to facilitate frame identification and navigation.
And if you use applets and scripts (Priority 1)	Yes	No	N/A
6.3 Ensure that pages are usable when scripts, applets, or other programmatic objects are turned off or not supported. If this is not possible, provide equivalent information on an alternative accessible page.
And if you use multimedia (Priority 1)	Yes	No	N/A
1.3 Until user agents can automatically read aloud the text equivalent of a visual track, provide an auditory description of the important information of the visual track of a multimedia presentation.
1.4 For any time-based multimedia presentation (e.g., a movie or animation), synchronize equivalent alternatives (e.g., captions or auditory descriptions of the visual track) with the presentation.
And if all else fails (Priority 1)	Yes	No	N/A
11.4 If, after best efforts, you cannot create an accessible page, provide a link to an alternative page that uses W3C technologies, is accessible, has equivalent information (or functionality), and is updated as often as the inaccessible (original) page.

The Law

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act require equal access for people with disabilities. Since they were written before the World Wide Web became popular, they do not address issues of accessibility with regard to this medium. In 1998, the U.S. Congress ammended the Rehabilitation Act to deal with issues of accessibility in the Information Age. Section 508 of this ammendment requires Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology resources accessible to people with disabilities. It draws from the W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, but, based on consultation with leaders in the IT industry and accessibility advocates, the board responsible for drafting this document made some changes. Section 508 does not include all of the Priority 1 checkpoints and includes some not explicitly covered in the W3C guidelines.

Listed In Section 1194.22 of 508 are the accessibility requirements for Web-based intranet and internet information and applications.

§ 1194.22 Web-based intranet and internet information and applications.

(a) A text equivalent for every non-text element shall be provided (e.g., via "alt", "longdesc", or in element content).

(b) Equivalent alternatives for any multimedia presentation shall be synchronized with the presentation.

(c) Web pages shall be designed so that all information conveyed with color is also available without color, for example from context or markup.

(d) Documents shall be organized so they are readable without requiring an associated style sheet.

(e) Redundant text links shall be provided for each active region of a server-side image map.

(f) Client-side image maps shall be provided instead of server-side image maps except where the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric shape.

(g) Row and column headers shall be identified for data tables.

(h) Markup shall be used to associate data cells and header cells for data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers.

(i) Frames shall be titled with text that facilitates frame identification and navigation.

(j) Pages shall be designed to avoid causing the screen to flicker with a frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz.

(k) A text-only page, with equivalent information or functionality, shall be provided to make a web site comply with the provisions of this part, when compliance cannot be accomplished in any other way. The content of the text-only page shall be updated whenever the primary page changes.

(l) When pages utilize scripting languages to display content, or to create interface elements, the information provided by the script shall be identified with functional text that can be read by assistive technology.

(m) When a web page requires that an applet, plug-in or other application be present on the client system to interpret page content, the page must provide a link to a plug-in or applet that complies with §1194.21(a) through (l).

(n) When electronic forms are designed to be completed on-line, the form shall allow people using assistive technology to access the information, field elements, and functionality required for completion and submission of the form, including all directions and cues.

(o) A method shall be provided that permits users to skip repetitive navigation links.

(p) When a timed response is required, the user shall be alerted and given sufficient time to indicate more time is required.

Relationship Between 508 and WCAG

WebAIM, an accessibility resource site, has produced a nice printable accessibility checklist (requires Adobe Reader) that can be used to guide developers in determining if their pages comply with Section 508

While these guidelines technically only apply to the federal government, some argue that the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 makes these guidelines applicable to public Colleges and Universities as well. To be safe, we should assume that Virginia Tech must conform to these requirements, unless doing so would impose an undue burden on the University. Section 508 defines undue burden as follows:

Undue burden means significant difficulty or expense. In determining whether an action would result in an undue burden, an agency shall consider all agency resources available to the program or component for which the product is being developed, procured, maintained, or used.

These federally mandated requirements relate to the W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines as follows (note: rules m, n, o, and do not directly correspond to any WCAG Checkpoint):

While not exactly the same, rule (l) of Section 1194.22 of 508 roughly corresponds to WCAG Checkpoint 6.3.

The National Institute for Environmental Health Services (NIEHS) provides an excellent resource, which explains each of these requirements and gives examples of how to implement them. The Guidelines section will provide more detail for how each of these standards applies to IDDL's development context.

Last Updated: October 20, 2006 2:49 PM

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