Requirements for WCAG 2.0 Requirements for WCAG 2.0 W3C Working Group Note 25 April 2006 This version: http://www.w3.org/TR/2006/NOTE-wcag2-req-20060425/ Latest version: http://www.w3.org/TR/wcag2-req/ Previous version: http://www.w3.org/TR/2002/WD-wcag2-req-20020426/ Editors: Gregg Vanderheiden, Trace Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison Copyright W3C ® MIT ERCIM Keio liability trademark document use Abstract This document outlines the requirements that the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (WCAG WG) has set for development of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. These requirements are based on feedback from the use of WCAG 1.0 and will be used to determine if the WCAG WG has met its goals as WCAG 2.0 advances through the W3C Recommendation Track Process Status of this document This section describes the status of this document at the time of its publication. Other documents may supersede this document. A list of current W3C publications and the latest revision of this technical report can be found in the W3C technical reports index Requirements for WCAG 2.0 is being updated at this time to reflect the current assumptions that have driven the development of WCAG 2.0. ( Previous version published April 2002 Please send comments to [email protected] archives for this list WCAG WG mailing list discussions Publication as a Working Group Note does not imply endorsement by the W3C Membership. This is a draft document and may be updated, replaced or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to cite this document as other than work in progress. This document was produced by a group operating under the 5 February 2004 W3C Patent Policy public list of any patent disclosures Essential Claim(s) section 6 of the W3C Patent Policy This document has been produced by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group Web Accessibility Initiative WCAG Working Group charter WAI Technical Activity Introduction Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 Since the release of WCAG 1.0 as a W3C Recommendation in May 1999, the WCAG WG has received feedback about the usability, understandability, and applicability of the suite of documents. This feedback is driving the development of WCAG 2.0 and is captured as the Requirements for WCAG 2.0 (this document). The primary goal of WCAG 2.0 is the same as 1.0: to promote accessibility of Web content. Additional goals discussed in this document are: Ensure that requirements may be applied across technologies Ensure that the conformance requirements are clear Design deliverables with ease of use in mind Write to a more diverse audience Clearly identify who benefits from accessible content Ensure that the revision is "backwards and forward compatible" 1. Ensure that WCAG 1.0 was written primarily for HTML documents. Authors trying to apply WCAG 1.0 to XML applications have had difficulty. Thus, WCAG 2.0 should be applicable across technologies such as: Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) Extensible Markup Language (XML) applications WCAG 2.0 requirements should be expressed in generic terms so that they may apply to more than one markup language or content format. 2. Ensure that the WCAG 2.0 must clearly specify the minimal requirements necessary for conformance. Each requirement must be verifiable. The WCAG WG will provide resources to help readers evaluate conformance, such as success criteria, sufficient techniques, and sample content. The deliverables must: Specify what is required for conformance. Clearly specify how content that is tailored according to client or user capabilities may conform (dynamic content or database driven). Resolve the relationship between user agent support and author supplied content (cross-platform and backwards compatibility issues). Document the assumptions that underlie the minimum requirements. 3. Design deliverables with ease of use in mind The WCAG WG will attempt to make the structure of the deliverables as simple and easy to use as possible. In designing the usability of the deliverables, the WCAG WG will consult the results of the WAI Site Redesign Task Force usability testing and discuss the design with representatives of the EOWG. 4. Write to a more diverse audience WCAG 2.0 deliverables must address the needs of a variety of readers, including people who wish to: Create accessible, innovative Web sites. Create policies related to Web accessibility. Assess whether a Web site conforms to the guidelines. Develop authoring tools, user agents, or evaluation and repair tools. Teach principles of accessible Web content. The number, length, and organization of the deliverables should address the different needs of these readers. The language used in the deliverables should be as easy as possible to translate into other languages. As part of ensuring that the diverse needs of readers are met, the WG will work with the Education and Outreach Working Group. 5. Clearly identify who benefits from accessible content WCAG 2.0 through its informative support documents will clearly identify who will benefit from each requirement. WCAG 2.0 will address as completely as possible the needs of users with blindness, low vision, color deficit or distortions, deafness, hearing loss, cognitive limitations, reading disabilities, speech impairments, paralysis, weakness, and other problems with movement and coordination of limbs, photosensitivity, and combinations thereof. 6. Ensure that the revision is "backwards and forward compatible" A number of other documents and software, such as specifications, evaluation tools, authoring tools, and government and organizational policies, reference WCAG 1.0. Therefore, WCAG 2.0 should introduce as few changes as possible to the definition of accessible Web content. At the same time, WCAG 2.0 should be designed to work with emerging and future technologies as much as possible.