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Accessible Web Design - PAGE 5

"Don't rely on dumb robots to do all the work."

WCAG 1.0 list of guidelines

The following guidelines are a summarized list and should only be used as a guide. The full set of guidelines can be found on the W3C website.

a text equivalent for every non-text element (use html where possible).
appropriate ALT text for images, bullets and image maps.
accessible forms and other media (such as PDF files and multimedia).
do not rely on colour alone (e.g. links with no underlines).
ensure that equivalents for content are updated (e.g. text only version is updated when dynamic version is updated).
correct labeling of tables and frames in order to structure the information (e.g. use TH, caption tags and summary tags). Ensure row and column headers are identified.
a document should present and flow correctly without the use of a style sheet.
provide redundant text links for each active region of a server-side image map (use client-side image maps rather than server-side when possible).
provide alternate access to information when scripts, applets or other programmatic objects are turned off.
provide textual information for visual text (e.g. images of text in multimedia).

The following principals are in addition to priority 1

use colors that contrast sufficiently (e.g. information should be obtainable on a black and white screen).
use formal grammar.
use CSS for layout and presentation.
minimize use of tables for layout (use for data only). If they must be used for layout, the table must make sense when linearised. Do not use structural markup for the purpose of visual formatting (e.g. using TH to centre non-heading content).
use relative rather than absolute attribute values.
use heading hierarchy to convey structure (e.g. do not rely on style sheets).
mark up quotations (e.g. use Q and BLOCKQUOTE elements for indenting).
do not use functions that user agents cannot control (e.g. auto-refreshing pages, client-side redirection scripts, moving elements on the page and content that blinks).
avoid pop-up windows and changes in the current window without informing the user.
avoid deprecated features of W3C technologies.
divide large blocks of information into manageable groups.
clearly identify the target of each link.
provide metadata to add semantic information.
use consistent navigation and provide general information about the layout of a site (e.g. site map).
describe the purpose of frames if the frame titles do not make it obvious.
for forms, associate labels explicitly with their controls.

The following principals are in addition to priority 1 and 2

specify an expansion of each abbreviation or acronym in a document where it first occurs.
identify the primary natural language of a document.
create a logical tab order through links, form controls and objects.
provide keyboard shortcuts to important links (e.g. using the ACCESS attribute).
include non-link, printable characters (surrounded by spaces) to separate adjacent links.
provide information so that users may receive the information according to their preferences (e.g. language, content type).
provide a clear navigation system (e.g. group related links, identify these groups and allow users to bypass the groups).
if search functions are provided, enable different types of searches for different skill levels and preferences.
provide distinguishing information at the beginning of headings, paragraphs and lists. Provide information about a collection of documents (e.g. document comprising of multiple pages).
provide a means to skip multi-line ASCII art.
supplement text with graphic or auditory content if it facilitates comprehension of the content.
until user agents handle empty form controls correctly, include place-holding characters in edit boxes and text areas.