Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, WCAG
508 standards are different from the Web Accessibility
Initiative's (WAI's) Web Content
Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Section 508 is the law,
whereas as the WAI guidelines are not.
However, 508 standards are based primarily on WCAG. So an
understanding of WCGA can aid in 508 work. The final 508 rule
does not reference the WCAG 1.0 directly. However, the first
nine provisions in 508, paragraphs (a) through (i), incorporate
the exact language that is not substantively different than the
WCAG and is supported in its comments. A method for using WCAG
for 508 is to use WCAG priority one checkpoints with manual
checking of Section 508 paragraphs, especially 508 items l, m,
n, o, p.
WCAG (pronounced "wuh-KAG") is a long, rather technical
document that serves a number of purposes, primarily
functioning as the definitive technical reference gathering
together information on web accessibility. There are fourteen
"guidelines." A WCAG guideline is a broad concept of
accessibility; a principle that should be followed.
-
Each guideline has one or more "
checkpoints." A checkpoint is a specific quality about
a web page, site, or application which can be
quantitatively measured and answered with a "yes" or "no,"
or perhaps a "does not apply."
-
Each checkpoint (and only checkpoints, not the
guidelines or the techniques) has a "priority" rating.
The priority levels are tied to the compliance levels
in WCAG 1.0. Priorities are rated from 1 to 3.
- A priority one checkpoint must be followed; if it's not,
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.
- A priority two checkpoint should be followed; if it's not,
then some groups will find it very difficult to
access or use the information. Satisfying this
checkpoint will remove significant barriers to
accessing Web documents.
- A priority three checkpoint may be followed if the web
designer wishes; if it's not, access will likely not
be impaired, but doing this will make it easier for
the information to be accessed or used. Satisfying
this checkpoint will improve access to Web
documents.
- A
"checklist" of checkpoints is available in a format
that's been sorted by priority; you can follow the links
on these to read the guidelines and the checkpoints that
way, but it is good to skim the full WCAG as well for a
sense of context.
-
In addition, for each checkpoint there are "techniques."
Techniques are answers to the question "how do I do what's
needed to meet these checkpoints?" They tend to be more
"practical" and less "theoretical." The techniques are
organized into several documents, based on the type of
"technology" (language) being addressed -- HTML, CSS, etc.
- Curriculum
on Web Content Accessibility Guidelines - Self paced
on-line tutorial. This was prepared by Chuck Letourneau and
Geoff Freed, and is a series of "slides" that allow you to
explore in detail through the Web Content Accessibility
Guidelines at varying level of degree. You can drill down
from Guideline to Checkpoint to Technique, then across all of
those horizontally, then back up a level and down again until
you've explored everything.
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