standards and guidelines What are Web Standards?
Web standards are guidelines that give developers flexibility and creativity to create web content that is browser and platform independent and accessible by a large population of users. Maintaining universal standards encourage innovation while continuing to be compatible with current and past technologies.
Why do I need to design to standards?
- Provide everyone access to the information, including people with special needs or using assistive devices.
- Platform independence for a broad spectrum of output from hand-held devices to high-end workstations
- Better indexed by search engines
- Easily maintained and repurposed for future emerging technologies
- Less labor intensive and thus cost effective
What is W3C?
W3C (World Wide Web Consortium ) is an international body dedicated to developing open specifications (de facto standards) for web technologies to enhance the interoperability of web products.
What is the WAI?
The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is organized under W3C to develop strategies, guidelines, and resources to help make the Web accessible to people with disabilities. WAI develops Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG ), Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines ( ATAG ), and User Agent Accessibility Guidelines ( UAAG ).
What are WCAG?
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Web content generally refers to the information in a Web page or Web application, including text, images, forms, audio, video, interactive rich media etc.
WCAG 1.0 guidelines (currently approved) consist of:
- General principles of accessible design, the broad concepts that apply to all web-content
- Checkpoints with definitions explaining how the guideline applies to particular web content
- Techniques and specifications for specific to web technologies like HTML, CSS, and XML etc. to help with implementation to the design principles. They include resources like checkpoints and technology specific specifications and techniques
Based on the checkpoints impact on accessibility, each checkpoint is assigned a priority:
- Priority 1: This priority must be satisfied, without this one or more group will find is impossible to access the information. This deals with making content perceivable so that people who are blind or hearing impaired can access the information.
- Priority 2: This priority should be satisfied without which one or more groups will find it difficult to access information in the document. This requires the interactive /navigational elements made operable so that they are not barriers to accessing the information on the pages
- Priority 3: This priority may be addressed. Satisfying this checkpoint will improve access to Web documents
WCAG 2.0 requirements (under development) while continuing to promote accessibility standards in version 1.0, will ensure that the requirements apply across different Web technologies; are written to be accessible to a diverse audience; and be backward compatible.
What is Section 508?
Section 508 Guidelines are web accessibility standards identified by the Access Board under Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards (36 CFR Part 1194). These standards are based on Priority 1 and 2 of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
What are North Carolina State Guidelines?
In August 2003, The Office of Chief Information Office of State of North Carolina issued Web Site Development Guidelines(pdf) . These guidelines while based on the WAI and Section 508 guidelines are more comprehensive and address accessibility and usability by all people, including for those using older technology and with low band width.
What is The Web Page Accessibility Implementation Document?
The Web Page Accessibility Implementation Document provides NC State content creators guidelines for bringing their web pages and resources into compliance, with priority given to pages that will have maximum impact
