Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
Announcements
- WAI Web Accessibility Engineer position open (19 May 2006)
Events, Meetings, Presentations
- At "Information Accessibility International Standardization Seminar 2006 - Harmonization of JIS X8341-3 (Web Contents) and W3C WCAG 2.0" on 27 November 2006 in Tokyo, Japan: "W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)" by Judy Brewer, "WCAG 2.0 Introduction" by Shawn Henry, "WCAG 2.0 Technical Overview" by Michael Cooper
- At Web Design World 2006 in Boston, MA, USA:
- "Accessibility in a Web 2.0 World" presentation by Shawn Henry on 11 December
- "Accessibility: Better, Faster, Cheaper" presentation by Shawn Henry on 12 December
[Past WAI Events]
[Search Presentations of W3C Team]
Documents in Progress
- Accessible Rich Internet Application suite First Public Working Drafts: WAI-ARIA Roadmap, WAI-ARIA Roles, WAI-ARIA States and Properties 26 September 2006 (WAI-ARIA Call for Review)
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Last Call Working Draft 27 April 2006 (Extending Deadline on WCAG 2.0 Last Call Review)
- Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Working Draft 22 November 2005 (ATAG Call for Review)
- Evaluation and Report Language (EARL) 1.0 Schema Working Draft 27 September 2006 (EARL Schema Call for Review)
Highlights
Got Questions? View the New WCAG 2 F.A.Q.
WAI gathered a few frequently asked questions (FAQ) about Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 and provided answers in a WCAG 2 FAQ. There we address: When will WCAG 2.0 be done? What is the current status? When should I start using WCAG 2.0? (2006-11-01)
For Review: Updated EARL 1.0 Schema Working Draft
Evaluation and Report Language (EARL) is a format to exchange, combine, and analyze results from different Web accessibility evaluation tools. EARL 1.0 Schema Working Draft was published 27 September 2006. See:
- Call for Review: Evaluation and Report Language (EARL) 1.0 Schema Working Draft
- Evaluation and Report Language (EARL) Overview
- How WAI Develops Accessibility Guidelines through the W3C Process: Milestones and Opportunities to Contribute
Please send comments by 25 October 2006. (2006-09-27)
Accessibility for Rich Internet Applications: WAI-ARIA Suite Debuts
W3C WAI's work on accessibility of AJAX, DHTML, and other rich Internet application technologies is published as First Public Working Drafts. WAI encourages review and comments. See:
- W3C Announces Roadmap for Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) press release
- Call for Review: Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) Working Drafts e-mail
For information on how Working Drafts are developed, see: How WAI Develops Accessibility Guidelines through the W3C Process. (2006-09-26)
WAI to Advise on 508 Standards Update
W3C WAI has been appointed to the Advisory Committee for the revision of U.S. Section 255 guidelines and Section 508 standards, which include Web accessibility. WAI looks forward to continuing to coordinate with organizations around the world to develop harmonized standards for Web accessibility. Additional information is available in the U.S. Access Board article: Board Names Advisory Committee for 508 Standards Update. (2006-07-20)
Podcast: Interview on WCAG 2
Shawn Henry discusses WCAG 2.0 with UK UPA president Giles Colborne: transcript and audio files. (2006-07-06)
Custom View of WCAG Two: Quick Reference
WCAG 2.0 Quick Reference lists the basic requirements of WCAG 2.0, which are the success criteria. For each success criteria, it lists techniques that tell you how to meet the requirements. You can customize the Quick Reference for the Web technologies you are using and for Levels 1, 2, or 3. See also: Overview of WCAG 2.0 Documents. (2006-06-20)
Extended Deadline: WCAG 2.0 Last Call Review
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) Last Call Working Draft and supporting documents were published 27 April 2006. WAI encourages you to review these documents and submit any comments. See:
Please send comments by 22 June 2006. (2006-05-30)
For Review: WCAG 2.0 Last Call
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) Last Call Working Draft and supporting documents were published 27 April 2006. WAI encourages you to review these documents and submit any comments. See:
Please send comments by 31 May 2006. (2006-04-27)
Want to know how people with disabilities use your Web site? Ask.
Web accessibility guidelines, techniques, and tools provide the basis for Web accessibility. Including people with disabilities in the Web development process helps to understand the "why" behind accessibility. It leads to more effective accessibility solutions, developed more efficiently. See "Involving Users in Web Accessibility Evaluation". (2005-11-02)
Web Accessibility 101: The Basics and Beyond
WAI's recently updated "Introduction to Web Accessibility" addresses key issues of making the Web accessible, including:
- An accessible Web is essential for equal opportunities for people with disabilities
- Web accessibility benefits others, such as older people with changing abilities due to aging
- Web software has a vital role in Web accessibility (2005-09-12)
The Business Case for Web Accessibility: Three Carrots and a Stick
"Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization" describes the social, technical, financial, and legal and policy factors relevant to developing a customized business case for Web accessibility for a specific organization. (2005-08-23)
Web Accessibility: The Fellowship of the Guidelines
Many people know about WAI's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and the responsibilities of Web developers in making the Web accessible to people with disabilities. But Web developers alone cannot make the Web accessible.
Web browsers, assistive technologies, and authoring tools also have a vital role in Web accessibility. Essential Components of Web Accessibility describes these roles along with the WAI guidelines. (2005-07-22)
Blogs, Wikis, CMS... Got ATAG?
Web content is created by many different types of tools these days: Web log (blog) comment features, Wikis for editing Web pages, content management systems (CMS), e-mail archivers, word processors, and more.
All of these tool are covered by WAI's Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG), which explain:
- how tools should help Web developers produce accessible Web content,
- how to make tools accessible to people with disabilities.
Does your tool know ATAG? (2005-07-22)
[Highlights Archive] WAI home page Highlights are edited by Shawn Lawton Henry, WAI's Education and Outreach Working Group, and other WAI Team and Working Groups.
Sponsors
WAI is supported in part by: the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, European Commission's Information Society Technologies Programme, Canada's Assistive Devices Industry Office, CA, Fundación ONCE, HP, IBM, Microsoft Corporation, SAP, Verizon Foundation, and Wells Fargo.