Priorities
Each checkpoint has a priority level
assigned by the Working Group based on the checkpoint's impact on
accessibility.
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[Priority 1]
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- A Web content developer must
satisfy this checkpoint. Otherwise, one or more groups will find it
impossible to access information in the document. Satisfying this
checkpoint is a basic requirement for some groups to be able to use Web
documents.
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[Priority 2]
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- A Web content developer should
satisfy this checkpoint. Otherwise, one or more groups will find it
difficult to access information in the document. Satisfying this
checkpoint will remove significant barriers to accessing Web documents.
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[Priority 3]
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- A Web content developer may
address this checkpoint. Otherwise, one or more groups will find it
somewhat difficult to access information in the document. Satisfying
this checkpoint will improve access to Web documents.
Some checkpoints specify a priority level
that may change under certain (indicated) conditions.
Priority 1 checkpoints
| In
General (Priority 1) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
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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. |
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2.1 Ensure that all
information conveyed with color is also available without color, for
example from context or markup. |
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4.1 Clearly identify
changes in the natural language of a document's text and any text
equivalents (e.g., captions). |
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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. |
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6.2 Ensure that equivalents
for dynamic content are updated when the dynamic content changes.
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7.1 Until user agents allow
users to control flickering, avoid causing the screen to flicker.
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14.1 Use the clearest and
simplest language appropriate for a site's content.
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| And if you use images and image maps
(Priority 1) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
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1.2 Provide redundant text
links for each active region of a server-side image map.
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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.
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| And if you use tables (Priority 1)
|
Yes |
No |
N/A |
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5.1 For data tables,
identify row and column headers. |
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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. |
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| And if you use frames (Priority 1)
|
Yes |
No |
N/A |
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12.1 Title each frame to
facilitate frame identification and navigation. |
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| And if you use applets and scripts
(Priority 1) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
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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.
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| And if you use multimedia (Priority
1) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
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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. |
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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. |
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| And if all else fails (Priority 1)
|
Yes |
No |
N/A |
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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. |
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Priority 2 checkpoints
| In
General (Priority 2) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
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2.2 Ensure that foreground
and background color combinations provide sufficient contrast when
viewed by someone having color deficits or when viewed on a black
and white screen. [Priority 2 for images, Priority 3 for text].
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3.1 When an appropriate
markup language exists, use markup rather than images to convey
information. |
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3.2 Create documents that
validate to published formal grammars. |
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3.3 Use style sheets to
control layout and presentation. |
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3.4 Use relative rather
than absolute units in markup language attribute values and style
sheet property values. |
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3.5 Use header elements to
convey document structure and use them according to specification.
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3.6 Mark up lists and list
items properly. |
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3.7 Mark up quotations. Do
not use quotation markup for formatting effects such as indentation.
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6.5 Ensure that dynamic
content is accessible or provide an alternative presentation or
page. |
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7.2 Until user agents allow
users to control blinking, avoid causing content to blink (i.e.,
change presentation at a regular rate, such as turning on and off).
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7.4 Until user agents
provide the ability to stop the refresh, do not create periodically
auto-refreshing pages. |
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7.5 Until user agents
provide the ability to stop auto-redirect, do not use markup to
redirect pages automatically. Instead, configure the server to
perform redirects. |
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10.1 Until user agents
allow users to turn off spawned windows, do not cause pop-ups or
other windows to appear and do not change the current window without
informing the user. |
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11.1 Use W3C technologies
when they are available and appropriate for a task and use the
latest versions when supported. |
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11.2 Avoid deprecated
features of W3C technologies. |
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12.3 Divide large blocks of
information into more manageable groups where natural and
appropriate. |
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13.1 Clearly identify the
target of each link. |
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13.2 Provide metadata to
add semantic information to pages and sites. |
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13.3 Provide information
about the general layout of a site (e.g., a site map or table of
contents). |
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13.4 Use navigation
mechanisms in a consistent manner. |
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| And if you use tables (Priority 2)
|
Yes |
No |
N/A |
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5.3 Do not use tables for
layout unless the table makes sense when linearized. Otherwise, if
the table does not make sense, provide an alternative equivalent
(which may be a linearized version). |
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5.4 If a table is used for
layout, do not use any structural markup for the purpose of visual
formatting. |
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| And if you use frames (Priority 2)
|
Yes |
No |
N/A |
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12.2 Describe the purpose
of frames and how frames relate to each other if it is not obvious
by frame titles alone. |
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| And if you use forms (Priority 2)
|
Yes |
No |
N/A |
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10.2 Until user agents
support explicit associations between labels and form controls, for
all form controls with implicitly associated labels, ensure that the
label is properly positioned. |
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12.4 Associate labels
explicitly with their controls. |
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| And if you use applets and scripts
(Priority 2) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
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6.4 For scripts and
applets, ensure that event handlers are input device-independent.
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7.3 Until user agents allow
users to freeze moving content, avoid movement in pages.
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8.1 Make programmatic
elements such as scripts and applets directly accessible or
compatible with assistive technologies [Priority 1 if functionality
is important and not presented elsewhere, otherwise Priority 2.]
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9.2 Ensure that any element
that has its own interface can be operated in a device-independent
manner. |
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9.3 For scripts, specify
logical event handlers rather than device-dependent event handlers.
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Priority 3 checkpoints
| In
General (Priority 3) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
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4.2 Specify the expansion
of each abbreviation or acronym in a document where it first occurs.
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4.3 Identify the primary
natural language of a document. |
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9.4 Create a logical tab
order through links, form controls, and objects. |
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9.5 Provide keyboard
shortcuts to important links (including those in client-side image
maps), form controls, and groups of form controls.
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10.5 Until user agents
(including assistive technologies) render adjacent links distinctly,
include non-link, printable characters (surrounded by spaces)
between adjacent links. |
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11.3 Provide information so
that users may receive documents according to their preferences
(e.g., language, content type, etc.) |
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13.5 Provide navigation
bars to highlight and give access to the navigation mechanism.
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13.6 Group related links,
identify the group (for user agents), and, until user agents do so,
provide a way to bypass the group. |
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13.7 If search functions
are provided, enable different types of searches for different skill
levels and preferences. |
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13.8 Place distinguishing
information at the beginning of headings, paragraphs, lists, etc.
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13.9 Provide information
about document collections (i.e., documents comprising multiple
pages.). |
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13.10 Provide a means to
skip over multi-line ASCII art. |
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14.2 Supplement text with
graphic or auditory presentations where they will facilitate
comprehension of the page. |
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14.3 Create a style of
presentation that is consistent across pages. |
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| And if you use images and image maps
(Priority 3) |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
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1.5 Until user agents
render text equivalents for client-side image map links, provide
redundant text links for each active region of a client-side image
map. |
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| And if you use tables (Priority 3)
|
Yes |
No |
N/A |
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5.5 Provide summaries for
tables. |
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5.6 Provide abbreviations
for header labels. |
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10.3 Until user agents
(including assistive technologies) render side-by-side text
correctly, provide a linear text alternative (on the current page or
some other) for all tables that lay out text in parallel,
word-wrapped columns. |
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| And if you use forms (Priority 3)
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Yes |
No |
N/A |
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10.4 Until user agents
handle empty controls correctly, include default, place-holding
characters in edit boxes and text areas. |
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