Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
Released as a W3C Technical Recommendation
February 3, 2000
The [1]Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the [2]World Wide Web
Consortium (W3C) released the final draft of it's [3]Authoring Tool
Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) on February 3, 2000.
The following announcement is a plain text image of the hypertext
document located at:
http://www.hicom.net/~oedipus/vicug/atag.html
if you have access to the web, you are strongly encouraged to use
the hypertextualized version of this document, so as to take
advantage of the hyperlinks to related resources and background
materials embedded therein. This plain text notice was generated
using Lynx, which was set to report hyperlinks as numbers. A list
of hyperlink references follows the body of the document.
This document is separated into three parts:
Part 1. What Are the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines?
Part 2. What is a W3C Recommendation?
Part 3. Supplemental Resources about ATAG, WAI, and W3C
_________________________________________________________________
Part 1: What Are the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines?
The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines are part of a series of
accessibility guidelines published by the W3C's [4]Web Accessibility
Initiative. The series also includes the [5]User Agent Accessibility
Guidelines and the [6]Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines provides guidance for
developers of software which creates content for the web (or in a
web-based markup language). The purpose of the Guidelines is two-fold:
to assist developers in designing authoring tools that generate
accessible web content and to "assist developers in creating an
accessible authoring interface".
Accessible web content is achieved by encouraging authoring tool users
(a.k.a. "authors") to create accessible web content through mechanisms
such as prompts, alerts, checking and repair functions, help files,
and automated transformation and conversion tools. It is, of course,
equally important to ensure that anyone, regardless of disability or
lack of technical expertise, can create web content that is
accessible, as well as aesthetically pleasing. it is, therefore, of
critical importance that the tools used to create such content are
themselves accessible. Adoption of these Guidelines will result in the
proliferation of web pages that can be read by a broader range of
readers and in authoring tools that can be used by a broader range of
authors.
The Guidelines have been organized as follows:
1. There are seven "guidelines" Each guideline includes:
+ a guideline number;
+ the statement of the guideline;
+ the rationale behind the guideline;
+ a list of checkpoint definitions.
2. Each guideline specifies one or more prioritized "checkpoints"
that explain how authoring tool developers can satisfy the
guideline. Each checkpoint definition includes:
+ a checkpoint number;
+ the statement of the checkpoint;
+ the [7]priority of the checkpoint;
+ (in some cases) informative notes, clarifying examples, or
cross references to related guidelines or checkpoints;
+ A link to a section of the Techniques Document where
implementations and examples of the checkpoint are discussed;
Each checkpoint is intended to be specific enough that it can be
verified, while being sufficiently general to allow developers the
freedom to use the most appropriate strategies to meet the
checkpoint.
3. An appendix document lists [8]all the checkpoints in the
Guidelines, organized by guideline and checkpoint number, as well
as priority.
The Guidelines document includes a [9]conformance statement that
explains how programs that produce content intended to be accessed via
a user agent (such as a browser or PC-based Digital Talking Book
Player) can claim conformance to the Authoring Tool Accessibility
Guidelines.
The Guidelines are also accompanied by another document, entitled
"[10]Techniques for Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines". The
Techniques document explains in detail how software developers may
implement the checkpoints enumerated in the Guidelines. It also
includes references to other accessibility resources, such as
platform-specific software accessibility guidelines, which give
additional information on how a tool may satisfy each checkpoint.
(Please note that the Techniques document, which continues to evolve,
is not (yet, at least) a W3C Recommendation, and [11]comments about
ATAG techniques are welcomed.)
The Guidelines have been produced by the W3C's [12]Authoring Tool
Guidelines Working Group as part of the [13]Web Accessibility
Initiative.
____________________________________________________
Part 2: What is a W3C Recommendation?
On 3 February 2000, version 1.0 of the [14]Authoring Tool
Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) was released as a [15]W3C
Recommendation. The designation "W3C Recommendation" signifies that
the document has been subjected to a [16]public review (which ended on
October 4, 1999) and that it has been circulated amongst [17]W3C
member organizations for review. Translated into plain English, this
means is that the ATAG now carry the same weight and authority as the
markup languages (such as [18]HTML, [19]The Synchronized Multimedia
Integration Language (SMIL), and [20]StyleSheets) that form the
foundation of the web.
____________________________________________________
Part 3: Supplemental Resources about ATAG, WAI, and W3C
What follows is a list of supplemental resources, which you can use to
learn more about the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines, the W3C,
the WAI, and web accessibility in general.
1. [21]Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG)
A. [22]Conformance Evaluations of Authoring Tools
B. [23]ATAG Checklist (Linear Format)
C. [24]ATAG Checklist (Table Format)
D. [25]Techniques for Authoring Tool Accessibility
E. [26]ATAG Press Release (3 February 2000)
F. [27]ATAG Fact Sheet
G. [28]Testimonials In Support of ATAG
2. [29]Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
A. [30]What Are the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines?
B. [31]Techniques for Web Content Accessibility
C. [32]WCAGL Press Release (5 May 1999)
D. [33]WCAG Fact Sheet
E. [34]Testimonials In Support of the WCAG
3. [35]User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG) -- Candidate
Recommendation Draft
A. [36]Techniques for User Agent Accessibility
B. [37]UAAG Impact Matrix
C. [38]UAAG Implementation Report
D. [39]User Agent Responsibilities
4. [40]The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
A. [41]Web Accessibility Reference Materials
B. [42]WAI Interest Group: a way for you to get involved!
C. [43]WAI Monthly Bulletin
D. [44]Accessibility Features of CSS
E. [45]Accessibility Features of HTML 4.0
F. [46]Accessibility Features of SMIL 1.0
5. [47]The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
A. [48]W3C Process Document
B. [49]W3C Technical Reports, Recommendations, and Notes
6. [50]webwatch-l: an emailing list dedicated to web accessibility
Hyperlink References
1. http://www.w3.org/WAI/
2. http://www.w3.org/
3. http://www.w3.org/TR/ATAG10/
4. http://www.w3.org/WAI/
5. http://www.w3.org/TR/UAAG10/
6. http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT
7. http://www.w3.org/TR/ATAG10/#priorities
8. http://www.w3.org/TR/ATAG10/atag10-chklist.html
9. http://www.w3.org/TR/ATAG10/#q8
10. http://www.w3.org/TR/ATAG10-TECHS/
11. mailto:[log in to unmask]
12. http://www.w3.org/WAI/AU/
13. http://www.w3.org/WAI/
14. http://www.w3.org/TR/ATAG10/
15. http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Process/#RecsW3C
16. http://www.hicom.net/~oedipus/vicug/wcgl_last_call.html
17. http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Member/List
18. http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40
19. http://www.w3.org/TR/1998/REC-smil-19980615/
20. http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-css2
21. http://www.w3.org/TR/ATAG10/
22. http://www.w3.org/WAI/AU/reviews/
23. http://www.w3.org/TR/ATAG10/atag10-chklist.html
24. http://www.w3.org/TR/ATAG10/atag10-chktable.html
25. http://www.w3.org/TR/ATAG10-TECHS/
26. http://www.w3.org/2000/02/ATAG-PressRelease.html.en
27. http://www.w3.org/2000/02/ATAG-FAQ.html
28. http://www.w3.org/2000/02/ATAG-Testimonial.html
29. http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT
30. http://www.hicom.net/~oedipus/vicug/wcgl.html
31. http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/wai-pageauth-tech
32. http://www.w3.org/1999/05/WCAG-RECPressRelease
33. http://www.w3.org/1999/05/WCAG-REC-fact.html
34. http://www.w3.org/1999/05/WCAG-REC-test.html
35. http://www.w3.org/TR/UAAG10/
36. http://www.w3.org/TR/UAAG10-TECHS/
37. http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/UAGL-impact-matrix
38. http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/UAAG10-IMP
39. http://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/2000/01/ua-resp-20000125
40. http://www.w3.org/WAI/
41. http://www.w3.org/WAI/References
42. http://www.w3.org/WAI/IG/#Using the WAI IG mailing list
43. http://www.w3.org/WAI/Bulletin
44. http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS-access
45. http://www.w3.org/WAI/References/HTML4-access
46. http://www.w3.org/TR/SMIL-access/
47. http://www.w3.org/
48. http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Process/
49. http://www.hicom.net/www.w3.org/TR/
50. http://www.hicom.net/~oedipus/blist.html#webwatch
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He that lives on Hope, dies farting
-- Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack, 1763
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Gregory J. Rosmaita <[log in to unmask]>
WebMaster and Minister of Propaganda, VICUG NYC
<http://www.hicom.net/~oedipus/vicug/index.html>
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