MSU David Holstius May 9, 2001 “Standards in Web Accessibility” Presented by The Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities at Michigan State University May 09, 2001 Standards in Web Accessibility

MSU David Holstius May 9, 2001 “Standards in Web Accessibility” Importance of Web Standards Because web users have: (1) different capabilities, and (2) distinct preferences, standards are essential. ++ = Joe ++= Mary

MSU David Holstius May 9, 2001 “Standards in Web Accessibility” W3C: World Wide Web Consortium Public standards body (HTML, etc.) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) “The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone, regardless of disability, is an essential aspect.” Tim Berners-Lee W3C Director Inventor of the WWW

MSU David Holstius May 9, 2001 “Standards in Web Accessibility” WAI: Web Accessibility Initiative Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Fourteen-point recommendation Issued May 5,

MSU David Holstius May 9, 2001 “Standards in Web Accessibility” WCAG - Organization Each of 14 “Guidelines” covers one or more “Checkpoints” Checkpoints rated as: - Priority 1: Must-do - Priority 2: Should-do - Priority 3: May-do Guidelines >> Checkpoints >> Priorities

MSU David Holstius May 9, 2001 “Standards in Web Accessibility” WCAG – Example Content Guideline 2: Ensure that all information conveyed with color is also available without color, for example from context or markup. [Priority 1] Don’t rely on color alone. Checkpoint 2.1:

MSU David Holstius May 9, 2001 “Standards in Web Accessibility” WCAG - Compliance Voluntary; unenforced Page-by-page By priority level Full compliance recognized

MSU David Holstius May 9, 2001 “Standards in Web Accessibility” Federal: Section 508 Mostly WCAG, Priority 1 June 25, 2001 Full text available at:

MSU David Holstius May 9, 2001 “Standards in Web Accessibility” Other Emerging Standards Corporate initiatives University initiatives

MSU David Holstius May 9, 2001 “Standards in Web Accessibility” Getting Results Retrofitting tips: High-traffic pages High-priority checkpoints Accessibility is a sliding scale New designs: Follow standards Strive for “user power”

MSU David Holstius May 9, 2001 “Standards in Web Accessibility” Benefits of Web Accessibility Device independence User control & customization Reach wider audience ” 1 in 5 Americans has a disability.” - U.S. Census Bureau [1997]

MSU David Holstius May 9, 2001 “Standards in Web Accessibility” Sites and Communities WebAble AWARE aware.hwg.org WebAIM W3C + WAI

MSU David Holstius May 9, 2001 “Standards in Web Accessibility” More Information Contact RCPD: Links provided at: This presentation was composed by David Holstius of the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) at Michigan State University and presented on May 9, Copyright 2001 Michigan State University. All rights reserved.